Abstract:

Join us for an engaging conversation about how one university has reimagined the preparation of future teachers through unique, authentic experiences that bring a sense of relevance to the changing nature of what schooling looks like today as a result of COVID-19. Research indicates that the more authentic teaching experiences future teachers have during their teacher preparation program, the better prepared they will be for the realities of the profession, the stronger their teaching efficacy, and the more likely they will be to stay in the profession.

To support this growth and development, teacher candidates at Northeastern State University in Oklahoma (USA) have had the opportunity to learn through service by teaching early education, middle school, or high school students from our community who struggle with mathematics. Until now, their teaching has always been delivered from within the clinic space on our university campus. Now our clinic teachers receive coaching support so that they can learn to teach not only in a traditional face to face classroom but also in a virtual classroom with digital mathematics resources. Teacher candidates serve their students during weekly supervised, individual, synchronous zoom sessions that span an academic semester. Using research informed best practices, assessment, and equitable tasks, we develop a shared vision of what high quality mathematics looks like and what effective teachers do to support an empowering culture of learning. The Pandemic is an opportunity to expand teacher candidates’ skill sets and not a barrier to their preparation. Early evidence indicates that teacher candidates leave the experience more efficacious and better prepared for the realities of their future classroom whether it be in a face to face or virtual environment.

The NSU Math Clinic provides a transferable model to be used by experienced leaders in higher education as they empower a culture of productive professionalism among teacher candidates across grade levels and content areas.

Keywords:

Distance Learning, Virtual Learning, Remote Learning, Teacher Candidates, Mathematics, Service Learning, Teacher Efficacy, Pre-Service Teachers.