Creative Cooperating Teachers

This week I discovered a very creative plan by a Kindergarten teaching team to include literacy practicum teachers in their planning and teaching. This team created a written form noting each teaching day by weeks of the semester. During team plan time they decided when practicum teachers will observe, team-teach, and then begin teaching the various subjects. This scaffolded plan builds upon the previous experience of literacy practicum teachers. First, they observe the way their cooperating teacher teaches the subject at this grade level. Then, after observing one or two lessons the cooperating teacher and preservice teacher team-teach that subject. Finally, the preservice teachers begin teaching that subject and they continue to teach it for the duration of the semester. Following this plan preservice teachers will be teaching all day for the final five weeks of the semester, allowing them to fully incorporate their literacy research unit and preparing them well for student teaching.


The semester teaching plan incorporates the technology projects these preservice teachers will be creating as part of their accompanying digital literacy course. By building into the plan a digital story, screencast, and a graphic organizer these preservice teachers will have real time content to teach as they prepare these projects. And they will actually get to teach using these digital tools. For example, while the preservice teachers are observing writing, they will share their digital story as an example of how children can publish their writing. And the following week while preservice teachers observe Unit Studies they will present their screencast teaching the vocabulary in this lesson. Next they will create a graphic organizer to use with children as a pre-writing activity. In the weeks following hopefully preservice teachers will help students create these projects to support and demonstrate their learning. Each technology project will be used directly with children to teach digital literacy skills, and both cooperating teacher and preservice teacher grow their teaching repertoire to include technology-integrated strategies. Last semester both cooperating teachers and preservice teachers noted that both teachers learned from each other about teaching methods and technology integration.

When I observe these dyads team teaching I see great benefits for all:
1. Cooperating teachers have an extra set of hands to work with students.
2. Preservice teachers are supported in technology set-up, questioning, and teaching strategies by their seasoned teacher.
3. Children receive individualized assistance and experience deeper discussions as both teachers ask questions and record responses.

In addition this teaching team organized for their three preservice teachers to plan a unit together and each teach it in the classroom prior to planning and teaching the literacy research unit required in their methods course. This offers opportunities for collaboration of preservice teachers with the guidance of their cooperating teachers. Planning the curriculum topic for their required units in advance provides resources and ideas preservice teachers can incorporate into their unit as they plan it throughout the semester.

When I visit with these three preservice teachers each is so excited about their practicum experience! They feel valued and empowered by their cooperating teachers and thankful to be part of such an inspiring grade level team. They know what they should focus on because they know when they will begin teaching that subject. Perhaps this model the Kindergarten team shared with me will inspire other cooperating teachers with ideas to make the literacy practicum the best possible experience for the preservice teacher, cooperating teacher, and especially the children.