Journal of Teacher Action Research 1 JTAR...Journal of Teacher Action Research 1 Journal of Teacher...

JournalofTeacherActionResearch1

JournalofTeacherActionResearch-Volume5,Issue2,2019,practicalteacherresearch.com,ISSN#2332-2233

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JTAR EDITORS

JTAR JournalofTeacherActionResearchVolume5,Issue2,2019

ProceduralChecklistInterventiontoIncreaseMathAssignmentCompletion 4AmongStudentswithHighIncidenceDisabilitiesMartinRiosCalliLewisChiu

ParallelConferencing:Co-ViewingAndCo-AssessingTeacherCandidates’Videos 22StephanieKotch-Jester ElizabethSoslau VickiGoettel BridgetDudaNicholasBellDeirdreLillyReflections:ExploringStudentWritingSelf-EfficacyIntheOnlineEnvironment 39SharonicaNelsonEngagingEducationMajorsToEmbraceDiversityThroughExpressiveArts 56AnnetteMohanGraceJepkemboiReshapingPractice:AnActionResearchProjectExploringWritingInstruction 77KateRollMargaretVaughnWritinginMathematicstoIncreaseStudentUnderstanding 95AshleyHarlanPerceptionsofFlexibleSeating 120MaryEllenSorrell

JTAR AbouttheJournal

Foundedin2013,theJournalofTeacherActionResearch(ISSN:2332-2233)isapeer-reviewedonlinejournalindexedwithEBSCOthatseekspracticalresearchthatcanbeimplementedinPre-Kindergarten

throughPost-Secondaryclassrooms.Theprimaryfunctionofthisjournalistoprovideclassroomteachersandresearchersameansforsharingclassroompractices.

Thejournalacceptsarticlesforpeer-reviewthatdescribeclassroompracticewhichpositivelyimpactsstudentlearning.Wedefineteacheractionresearchasteachers(atalllevels)studyingtheirpracticeand/ortheirstudents'learninginamethodicalwayinordertoinformclassroompractice.Articlessubmittedtothejournalshoulddemonstrateanactionresearchfocuswithintenttoimprovethe

author’spractice.

EditorialTeam

Co-EditorsGilbertNaizer,Ph.D. AprilSanders,Ph.D.

TexasA&MUniversity-Commerce SpringHillCollege

AssociateEditorsLauraIsbell,Ph.D. TamiMorton,Ph.D. SusanWilliams

TexasA&MUniversity-Commerce TexasA&MUniversity-CommerceTexasA&MUniversity-Commerce

ProductionEditorandWebmasterChaseYoung,Ph.D.

SamHoustonStateUniversity

www.practicalteacherresearch.com

THEJOURNALOFTEACHERACTIONRESEARCH 22

JournalofTeacherActionResearch- Volume5,Issue2,2019,<practicalteacherresearch.com>,ISSN#2332-2233©JTAR.AllRights

PARALLELCONFERENCING:CO-VIEWINGANDCO-ASSESSINGTEACHERCANDIDATES’VIDEOSStephanieKotch-Jester

ElizabethSoslau

VickiGoettel

BridgetDuda

NicholasBell

DeirdreLilly

UniversityofDelaware

AbstractThepurposeofthisactionresearchwastoexamineanalternativemethodofobservingteachercandidate’sinstructionalpracticesthroughtheuseofvideoandone-to-oneconferencingbetweentheuniversityfieldinstructorandteachercandidate.Wedevelopedaninnovativestrategytofieldinstructionthatworkedtowardssolvingatwo-partproblem(a)managingalargeworkloadand(b)preparingcandidatesforvideo-basedreflection.Themixed-researchapproachincludedelementsofself-studyandpractitionerresearchtoidentifythechallengesandbenefitsofco-viewingvideo,thetopicsdiscussedduringco-viewing,andtheinitiatorsofthereflectivediscussions.Severalchallengesandbenefitsofco-viewingvideoofpracticewereuncovered.Eventhoughchallengeswereidentified,parallelconferencingmixedwithliveobservationswasfavoredbyteachercandidates.Discussionswerefocusedacrossfivethemeswithpupilbehaviorshowingthemostfrequentedtopic.Initiatorsofthediscussionsequalizedfromthebeginningofthesemestertotheend.Overtime,thecandidatesbegantoinitiatetheconversationsofpractice.Weproposethatmixingparallelconferencingwithliveobservationscouldfunctionascosteffectivesolutiontomaintaininghighqualityfieldinstruction.

Keywords:teacheractionresearch,teacher candidates, video conferencing, field instruction

Introduction

Inthispaper,we,university-basedfieldinstructors(studentteachingsupervisors),examineanalternativemethodofconductingpost-lessonobservationconferenceswithteacher



candidatescoupledwithtraditionalfield-basedliveobservations.Wehavelabeledouralternativemethodofconferencesasparallelconferencing.Parallelconferencingoccurswhentheuniversity-basedfieldinstructorandtheteachercandidatesittogethertoco-viewandco-evaluateavideorecordingofthecandidate’steaching.Thedevelopmentofourparallelconferencingprotocolevolvedfromtwoproblemsthatweidentifiedduringthestudentteachingsemester.

First,anewlyimplementednationalteacher-licensingexam,theEducationTeacherPerformanceAssessment(edTPA)requiredourcandidatestorecordtheirpracticeandwritedeepreflectionsbasedontheirteachingvideos.Ourcandidatesconsistentlystruggledtopurposelyviewandannotatetheirinstructionalvideos.Theydidnotidentifyevidenceofeffectivepracticesorineffectivepractices,nordidtheyreflectinmeaningfulwaystowardsthegoalofimprovingtheirpractice.Candidates’reflectionsweresuperficialandoftenfocusedonstudentbehaviorversusinstructionaldecision-makingorimpactonpupillearninganddevelopingunderstandingofcontent.Second,duetoprogramrestructuringuniversity-fieldinstructors’supervisionloadsdoubledresultinginteacherstudentratiosofupto1:24.

Weknewthatweneededtodevelopanewobservationandconferencingapproachtoensurethatourcandidatesreceivedconsistentandtimelyfeedbackwhilemaintainingtheoverallqualityofourfieldinstruction.Sincethevalueoffieldinstructionliesinthepost-debriefingconference,asopposedtooursilentandpassiveobservationoflessons(Soslau,2012),wedecidedtoforgothetimespentobservingourstudents,andreallocateallofourtimetotheinstructionalcomponentofourworkwithcandidates.Videorecordingswouldnowtaketheplaceofsome,notall,ofourfieldobservations.Todiscernifthebenefitsofparallelconferencingoutweighedthepotentialchallenges,whilealleviatingtheworkloadissuesassociatedwithdoublingfieldinstructors’loads,weaskedthefollowingquestions:

• Whatarethebenefitsandchallengesofco-viewingvideorecordingsduringone-on-onepost-lessonconferences?

• Whattopicsaremostfrequentlydiscussed?

• Whoinitiatesthetopicanddoestheinitiatorrolechangeovertime?

• Asaresultofthestudy,whatrefinementtotheparallelconferencingprotocolisnecessary?

LiteratureReview

Videoforreflection.Researchaboutpreserviceteacherpreparation,andspecificallythestudentteachingpracticum,makesitclearthatvideocanbeusedtohelpcandidatesreflectontheirpractice(Rich&Hannafin,2009;Santagata&Guarino,2011;Star&Strickland,2008;Santagataet.al,2007;Schepensetal,2007;Star&Strickland,2008;vanEs&Sherin,



2008;vanEs,2009,Seidel,etal.,2013;Tripp&Rich,2012).However,reflectingonvideoonone’sownrequiresthecandidatetoemployasetofnoticingandanalysisskillsthattheymaynothavedevelopedyet.Seidel,Blomberg,&Renkl(2013)provideevidencethatstructuredguidancebyafieldinstructorimprovedteachercandidates’abilitiestonotice.Teachercandidates’wholearntodevelopalternativeinterpretationsofeventsandnoticenovelfeaturesofseeminglyroutineproblems,arebetterabletoexaminepupilthinkingretrospectivelyinwaysthatwouldbeimpossibletodoinrealtime(vanEs&Sherin,2008;vanEs,2009;Sherin&vanEs,2009;Sherin,Linsenmeier,&vanEs,2009).Notonlycanvideobeusedtohelpteachcandidateslearnhowtonoticeandassesstheirpractice,buttheuseofvideohasalsobeenshowntomotivatenoviceteacherstoimplementchangestotheirpractice(Tripp&Rich,2012)andengageinself-assessmentsfirmlyrootedinrealproblemsofpractice(Rich&Hannafin,2009).

PersonalPracticalKnowledgeandProfessionalKnowledge.Sincethisworkwasauthenticallymotivatedbytheresearcherswhoalsoservedasthefieldinstructorsforthecandidatesinthisstudy,weusedtwocomplementaryconceptualtheories;(a)professionalknowledgelandscapeand(b)personalpracticalknowledge(Clandinin&Connelly,1995;Connelly&Clandinin,1990).Todeveloptheparallelconferencingprotocolandmakesenseofourdata,wepurposefullyemployedourpersonalpracticalknowledgeoffieldinstructionandpostlessonobservationconferencing.Withacombinedtotalofover65yearsofexperienceasfieldinstructors,weknowfirst-handtheshiftsinpracticethathavebeennecessarytosupportourcandidatesandthustheprofessionalknowledgelandscapeisbothfamiliarandusefultousaswedevelopedandcarriedoutthisstudy.

Context.Weserveasfieldinstructorsatamid-sizedpublicuniversitysituatedonthemid-AtlanticcoastoftheUnitedStatesofAmerica.Allsix-fieldinstructorsparticipatedinthedevelopmentandimplementationofthisstudy.Fourofthefieldinstructorsarefulltimeclinicalfacultyandtheothertwoarefulltimeprofessionalstaff.Facultyfieldinstructorstypicallycarryasmallerloadofcandidatesrangingbetweentwelveandseventeen,whilefulltimeprofessionalstaffcanserveuptotwenty-fourcandidatesatatime.Twoofthefieldinstructorshaveterminaldegreesandtwoinstructorsarecurrentlyenrolledinadoctoralprogram.Threefieldinstructorsgraduatedfromtheteacherpreparationprogramthattheynowserve.

Ourcandidatescompleteafour-yearundergraduatebachelorsdegreeandearntwocertifications(1)elementaryeducation(2)specialeducationoramiddleschoolcontent.Therewere98candidateswhoaparticipatedinthestudy.Themajorityofourcandidatesarefemale,cis-gendered,heterosexual,white,andmiddletoupperclass.Candidatesareplacedinmostlysuburbansettingswithalowpercentageofpupilsofcolor.Weusethecoteachingmodelforstudentteaching(Soslau,Gallo-Fox,&Scantlebury,2018;Soslau,Kotch-Jester,Scantlebury,2018).Coteachingensuresthatthefocusofthepracticumistosupportpupillearningwhilealsoattendingtotheprofessionallearningneedsofbothteachers(candidates’andclassroommentorteachers’).

Normally,fieldinstructorsobserveandconductpost-debriefingconferenceswitheachcandidateeveryotherweek.Observationscanlastbetween30and90minuteswhile



debriefingconferencesusuallyrangefrom45to60minutes.Pre-lessonconferencesareunusual,butdotakeplace.Fieldinstructorsalwaysprovidecandidateswithawrittenrecordoftheobservationaswellasanynotesorfeedbacksuggestions.Oftenfieldinstructorswillalsoprovideextensivefeedbackonlessonplansandothercandidate-generatedcurricularmaterials.

ParallelConferencingProtocolandProcedures.Allfieldinstructorsconductedlive,real-timeobservationsandconferenceswiththeirteachercandidatesduringthefirstfewweeksofthetwelve-weekstudentteachingpracticum.Therewereseveralreasonswemadethisdecision.First,candidateswerefamiliarwiththeprocessoflive,real-timeobservations.Second,thesein-personon-sitemeetingsallowedfieldinstructorstogainabettersenseoftheclassroomenvironmentandbegintobuildandmaintainrapportwiththeclassroomhostteacher.Third,wedidnotwantourdecisionmakingtoinadvertentlysignaltoouruniversityadministratorsthatwedidnotvalueliveobservations,causingthemtocutclassroom-visitsasafundingpriority.

Forthesecondroundofobservationsandconferences,allfieldinstructorsaskedcandidatestorecord30to60minutesofalessonandpreparetoco-viewthelessonwiththeirrespectivefieldinstructorduringaparallelconferencingsession.Thesesessionstookplaceduringweeksfourthroughsix(ofthetwelveweekpracticum)atalocationconvenienttothedyadincludingplacessuchastheschool-practicumsite,universityoffices,orotheruniversitylocation.Thetotaltimeoftheconference,inclusiveofco-viewing,wasonehourtoanhourandfifteenminutes.Inadditiontobeingresponsibleforbringingthevideoclip,candidatesalsopresentedwrittendocumentationoftheirlessonplan,lessonmaterials,andstudentwork.

Fieldinstructorsopenedtheparallelconferencebyreadingfromabriefscriptwithpre-viewingprompts,whichexplainedtheproceduresandcreatedspaceforthecandidatetoaskanyquestionsandprovideanynecessarybackgroundcontextualinformationbeforeviewingthelesson.Candidateswereencouragedtopausethevideowhentheynoticedanaspectoftheirpracticethatwentwell,thattheywishedtoimprove,orforanyotherreasonthattheydeemednecessarytodiscuss.Candidateswerealsoinformedthatinstructorswouldpausethevideotoaskprobingquestionsandtolearnmoreabouttheinvisiblewebofdecision-makingthatcouldnotbeseenbysimplyobservingthecandidate’sinstruction.Instructorsusedaparallelconferencetrackingformtotakenotesandcollectfielddataaboutthenumberoftimesthevideowaspausedandbywhom,andwhichtopicsofconversationdominatedtheco-evaluationsession.

ParallelConferenceProtocolPrompts.Whenfieldinstructorspausedthevideo,theyaskedquestionsaimedatprobingthecandidates’invisiblethinkingsuchas,

• Whatwereyouthinkingatthispoint?• Canyoushareabitaboutyourrationaleforthisdecision?• InoticeX…whatdoyounotice?

Orusedsentencestarterssuchas,



• Explainwhy…• Tellmeabout…

Laterintheprotocol,fieldinstructorspushedforcandidatestouseevidencetoevaluatetheunfoldinglesson.Thesepromptsincludedquestionssuchas,

• Whatdoyounoticeaboutdowntime,non-instructionaltime?• Howarethestudentsfeelingatthispoint,howdoyouknow,isthatwhatyouhad

hoped,whyorwhynot?• Canyoufindevidenceoftimeswhenyouencouragedpupilthinking?• Doesyourbodylanguagematchyourintentions/voice?

Reflectivepromptswerealsousedandtiedtocandidates’evaluationoftheirlessons.Forexample,

• Weretheresteps,directions,materials,orotheraspectsofthelessonthatcouldhavebeenplanneddifferentlyormoreefficiently?

• Howdidyourpriorreflectionsonyourlessonsimpactyourteachingtoday?

Sincepriorresearchonfieldinstructionpracticespointedtothenecessityofmeta-conferencing,orconferencingaboutthevalueoftheconferenceactivityitself(Soslau,2015a,2015b),wealsoasked,

• Whatdidyoulearnfromthisconference?• Whatquestionsdoyoustillhave?

Towardstheendofeachconference,usingwhatisknownastemporallyconnectedtechniques(Conway,2001)wepushedourcandidatestoplanforfuturereflectionbyasking,

• Whatwillyoureflectontomorrow?• Whatisthemostimportantquestionyouwanttoaskyourself?• Whatisyourhopeforyournextlesson(connectedornotconnectedtothislesson)?

Finally,weencouragedcandidatestounderstandthatthereflectiveprocesswewereengagingtheminwasonethattheycouldemployontheirown,duringtheirin-servicetenure.Forexample,weoftenclosedourconferenceswith,

• Howdoesourcollaborativeconferencingpracticecompareandcontrastwithyourimaginedreflectiveself-assessmentprocessasafulltimepractitioner?”

Methodology

Weemployedamixedresearchapproachthatwouldlargelybeconsideredactionresearch(Anderson&Herr,1999).Thoughwealsousedelementsofself-study(Tidwell,Heston,&Fitzgerald,2009),andpractitionerresearch(Cochran-Smith&Lytle,2009).Datawereculledfromourparallelconferencingnotes,fieldnotes,audiorecordingsofconferences,



candidateinterviews,andfieldinstructorresearchmeetingnotes.Todeveloptheconferencingprotocol,thefieldinstructionresearchteammetmonthlytodiscussthepurposeandgoalsofparallelconferencing.Theyjointlydevelopedtheparallelconferencingprocedureaswellastheprotocol,whichincludedpromptsandprobesforthedebriefingconference.

Oncetheprotocolwasdeveloped,theteammetthroughoutthesemestertodiscussdatacollection,emergingfindings,andsharefieldnotes.Anend-of-semestermeetingwasusedtosharefieldinstructorperspectives.Dataanalysisoffieldnotesandparallelconferencingtranscriptshappenediterativelysincethesharingofoneresearcher’sdataandanalysisinfluencedthedataanalysisoftheotherfieldinstructors.Forexample,overtime,wedevelopedalistofcodestoidentifythemajorthematictopicsthatrelatedtoreasonsforpausingthevideoduringco-viewing.Dataaremostlyqualitative,thoughsomefrequencieswerecalculatedtodeterminewhichtopicscutacrossallofthefieldinstructors’datasets.

Results

TopicsDiscussed.Todeterminethemajortopicsdiscussedduringparallelconferencing,fieldinstructorscodedtheirtranscribeddata.Duringourmonthlymeetings,wediscussedourcodesanddeterminedwhichcodescutacrossalldatasetstiedtoeachfieldinstructor.Table1includesthetopicsdiscussedduringconferenceswithcandidates.

Table1:TopicsDiscussedwithExplanations

Topics Explanation

PupilBehaviorOneormorepupilsisactingoutanddisruptingtheirownlearningor

thelearningofthosearoundthem

FocusPupilsAfocuspupilisselectedduetoapredeterminedlearning

need

NoticeSomeAnomalyTheteacherstraysfromthelesson,anumberofchildren

leavetheroom,orsomeotherunplannedeventtranspires

PushingforaRationale/Justification

Attemptstouncovercandidatethinkingwhichisnotreadilyaccessiblebyobservingcandidates’

behavior/practice

IdentifyingPointsofConfusion

Noticingwhenchildrenareconfusedbythedirections,content,orsomeotheraspectofthelesson

Thesetopicsareoft-addressedtopicsintheliteratureonnoviceteacherlearning.Classroommanagementandtheabilitytocreatealearningenvironmentwhereallpupilsexhibit



sociallydesirablebehaviorsareincrediblydifficultfornewteachers.Similarly,weknowthatfieldinstructorsmustpushforcandidates’rationalesandjustificationsbeforeattemptingtoprovideasuggestionorgivingsomeothertypeofevaluativefeedback,sincedoingsowouldmakeallutterancespredicatedonthefieldinstructors’assumptionsandattributionsaboutthecandidates’intent(Soslau,2012;2015a).

Whohitpausemoreoften?Asaforementioned,wewerealsointerestedinlearningwhethercandidateswouldtakeupthepracticeofinitiatingtopicsofconversationbyself-selectingtopausethevideoanddiscusssomethingtheynoticedpertainingtotheirpracticeorinternaldecisionmaking.Tothisend,eachfieldinstructorkepttrackofwho“hitpause”whenwatchingthevideoduringallofthreeoftheirparallelconferences.Table2belowdenotesthefrequenciesandchartsthedataovertime.Thisenabledustotrackiftherewereanyshiftsintheroleofinitiatorthroughouttheexperience.Thegrayedboxesindicatealossofdatafortheparticularfieldinstructor.Onefieldinstructordidnotreportanyinitiatornumbers.

Table2:Fieldinstructor(FI)andN=TeacherCandidates(TC)relatedtopersonwho“hit

pause”

Conference 1 Conference 2 Conference 3 Totals

FI TC FI TC FI TC

FI#1 (N=24) 44 59 25 29 11 13 181

FI#2 (N=20) 67 45 58 53 20 20 263

FI#3(N=17) 54 40 11 13 118

FI#4 (N=17 53 43 41 35 9 10 191

FI#5 (N=12) 24 11 7 2 44

Totals 242 198 142 132 40 43 797

Eachfieldinstructor,regardlessofthenumbersofcandidatestheyserved,werethedominantparticipantinthebeginningofthefieldexperience.Asthesemestermovedon,candidatesbegansharingtheresponsibilityforpausingthevideomoreequallywiththeirfieldinstructorduringparallelconferencing.Whilethedesignofourstudydoesnotallowustoaccountforthisshift,wepositsomepossibilitiesthatcanbetakenupwithfurtherresearch.First,candidatesmayfeelmorecomfortableovertime,rapportmaydeepenbetweenthedyad,candidatesmayfeelagreatersenseofagencyastheybecomeclosertotheirprofessionallivesasinserviceteachers,orfieldinstructorsmayhavebecomemoreadeptatgivingwaittimeandmakingspacethatallowedcandidatestotakemorecontrolovertheco-viewingsessions.Wethinkthatthisisacriticallyimportantareaofstudytodevelop,becausecontrolandasenseofagencyhasbeenshowntohelpcandidatestake



advantagesofopportunitiestoimprovetheirpracticeduringfieldexperiences(Soslau,2015a).

Challenges–FieldInstructors.Duringourmonthlymeetingswesharedandcomparednotesaboutaspectsofparallelconferencingthatposedchallenges.Oftenafieldinstructorwouldbringawrittenaccountofachallengesupportedbyapartialtranscriptofher/hisconferencewithacandidate.Together,wedeterminedthematicchallengesthatwefacedduringanduponreflectionofourengagementinparallelconferencing.Wehavesixareasofchallengethatwewillnowexplicate.Allsix-fieldinstructorsexperiencedthesechallenges.

Challenge1:Feedbackonthefly.First,wefounditincrediblydifficulttodevelopfeedback“onthefly”orinsitu.Foryearswehadhonedourpracticeasfieldinstructorsguidedbyproceduresthathadussilentlyobserving,withampletimetocollectourthoughts,beforesittingwithateachercandidatetoprovidefeedbackorevaluativesuggestions.Parallelconferencingdidnotallowforthisthinktimeandwefounditdifficulttorespondtocandidates’requestsforsuggestionsonthespot.Overtime,webecamemorecomfortableexplainingtocandidatesthatourgoalwastoguidethemthroughaself-assessmentprocesstoevaluatetheirownpracticeusingevidencefromthevideoandfrompupilwork.Weexplainedthatwewouldsendfeedbackandsuggestionswhenweemailedthemournotesfromtheconference.Thischallengeactuallyhelpedshiftourinstructionalfocusfromgivingsuggestionsortellingcandidateshowtoimprove,towardsguidingcandidatesthroughaprocessandrefiningthereflectiveprocessalongsidethem.

Challenge2:Sharingtalktime.Second,wewerehesitanttodominatetheconversation.AsevidencedinTable2,mostfieldinstructorsselectedthemajorityofvideopausepointsandinitiatedtopicsfordiscussion.Though,overtimethesepracticesweremoreevenlysharedwithcandidates.Duringourmonthlymeetingswewoulddiscussourstrategiesforencouragingcandidatestotakechargeduringtheconferences.Onefieldinstructorrequiredhercandidatetopausethevideoatleasttwiceinagiventenminutesegmentoffootage.Theseartificiallyforcedstoppingpointsfordiscussionprovedlessthanfruitfulascandidatesstruggledtosayanythingmeaningfulduringtheseforcedstoppingpoints.Otherthanprovidingmorewaittimeandencouragement,wedidnotidentifyanystrategiesthatdisruptedourtendencytodominatetheconference.

Challenge3:Logisticalproblemsanalyzinggroupwork.Third,wefounditincrediblydifficulttoanalyzealessonthatincludedgroupwork.Oftencandidateswouldselectahighfunctioninggrouptovideorecordleavingthemajorityoftheclassroomoutofviewofthecamera.Thislimitedourabilitytoobserveandgivefeedbackaboutalllearnersintheclassroom.Similarly,itlimitedcandidates’abilitiestoreflectonthedevelopmentofnewunderstandingsacrossallpupils.Weaddressedthisissuebyencouragingcandidatestocontinuouslymovethecamerafromgrouptogrouportonotsubmitgroupworklessonsforparallelconferencing.



Challenge4:Coteachingwithcandidates.Fourth,parallelconferencingmadeitimpossibletoteachinsitu.Aspreviouslyexplained,weuseacoteachingmodelforstudentteaching.Coteachingmakesuseofallthehumancapitalintheclassroom,whichoftenmeansthatfieldinstructorswillassisttheteachersduringinstruction.Onefieldinstructorreportedmodelingasmallgroupforacandidatewhowasworkingwithrotatinggroupsofstudents.Themodelingfunctionedascoachinginsituandthecandidatereportedtheimportanceofseeinggoodpracticeinactionasopposedtoverballydiscussingwhatcould,orshould,havehappened.Sinceparallelconferencingisalwaysaretrospectivereflectiveactivity,coachinginrealtimeon-siteandmodelingpracticeslivewithrealpupilsisnotpossible.

Challenge5:Losingcontactandrapportwithclassroomteachers.Fifth,sinceparallelconferencingoccurredoutsideofclassroomtime,fieldinstructorslosttheabilitytomaintainregularcontactwiththeclassroomteachers.Theserapport-buildingopportunitiesarecriticalasweoftendrawonthesamepoolofclassroomteacherseachsemester.OnefunctionoffieldinstructorsistoserveasambassadorsoftheuniversityandmaintainpositiverelationshipswithourK-12schoolpartners.Classroomteachersmayviewthelackoffacetimeasalackofinterestorworse,thatwearenotactuallyprovidingthenecessaryinstructiontoourcandidatessincewearenottheretoconductliveobservations.Severalfieldinstructorsreportedclinicaleducators“callingthemout”fornotbeingintheclassroomasmuchastheyhadbeeninthepast.Thoughweexplainedtheparallelconferencingapproachtotheclassroomteachers,wearenotconfidentthattheyperceivethebenefitsasoutweighingthecosts.Again,thisisanareaforfutureinquiry.

Challengesix:Lackoftime.Thefinalchallengenotedbytheresearchteamwastheamountoftimeallocatedtoviewingvideofootage.Wefoundthatinaone-hourconference,weonlyactuallyviewedabout15minutesofvideo.Candidatesbecameusedtohowlongittooktodebriefasingleeventinagivenhourofinstructionandbeganbringingvideoclipstoourconferenceshavingalreadypreviewedandannotatedthesectionsthattheywantedtodiscuss.Thiswasawelcomedsolutionandonethatthefieldinstructionteamwasgratefulthatthecandidatesdevelopedontheirown.Thepreviewingandannotationfunctionedasbothatimesaver,sincewedidnothavetositthroughfootagethatcapturedmundanetaskssuchastakingrollorpassingoutmaterials,buttheannotationworkalsomirroredthereflectiveworkthatcandidateswouldbeaccountableforwhentheycompletedtheiredTPAportfolios.

Challenges–TeacherCandidates.Todiscernthechallengesthatourcandidates’experienced,weinterviewedeachcandidateattheendofthestudentteachingpracticumusinganexitinterviewsemi-structuredprotocol.Candidateswereaskedtosharetheirperspectivesonparallelconferencingandcomparethepracticetoourtraditionalconferencingapproach.Theresearchteamworkedtogethertocodetheinterviewdataandweidentifiedfourchallengesthatwerethematicacrossthemajorityofourcandidates.Twoofthesechallengescouldbeeasilyaddressed.First,candidateshadtechnicaldifficultieswithrecordingequipmentand,secondly,theydidnotrevieworannotatetheirvideobeforearrivingatourparallelconference.Theothertwochallengesweremorecomplicatedand



relatedbacktothechallengesarticulatedbythefieldinstructors.Candidatesreportedthattheywereunsureastowhentheyshouldhitthepausebuttonandtheyalsolamentednotbeingabouttoconferorconsultwiththeirfieldinstructorduringtheactuallesson.

Benefits–FieldInstructor.Whilechallengesarecertainlyimportanttoexplore,wealsowantedtolearnmoreaboutthepotentialbenefitsofparallelconferencing.Fieldinstructorsgathereddatathroughself-reflectiontodeterminethebenefits.Whatfollowsarebenefitsthatcutacrossallfieldinstructors.First,incontrasttoourconcernaboutthelackofabilitytogainamplefacetimewithclassroomteachers,teachersreportedthatparallelconferencingwaslessinvasiveanddistractingtoyoungpupilscomparedtoliveobservations.Wealsodeterminedthatthequalityofourconversationswithcandidateswasvastlyimproved.Inthepast,whenrecallinganaspectofacandidate’spracticefordiscussion,thecandidatewouldbecomedefensiveorsimplyrefutethattheparticulareventevenoccurred.Similarly,sincecandidatescouldseetheirpractice,theywerebetterabletooffloadthecognitiveburdenofrememberingandcouldfocusonthepastinthe“hereandnow.”

Wealsodeterminedthatthegrainsizeofeventsfordiscussioncouldbesmallerandmoremeaningful.Inthepastsomefieldinstructorswouldaskcandidateshowtheythoughtthelessonwentandthecandidatewouldappraisethelessonusingbroadstrokesacrosstheentireinstructionalperiodmakingcommentslike,“Thelessonwentwell,thekidswereengaged”or“Thepacingwasperfect,wefinishedintimeforrecess.”Thevideoservedasananchoringtoolthattiedconversationsandreflectionstospecificteacheractionsorpupils’reactions.Thesereflectionstiedtoobservablepracticesalsoservedtoimproveintersubjectivitybetweenfieldinstructorsandcandidates.Therewasverylittledisputeaboutwhathadoccurredandcandidatesandfieldinstructorscouldenterconversationsknowingthattheywererecallingeventsastheyactuallyhappened.Finally,thelogisticsofschedulingparallelconferencingwerefarsimplerthanschedulingliveobservationsfollowedbyface-to-facedebriefingconversations.Theeaseofschedulingallowedustoscheduleuptotwelveconferenceswithcandidatesinagivenweek,makingasingleloadoftwenty-fourcandidatesamanageablefeat.

Benefits–TeacherCandidates.Candidatesalsoreportedbenefitsofparallelconferencing,whichtheycitedasimprovingtheircapacitytonotice,reflectandpositchangestotheirteachingpractice.Interviewdataacrossparticipantsshowedacommonthemeof“richernoticing”whichcandidatesattributedtotheuseofvideo.Candidatesreportedmanagingaheavycognitiveloadduringteaching;simultaneouslyjugglingtheneedtocommunicatecontent,implementlessonplans,managebehavior,andworktocollaboratewiththeclassroomteacher.Theyexplainedthatduetopayingattentiontomultipleaspectofteachingduringtheactofinstruction,theyoftenmissedpupilcuesanddidnotrecognizerealtimenecessaryadaptationsoropportunitiestoimprovepupilunderstanding.Whenviewingvideooftheirpractice,theycouldsingularlyfocusontheirteachingandpupils’reactions,whichresultedinadeeper,richerabilitytonoticeclassroominteractionsandprovidedampleopportunitiesforreflectiononpractice.



Candidatesalsoreportedthattheypreferredparallelconferencingbecausetheyhadtimeto“decompress”and“process”thelessonbeforeco-viewingandco-evaluatingthelessonwiththeirfieldinstructor.Participantsexplainedthatitwasdifficulttositwiththeirfieldinstructorimmediatelyafteraliveobservationandengageindeepmeaningfulreflection.Manycandidatesreportedthattheir“headwasspinning”andtheyjustneededsomedowntimeanddistancefromthelessontobeabletoanalyzetheirteachingwithaclearhead.

Whenaskedtocomparethelearningenvironmentbetweenatraditionalliveobservationandparallelconferencing,themajorityofcandidatesstatedthatparallelconferencingwaslessriskyandtheyfeltlesspressure.Forsomecandidates,theyenjoyedbeingabletoself-selectasegmentoftheirlessontoshowtheirfieldinstructor,asopposedtothefieldinstructorviewinganentirelessonofherchoice.Ofcoursethiscouldleadto“cherrypicking”wherecandidatesonlyshowtheirbestteachingepisodes,missingoutonopportunitiestocollaboratewiththeirfieldinstructoraroundaparticularproblemofpractice.Weprobedcandidatesonthispointandwhilesomecandidatesadmittedtoonlyshowingtheirbestteaching,themajorityofcandidatespurposefullyselectedsegmentsoflessonsthattheywantedtoimprove,makinggooduseoftheconferencingtimewiththeirfieldinstructor.

Finally,candidatessharedthatparallelconferencingboostedtheirsenseofconfidenceandself-efficacy.Manycandidateswereabletonoticepositiveaspectsoftheirteachingpracticewhileviewingthevideoandfieldinstructorsencouragedthisbyaskingcandidatestopausethevideowhentheynoticedsomethingthatwentwellandcouldbeusedinfutureinstructionalplans.Thefieldhasknownfordecadesthatstudentteachingcanbeapainfulandanxiety-inducingtimeandopportunitiestobuildefficacyarecritical(seeforexample,Fuller,1969;Gibson&Dembo,1984;Ghaith&Shaaban,1999;Davenport&Smetna,2004),sinceateacher’sefficacyisdirectlyrelatedtotheirabilitytopositivelyimpactpupillearningandemotionalwell-being.Attheconclusionofeachinterview,weaskedcandidatesiftheypreferredlive,parallel,oramixtureofbothconferencingapproaches.Amajorityofcandidatespreferredparallelconferencing(55%)withthesecondchoicebeingamixedapproach(33%)andlessthan12%ofrespondentspreferringliveobservationsonly(totalrespondentsN=98).

Discussion

RevisingtheParallelConferencingProtocol.Inthetraditionofactionresearchandthespiritofself-study,wehaveenteredandremaincommittedtothecycleofinquiryinvolvingtheassessmentofourpractice,planningimprovements,enactingchange,andevaluatingthemeritofourinnovations(Anderson&Herr,1999;Mills,2003).Thisstudyrepresentsonefullcycleoftheactionresearchprocess.Weusedtheassessmentphasetoidentifyaproblem,wecollaboratedtodeveloptheparallelconferencingprotocol,andwesystematicallyimplementedtheprotocolandcollecteddatatodetermineifparallelconferencingwasfunctioningtosupportthedualpurposesofenhancingopportunitiesforreflectionand



helpingustomanageourworkload.Whileourfindingspointtobothbenefitsandchallengesofparallelconferencing,webelievethatthebenefitsareworththepedagogicalrisks.However,wealsoacknowledgethatwemustusewhatwelearnedtorefineandimproveourfieldinstructionpractices.

Asaresultofourcollaborativeactionresearchwehaveidentifiedfivenecessaryrevisions.First,weplantodevelopasecondprotocoltobeusedwithcandidateswhenexploringpupilwork.Oftentimesthecontentoftheparallelconferencewasfocusedsingularlyonthevideoevidenceofpractice.Whileitishelpfulforcandidatestoreflectontheirenactedinstruction,itisequallycriticalthatcandidatesjudgethemeritoftheirlessonbasedonstudentdata.Exploringpupilworkenablescandidatestodeterminewhichstudentsunderstoodtheconceptsandwhichpupilsarestruggling.Thesedataareimportanttoexploreandcandidatesneedguidancetosortthroughpupilwork,evaluatetheworkagainsttheirplannedlearningobjectives,anddevelopnextstepsincludingplansforenrichmentandremediation.Webelievethattheheartofgoodteachingisrootedinpupiloutcomes,thusweplantousethepupilworkprotocolbeforeco-viewingthevideo.Theanalysisofpupilworkshouldbeusedtoguidetheco-viewingprocessbysettinganintentionfornoticing.Forexample,ifthepupilworkshowedthatallstudentsstruggledtodemonstrateunderstandingofaparticularconcept,thenconferenceparticipantswouldcloselyanalyzethesegmentofteachingrelatedtothatconceptandworktogethertoidentifymissedopportunitiestoimprovepupillearning.Notcoincidentally,thisprocessmapsexactlytoaperformancetaskontheedTPA.

Movingforward,wewillnowrequirecandidatestopreviewandannotatetheirvideoclipsbeforewemeettoconducttheparallelconference.Asaforementioned,participantsbegantodothisoftheirownvolition,butallcandidatesneedtoengageinthisactivitysinceitmakestheco-viewingprocessmoreefficientanditprovidesamplepracticeforcandidatestoreflectonandannotatetheirownwork.Thissecondrefinementnecessitatesthedevelopmentofascaffoldingtool.Wewilldevelopguidelinestohelpcandidatesannotatetheirvideo,providingatemplateandsuggestionsforhowandwhattoannotate.

Next,wenotedathematicchallengeforourcandidatesrelatedtotheirwillingnessto“hitpause”whenco-viewingtheirlesson.Manycandidatesreportednotknowingwhentopausethevideo.Forthisreason,wewilldevelopalistofrationalesforwhyacandidatemaychoosetopausetheirvideosegmenttodiscusssomethingtheynoticedwiththeirfieldinstructor.Sentencestarterssuchas,“Inoticed”and“WhenI…Iwasthinking…”or,“Here’sapointwhereIstruggledwith…”willbeprovidedtocandidatestohelpguidetheirprocessandencouragetheiractiveengagementintheconference.Wearealsoconsideringsettingaquotaforthenumberoftimescandidatesmustpausethevideoduringco-viewing,thoughwehaveyettoagreeonanoptimalnumber.Thisisdifficultbecausesometeachingeventsrequirelengthydebriefingconversations.Ifacandidateexperiencesaparticularlycomplexeventduringteaching,thedebriefingsessioncouldtaketheentirehour.



Finally,wewillworktogethertodevelopaplanthatallowsforamixedapproachtoourfieldinstructionprocess.Thoughamajorityofourcandidatespreferredparallelconferencing,weacknowledgethatliveobservationscarrybenefitsandadvantagesthatcannotbeachievedduringtheretrospectiveactivityofparallelconferencing.Theseadvantagesincludebecomingfamiliarwiththeclassroomclimate,touchingbasewiththeclassroomteacher,andprovidinginsitucoachingduringlessondelivery.

Implications

Wemakeseveralimportantcontributionswiththisstudy.First,weareoneofveryfewfieldinstructionteamsthathavesystematicallycarriedoutanactionresearchstudyforthepurposesofimprovingourpracticeforalargepopulationofteachercandidatesintheUSA.Wewouldliketoacknowledgetheimportantworkofotherpractitioner-researcherteamsabroadintheUnitedKingdomandAustralia.Second,wewereabletodevelopaninnovativeapproachtofieldinstructionthatworkedtowardssolvingourtwopartproblem(a)managingalargeworkloadand(b)preparingcandidatesforvideo-basedreflection.Importantly,wewereabletoidentifyareasofimprovementforourinstructionalpractices,whichinactionresearchsufficientlyaddressesthesignificanceofourwork(Herr&Anderson,2005;Mills,2003).

Wealsorealizethatmanyteacherpreparationprogramsarestrugglingtoprovidehighqualityfieldexperiencesforcandidates.DecliningenrollmentnumbersandbudgetaryconcernscutacrossmanyUnitedStatescollegesanduniversitiesthathouseinitialcertificationprograms.Mixingparallelconferencingwithliveobservationscouldfunctionascosteffectivesolutiontomaintaininghighqualityfieldinstruction.Similarly,teacherpreparationprogramsareworkinghardtopreparecandidatesforstateandnationalassessmentsthatrequirecandidatestodeeplyreflectonvideorecordingsoftheirteachingpractice(forexamplesee,edTPAandPPATrequirements).Teachereducatorswhoareworkingtopreparecandidatesforthesehigh-stakesassessmentscanuseourprotocolstobettersupportcandidates.

Conclusion

Finally,thoughthefieldofselfstudyinteachereducationexist,seeforexamplethejournal,StudyingTeacherEducation:Ajournalofself-studyofteachereducationpractices,therearelimitedempiricalstudiesthatactuallyexploretheworkoffieldinstructors,particularlyfromfieldinstructors’perspectives(Soslau,2015a).Hopefully,ouractionresearchstudywillinspireotherteamsoffieldinstructorstoengageinsimilarinquiriestosharetheirpracticeswiththeteachereducationfield.Studentteachingandclinicalbasedpracticeisanomnipresentcomponentacrossteacherpreparationprogramsincludingtraditionalandalternativeroutecertificationprograms.Teachereducatorsneedtobetterunderstandhowtobestservecandidateswhiletheyarestudentteaching.Ifcandidatesdonotlearnhowtosystematicallyreflecton,andanalyze,theirteachingdecisionsduringtheirpreserviceexperiences,thenitisunlikelythattheywillengageinthisreflectivepracticeduringtheirinservicetenure.Parallelconferencingisoneviableapproachtosupportingthe



developmentofreflectiveteacherswhousepupilworkandtheirowninstructionaldecisionmakingasthecurriculumforwhichtheydeveloptheirprofessionalpractice.



AbouttheAuthors

StephanieKotch-JesterisanassistantprofessorintheSchoolofEducationattheUniversityofDelawarewheresheservesasafieldinstructorandteachesundergraduatemethodscourses. Researchinterestsincludecoteachingasamethodofteacherpreparationandfieldinstructionpracticesthatimpactteachercandidates’learning. Email:[email protected]

ElizabethSoslauisanassociateprofessorintheSchoolofEducationattheUniversityofDelawarewheresheservesasafieldinstructorandteachesundergraduateandgraduatecoursesonequityinschoolingandactionresearchmethodologyforpractitioners.Herresearchexploreslearningopportunitiesinthestudentteachingpracticum,candidates’developmentofadaptiveteachingexpertise,andsocialjusticeinteachereducation.Email:[email protected]

VickiGoettelispartofthefacultyasaseniorinstructorintheSchoolofEducationattheUniversityofDelaware.Teachingincludesfieldinstructionduringstudentteachingsemestersandcourseinstructionfocusingonelementarysocialstudiescurriculum. ShealsoservesasthecoordinatorfortheMiddleSchoolSocialStudiesprogram.Email:[email protected]

BridgetDudaisaDoctoralCandidate,ClinicalCoordinator,andhasaSecondaryAppointmentintheSchoolofEducationattheUniversityofDelaware.Herresearchexploresservicedeliverymodelswithintheleastrestrictiveenvironment(LRE)andfieldinstructionpracticesthatimpactteachercandidates’.Bridgetalsoservesas4+1MastersinExceptionalChildrenandYouthprogramcoordinator,fieldinstructorandteachesundergraduateandgraduatepracticumcoursesinspecialeducation.Email:[email protected]

NicholasBell isafieldinstructor,instructor,andPh.D.studentintheSchoolofEducationattheUniversityofDelaware.Asafieldinstructorandinstructor,heworkswith pre-serviceteacherstodeveloptheirskills,knowledge,andbeliefstoeducateallstudents.Forthepastfewyears,Nicholashasbeenstudyingadvancedquantitativemodelingtomeasureissuesofequityandsocialjusticeineducationandwaystodisruptsystemicinequities.Email:[email protected]

DeirdreLillyisaseniorinstructorintheSchoolofEducationattheUniversityofDelaware.HerteachingincludesfieldinstructionofteachercandidatesintheElementaryTeacherEducationprogramandcourseinstructionfocusingonclassroommanagementandtopicsrelatedtothetrainingandprofessionaldevelopmentofpre-serviceteachers. Email:[email protected]



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