The Acorn

The Acorn is a newsletter for the cooperating teachers working with student teachers from the College of St. Benedict/St. John's University. This publication is intended to help our cooperating teachers understand their roles and responsibilities as well as provide them with current research and best practice in working with student teachers. Additional information helpful to mentorship, pedagogy, and current issues in education is often included.

In this edition of The Acorn, I would like to follow up on the ideas presented in the “Mind the Gap” framework introduced previously. To catch us up to speed, Elena Aguilar presented this framework to identify what gaps—in skill, knowledge, capacity, will, cultural competence, or emotional intelligence—prevent individuals from finding success. As observers, we may believe a gap exists in one area; however, through careful listening and coaching conversations, we realize it exists in another area. What we may have perceived as a gap in skill, let’s say with being able to manage a classroom, may actually be a gap in capacity. Let’s explore this further.

Teacher and TikTokker Anita Bond recently posted a video about a student teacher who was struggling with classroom management (See more in the resources below). While working with this emerging educator, she realized that the challenges with management were not due to a lack of knowledge or an inability to create routines and develop relationships; rather, the gap was one of capacity. This student teacher's capacity, like that of most emerging and early career educators, resides in creating content and delivering lessons and materials for their students. Developing their identities as teachers takes a dominant role in their day-to-day classroom lives. That being said, we then realize that we need to collaborate and mentor the emerging educator to build capacity in management, AND we may need to take on a more active role in making that happen.

In order to grow and build capacity, many individuals need to learn HOW they know what they know and HOW or WHY they can do what they do. Using cognitive psychology, we are reminded of the conscious competence model (see diagram below). To think of how we are minding the gaps, we may need to examine how an individual sees or doesn’t see their competence and/or capacity in areas of challenge. The student teacher mentioned below is consciously incompetent. They know they are not able to present a lesson to their level of expectation while also managing classroom behaviors. By pointing out their level within that model, we can focus on what tools are available to bridge that gap and build capabilities. We may, as Anita Brown suggested, become the eyes and ears of the classroom focused on management. We may co-create routines to address common management issues. We may help build in management-related elements in the lesson plan. Then, we coach, mentor, and support our student teachers to embed those strategies that align with their needs so that they explore the hows and whys that lead them to conscious competence.

In the coming weeks, I encourage you to utilize questioning stems and coaching conversation skills to identify and address where your student teachers land on the conscious competence model, particularly when minding the gaps. This is important work in developing our emerging educators’ attitudes and aptitudes!

References:

Aguilar, E. (2018, March 2). The key to working with adult learners: Mind the gap (opinion). Education Week. Retrieved September 12, 2022, from https://www.edweek.org/education/opinion-the-key-to-working-with-adult-learners-mind-the-gap/2018/02

Effective July 1, 2022, all individuals who serve in the capacity of cooperating teacher or university supervisor for student teachers are required to complete training on coaching strategies for adult learners. To meet this PELSB and State requirement, CSB/SJU provides three options for cooperating teachers and university supervisors:

1. For members of Education Minnesota, complete the training through their professional development platform: https://meaonline.educationminnesota.org/catalog/courses/1333521

2. For members of the CSB/SJU student teaching community, complete the training with us using this link: Coaching Adult Learners training

3. For individuals who have completed training with another placing institution, provide evidence in the form of a CEU certificate or letter from the granting institution to the CSB/SJU Director of Student Teaching via email at jmeagher001@csbsju.edu

This training is required once every five years. A statewide system of reporting completion is in process to ensure all cooperating teachers and university supervisors who serve the state's student teachers have met this requirement. CSB/SJU will be reporting our completers to that entity each semester.

Thank you for your time and attention to this responsibility. The information you will glean from these trainings should be valuable to your role.

For Candidates in 12- or 16-week placements:

Week 7 with Students:

• Conduct one formal observation
• Conduct informal observations and provide actionable feedback
• Co-teach in classes/subjects the student teacher is not leading
• Elementary: Allow the student teacher to fully teach in one subject, minimum
• Secondary: Allow the student teacher to teach up to two classes less than a full-time load, if the student teacher is prepared to do so
• Model teaching, learning, and assessment for the student teacher

Week 8 with Students:

• Engage in goal-setting for the remainder of the term
• Revise teaching calendar as necessary based on observational data
• CT to complete feedback form, if needed
• Review and reset teaching times as necessary using the following as a guide:
• Elementary: Allow the student teacher to teach to 75-80% of full load
• Secondary: Allow the student teacher to teach to almost full time (one section less than the teacher’s full load)

For Candidates in 8-week placements:

Week 7 with Students:

• Discuss lesson planning and management techniques
• Informally observe and provide actionable feedback
• Conduct one formal observation
• Assist student teacher to address areas needing improvement with continued informal observations and feedback
• Discuss transitioning back to your classroom
• Ensure that a final meeting has been scheduled with the university supervisor
• Prepare letter of recommendation/reference for the final meeting
• Elementary and Secondary: Solo teaching full time to complete 10 consecutive days

Week 8 with Students:

• Have the student teacher teach half time and observe (either you or colleagues) half time
• Participate in the final meeting
• Complete all CSB/SJU forms linked below: Final Evaluation and Dispositional Evaluation
• Share letter of recommendation/reference with the student teacher, supervisor, and director of student teaching (jmeagher001@csbsju.edu)

CSB/SJU Student Teaching Handbook

Student Teaching Observations (by Cooperating Teacher/University Supervisor/Director)

This observation/evaluation form should be used to complete observations throughout the placement. Six formal observations of the student teacher are required within the span of student teaching. We ask that you complete 6 for a 16-week placement, 5 in a 12-week placement, 3 in an 8-week placement, and 2 in a 5-week placement. The entire form does not need to be completed for each observation; however, by the end of the placement, each part should be addressed.

Additional Forms:

Cooperating Teacher Information (if not completed in the past three years)

Feedback (week 2 and as needed after)
Cooperating Teacher's Final Evaluation of Student Teacher

Cooperating Teacher's Dispositional Evaluation of Student Teacher

Jennifer L. Meagher, EdD.

Director of Elementary and Secondary Student Teaching

Allison Spenader, PhD.

Chair

Email: jmeagher001@csbsju.edu
Website: csbsju.edu/education
Location: 37 College Avenue South, St Joseph, MN, USA
Phone: 320-363-5709