Student Teachers Speak Out!

A Cooperating Teacher, a Supervisor, and a Critical Confidant: The Journey Moving Toward a New Model of Support For Student Teachers

“…When referencing her choice to speak with her Critical Confidant rather than her supervisor or cooperating teacher, the PST commented, "I want to know what people were feeling who just did this" implying that she wanted to understand the point of view of someone who had made this choice recently. PSTs may often find that the student teaching experience is more time consuming and stressful than they anticipated (Berridge & Goebel, 2013); the PSTs in this study appeared to benefit from being able to seek the advice of someone who had recently experienced student teaching.…”

“…However, our findings indicate that a vast majority of participants found working with a Critical Confidant to be helpful, likely indicating that they felt they benefited from the experience. This makes sense in that the literature is replete with calls for support for student teachers during what can be a difficult time (e.g., Berridge & Goebel, 2013;Butler & Cuenca, 2012;Cooper & He, 2012;Houck & Chiodo;Jasper & Foster, 2009;Wyss, Siebert, & Dowling, 2012). Our findings both confirm and extend those of these researchers.…”

“…While student teachers often describe their experiences as one of the most valuable of their entire preparation programs (Burstein, 1992;Kuriloff, 2013), it can also be challenging and stressful (Berridge & Goebel, 2013;Cochran-Smith, 1991;Fantilli & McDougall, 2009;Huisman, Singer & Catapano, 2010;Kuriloff, 2013;Onslow, Beynon, & Geddis, 1992;Ronfeldt & Reininger, 2012). The fact that novice teachers have challenges and need support has been extensively reported in the literature (e.g., Bullough & Baughman, 1997;Kelly, Gningue, & Qian, 2013;Lortie, 1975;Moir & Gless, 2001).…”

“…Over the last thirty years mentoring has increasingly been used to help novice teachers cope with the challenges of their first teaching positions. Generally, mentoring programs are seen as a way to combat the problem of novice teacher attrition, but as researchers note, the problem of attrition can actually begin during the teacher preparation program itself (Berridge & Goebel, 2013;Jasper & Foster, 2010). While mentoring programs are useful for those who have actually entered the teaching profession, having a better experience as a PST and developing a more accurate understanding of the full range of teaching responsibilities may help address the issue of novice teacher attrition.…”

“…By definition, student teachers receive formative feedback and are also supervised by their cooperating teacher and college supervisor. This can make sharing concerns or asking for help seem less desirable (Butler & Cuenca 2012;Ronfeldt & Reininger, 2012), leaving student teachers with stress (Berridge & Goebel, 2013) and unsure of where to turn for support.…”