Establishing professional relationships in practicum settings

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

“…Practicum assessment is seen by teacher educators to be fair and consistent when the following conditions are met: it takes place in the context of positive relationships (Ferrier-Kerr, 2009), is guided by the exercise of professional judgment (Joughin, 2009;Ortlipp, 2009), measured against the criteria established by the institution and other stakeholders (Darling-Hammond & Snyder, 2000), considers multiple perspectives (Haigh et al, 2013), and is subjected to both informal and formal moderation (Adie, Lloyd, & Beutal, 2013).…”

Mentoring Expectations and Experiences of Prospective and Cooperating Teachers during Practice Teaching

“…Mentoring during practice teaching has received a prominence in recent years due to the perceived need for change in the organization of the field experience in ITE programs (Walkington, 2005;Ferrier-Kerr, 2009;Hennisen, et al, 2011). The need for change stemmed from a variety of sources: 1) the increasing need for and the recognition of the value of professional learning in natural workplace environment (Bolhuis & Voeten, 2001;Korthagen, Loughran & Russell, 2006); 2) the questioning of the practical relevance and applications of theory-based courses that are often blamed for the disconnectedness between university education and field-based teacher training (Cabaroğlu, 2014;Kumaravadivelu, 2012;Yeşilbursa, 2011;Zeichner, 2010;Darling-Hammond, Hammerness, Grossman, Rust & Shulman, 2005); and 3) the reported professional value of mentoring practices both for CTs (Arnold, 2002) and PTs (Koç, 2012) in school-based learning environment.…”

“…Practice teaching is an essential component of teacher education programs (Butler & Cuenca, 2012;Ferrier-Kerr, 2009;Farrell, 2008;Borg, 2006;Darling-Hammond, 2006;Johnson, 1999), and is vitally important for teacher preparation (Gareis & Grant, 2014). Although classroom teaching, learning to teach through observations, reflecting on the teaching practices are the main constructs of practice teaching, the mentoring practices of the cooperating teachers (CTs) also play an equally significant role in the professional learning of the prospective teachers (PTs) (Hennissen, Crasborn, Brouwer, Korthagen & Bergen, 2011;Butler & Cuenca, 2012).…”

Providing Effective Feedback to EFL Student Teachers

“…His/her role is not only an assessor but he has other different roles to play during his presence in the school with his mentees. He may play the following roles: a friend who is kind to his mentees and establishes good professional relationships with his mentees, which are crucial for successful practicum (Ferrier-Kerr, 2009). Additionally, he/she has to set a good model in terms of his teaching and other professional aspects.…”