Consensus and dissensus in mentor teachers' judgments of readiness to teach

A complex act – Teacher educators share their perspectives of practicum assessment.

“…The marrying together of practice and theory that is central to practicum is valued for helping student teachers to understand the realities of teaching whilst becoming informed by research as to best teaching practice (Clift & Brady, 2005). In this context student teachers are given the opportunity to develop as future members of the profession, to practice their skills and reflect on what it means to them to be a teacher (Cattley, 2007), while also gaining understanding of a range of educational philosophies manifest in practice (Haigh & Ell, 2014). However, practicum is not only a site of learning and induction; it is the context for assessment within a teacher education environment with increasing requirements for accountability as a gatekeeper to the teaching profession (Rorrison, 2010).…”

“…Haigh and Ell (2014) note that while there are governing standards for practicum, there are no specified guidelines for how assessment should be enacted in practice. Observation appears to be a key assessment tool (Power & Perry, 2002), but in many studies the role of observation appears to be a taken for granted practice, with little description or quantification of the observation process.…”

“…Within an assessment culture that relies heavily on the professional autonomy of the teacher educator, "factors such as intuition, personal feelings, experience, knowledge of the subject and cumulative knowledge of the particular student were acknowledged as key elements of professional judgement" (Hawe, 2002, p. 98). Haigh and Ell (2014) argue that such instinctive judgments may lead to confusion for the student teacher when they are not aware of the reasons for the assessor's decisions, highlighting the need for greater transparency.…”

“I Sorta Felt Like I was out in the Middle of the Ocean”: Novice Teachers’ Transition to the Classroom

“…Programs are structured in a way that provides a range of learning experiences aimed at developing understandings and strategies that best meet the learning needs of future school students. The quality of learning in initial teacher education programs has an impact on pre-service teachers' preparedness for the classroom experience, the implications of which can be far reaching for their careers and future students (Clarke, Byrnes & Sudweeks, 2015;Goldhaber & Cowan, 2014;Haigh & Ell, 2014;Ortlipp, 2009;Tillema, Smith & Leshem, 2011). Therefore, reviewing the effectiveness of ITE programs is an important on-going process that needs to be undertaken on a regular basis.…”

Scrutinising the Final Judging Role in Assessment of Practicum in Early Childhood Initial Teacher Education in New Zealand

“…Triadic assessment of practicum has been adopted in school and ECE settings in NZ and other parts of the world (Haigh & Ell, 2014;Haigh & Ward, 2004;Mitchell, Clarke, & Nuttall, 2007;Ortlipp, 2003a;Smith, 2007;Turnbull, 2005). Turnbull (1999) comprehensively described the assessment model as practiced in a leading NZ university.…”