Although classroom video is well recognized as a valuable reflective resource for student teachers, we know very little about how university supervisors' pedagogical practices are shaped by creating and using videos with their student teachers. This study explored how 12 supervisors developed greater stances of inquiry toward their practices as they experimented with video and shared their experiences with peers. Patterns in project meeting and interview transcripts revealed how these experiences not only enhanced their existing personal approaches toward supervision and helped them "anchor messages" they wanted to communicate to their student teachers about teaching methods, but also challenged their roles as observers and prompted them to build messages about teaching dispositions directly from video. The findings show how a community of practice encourages supervisors to take considerable responsibility for their own growth as teacher educators and provides a coherent framework others can use to pursue similar professional development initiatives.
This pilot study aimed to address persistent gaps in the research regarding effective professional development models associated with reading comprehension pedagogy in content area classrooms (science). An appropriate instructional model was developed, (Do-Read-Do) which attempts to embed the explicit teaching of reading comprehension strategies within a science investigation. This model was then explored in workshops, discussion groups and in reciprocal in-class coaching situations over the course of a semester in a case study school. Findings highlighted many positive aspects of the professional development program such as the use of the gradual release of responsibility model that included modeling, practical application of the new methodology (both within the workshop and in the actual classroom) and ample opportunities for discussion and reflection. Despite some initial difficulties with the instructional model, it proved to be an effective method of embedding explicit reading comprehension instruction within a science investigation.
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