DEVELOPING PRE-SERVICE TEACHER PROFESSIONAL IDENTITIES THROUGH A TRIANGULATED COLLABORATIVE MENTORING APPROACH

In the spirit of unification of the teacher education program, a triangulated project was initiated in the Fall of 2007 and continued in the Fall of 2008. The collaboration was between advanced and novice pre-service teachers. The small groups discussed current research-based topics in Early Childhood, resulting in a richer understanding of the topics as well as the Teacher Education Program (TEP). The triangulation occurred within three separate courses: a foundation course at the sophomore level, and two senior level courses, classroom structures and the capstone, Best Practices in Early Childhood, as well as a junior level content area methods course.