EDUC 8813

Funding Proposal

Scanterbury and Ogden

The task of providing education professionals with high quality staff development has become an urgent matter since the passage of the federal No Child Left Behind (NCLB) Act. While much of what passes for in-service training often consists of one-day sessions with little connection to actual classroom goals, Gordon (2003) contended that research shows that professional development will focus sharply on classroom instruction and content. It will be collaborative, intensive, and sustained, giving participants opportunities to examine and critique their own practice and one another’s. Gordon suggested strategies which may include master teachers mentor novices or student-teachers, organizing collaborative discussions of student work around curricular goals, and using lesson-study groups to share best practices and evaluate classroom instruction.

In order to make effective changes toward the implementation of technology in K-12 schools, Gordon (2003) argued that student-teachers must work closely with master teachers who are proficiently and effectively implementing technology in their classroom instructions. Grove, Strudler, and Odell (2004) discovered in their study that although most K-12 classrooms in which student teachers were placed had available technology, most student teachers did not routinely use technology during their experiences or work with master teachers or supervisors who could guide their use of technological tools. They also revealed that less than half of pre-service (student teachers) had opportunities to apply instructional technology and that cooperating teachers were often unable to advise students on these issues. Adding complexity to the issue of integrating technology in field experiences is the problem of locating technology-using teachers for these placements.

Through the Department of Education, the Institute of Educational Sciences is offering a competitive grant in the amount of $2,000,000 for innovative research on instructional technology. The purpose of the competitive research grants is to educators, parents, policy-makers, and the general public with reliable and valid information about education practices that support learning and improve academic achievement and access to education opportunities for all students. In carrying out its mission, the Institute provides support for programs of research in areas of demonstrated national need.

Therefore, we propose to conduct a study on the outcome of cooperating teachers (i.e., student teachers and master teachers) in the implementation of effective technological uses in instruction, management, and learning within a 5 year span. Not only will the study increase the proficiency and confidence of in-service teachers, it will enable master teachers to become more proficient and confident, as well as increase students to academic technology learning environments.

References

Department of Education: https://www.grants.gov.

Gordon, D. T. (2003). Linking teachers with technology for professional development and support. In David Gordon (ED), Better Teaching and Learning in the Digital Classroom. Cambridge, MA: Harvard Educational Press.

Grove, K., Strudler, N. & Odell, S. (2004). Mentoring Toward Technology Use: Cooperating Teacher Practice in Supporting Student Teachers. Journal of Research on Technology in Education, 37, 1. Canada: International Society for Technology in Education.