THIS ARTICLE DESCRIBES the PT3 Implementation Grant at the University of Rhode Island's School of Education and the impact it had on students' confidence in using technology for teaching. The three-year project focused on working with faculty from the School of Education and the College of Arts and Sciences to integrate technology into their instruction and improve the supervision of pre-service teachers. The goal was to provide exemplary models of pedagogically sound technology use that were embedded in core teacher education courses, and not through a stand-alone "technology for teachers" course. A technology confidence survey was administered to students in the teacher education program at the end of each semester of the three-year project. Data from the survey were analyzed to look at change in attitudes over time as students progressed through the teacher education program. Results show a significant increase in students' confidence in six areas of technology use in teaching, the majority of which were a focus of the project's training and support of university instructors.
A cadre of school teachers took part in three semesters of online coursework to earn TESOL certification. They participated in a hybrid university math course and a face-to-face summer institute on effective teaching of math to English learners. Participants took pre and post-tests aligned to Common Core elementary mathematics content and the Praxis Test for Teachers of English to Speakers of Other Languages. They were observed teaching a math lesson in the beginning of the project to evaluate effectiveness in TESOL instructional strategies. A follow up observation was conducted the following semester. Both observations were scored using the sheltered instruction observation protocol (SIOP Model). Assessment and observation results indicated statistically significant growth in content and pedagogical knowledge and application. A qualitative analysis suggests flexibility in the form of online and hybrid courses, financial support, and practical application of new concepts to current practice are key factors in successful professional development for practicing teachers.
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