Implementing Coteaching and Cogenerative Dialoguing in Urban Science Education

Abstract

Over the past 7 years the authors have been involved in the development of a new model for the education of science teachers that has the potential to address teacher education in challenging urban settings characterized by problems such as teacher turnover and retention, low job satisfaction, and contradictions arising from cultural and ethnic diversity. An intensive research program accompanied the development effort; the research results were used as resources in redesigning the evolving model to make it more appropriate for the situations at hand. The science teacher education program at an urban university was built around a yearlong field experience, during which all prospective teachers learned to teach in an urban high school while coteaching, that is, while teaching at the elbow of a mentor teacher or one or more peers. Over this period, a number of different configurations of coteaching and the associated cogenerative dialoguing were tried, tested, and investigated. The paper describes the historical development of the different configurations of the model and the emergent contradictions that led the researchers to enact changes to their approach. The central idea in the development effort was the creation of an environment that (a) best affords the learning of how to teach in urban high schools, (b) decreases teacher isolation, (c) mitigates turnover and retention, and (d) addresses contradictions arising from the cultural and ethnic diversity of students and teachers. Most importantly, this model of teacher education and enhancement simultaneously multiplies the resources and opportunities to support the learning of students.

Planting the Seed of Teacher Identity: Nurturing Early Growth through a Collaborative Learning Community

“…teacher educators, teachers and pre-service teachers are often viewed as belonging to different learning communities, the development of shared meaning making through co-generative dialoguing (Tobin & Roth, 2005) can provide an opportunity to integrate theory and practice and allow differences in agendas and perspectives to be shared and acknowledged (Goodnough, Osmond, Dibbon, Glassman & Stevens, 2009). Le Cornu (2009) described a re-conceptualised practicum programme where a faculty lecturer took responsibility for the 25 pre-service teachers in a workshop group (learning circle) -on-campus, on-line, and in-school components of the course.…”

Triad Relationships and Member Satisfaction with Paired Placement of Student Teachers

“…Peer coaching is "a training method in which pairs of students, student teachers, or classroom teachers observe each other and provide consultative assistance in correctly applying teaching skills and proposing alternative solutions to recognized instructional needs" (Wynn & Kromrey, 1999, p. 21). Co-generative dialoguing (Roth & Tobin, 2002;Tobin & Roth, 2005) is the practice of having all co-learners (e.g., mentor teachers, student teachers, and university supervisors) meet to discuss lessons taught by student teachers, along with other relevant aspects of teaching (e.g., different teaching methods). Such collaboration promotes teacher efficacy (Nokes et al, 2008), and peer coaching holds promise for encouraging teacher development (Le Cornu, 2005).…”

Introducing Co-Teaching and Co-Generative Dialogues in a Pre-Service Teaching Practicum: Stepping in and Remaining Contradictions

“…A number of early research studies on teacher mentoring clearly show that a mentor can play an important role in the development of a pre-service teacher's teaching expertise during a field-based practicum experience (Guyton & McIntyre, 1990). However, more recently, researchers have focused on how collaboration with a peer or a group of co-teachers affects pre-service teachers' experiences during the practicum (Bullough et al, 2003;Roth & Tobin, 2004;Tobin & Roth, 2005). Whereas a traditional model of mentoring requires a single mentor to work with a single pre-service teacher, a partner (or peer) teaching model places two pre-service teachers with one mentor.…”