•More instruction on discipline
•More role-playing
•How to motivate
Classroom Management
How to Teach Grammar
•How to organize
•How to address
parent/administration conflicts New Teacher Kit
Program Can’t Help
Figure 7
…I‘d like to see more role play as teachers in a preparatory program. I‘d like to have more opportunities to prepare a lesson, teach it in front of ‗students‘ with ‗roles,‘ and test it out. I know we get that experience in student teaching, but maybe in front of a room, everyone has a chance to provide feedback. Sometimes, your mentor teacher can only offer their limited perspective. (BTQ, 58-61, 2009) Several participants recommended having a panel of veteran teachers discuss many of the issues that beginning teachers are unaware of in education such as confrontational parents, administrative duties, unmotivated students, grading, and, of course, classroom management. One beginning teacher thought having current teachers discuss their own classroom management strategies would be useful: ―…it might have been helpful to have more focus on classroom management. Perhaps more experience with students and having a current teacher talk with the class about their own experiences‖ (BTQ, 377-379, 2009). Another participant recommended a panel discussion to examine trends in
education:
I think that having panel discussions, specifically about trends in education with current teachers would be very helpful. While in practicum, we focused so much on teaching the literature that we didn‘t see the many pressures and tasks assigned to our mentor teachers. Additionally each county and school has unique issues, so it would be good to get the input of teacher from many different locations. (BTQ, 872-876, 2009)
One participant proposed that the Master‘s level English teacher education program develop a New Teacher Kit that would expose beginning teachers to the hidden aspects of teaching that can burden a new teacher:
So much of teaching can‘t be prescriptive: what works for one teacher might not work for another. I have told my school that I would like to see a New Teacher kit: here‘s what to teach your first year. Hit these things (according to standards). Here are vocab quizzes, grammar quizzes, handouts, etc. I offer this idea because it‘s how I was indoctrinated into my training and it worked well for me – I was given a manual, I observed a class, I would teach the baseline material, and as I became more comfortable, I tweaked the material based on my personality, my understanding of the material, and my classroom experience. I believe that even
though it‘s prescriptive, teachers will take it and make it work (or not) for them. (BTQ, 518-526, 2009)
One participant thought more direct instruction on organizing and lesson planning would help:
We were simply told to make a lesson plan and given a template for assignment and made to fend for ourselves without much explanation. I think the program should offer as part of the 1st semester instruction on how to organize as a teacher (lesson plan, calendars, meeting county instructional calendar requirements, etc). This would allow students to use this information during their entire time in the [Master‘s level English teacher education] program. Then when they student teach, they could practice what they learned in the real world setting, instead of being taught on the fly by their mentor (as many of my cohorts claimed), and use student teaching as a way to tweak their operating procedures for when they got their first teaching job. (BTQ, 1079-1088, 2009)
Several participants in the study commented that no amount of preparation can prepare one for the classroom and the obstacles that beginning teachers face in their own classroom but pointed out the importance of growing as a teacher. One participant stated, ―I‘m not sure if any program could help with these issues. I love having a mentor at my school that helps me on a daily basis with strategies, examples, and just good old moral support! I think professional development is also key to these issues‖ (BTQ, 762-765, 2009). Another beginning teacher simply stated, ―I think it‘s just part of the learning curve‖ (BTQ, 213, 2009).
Program Changes or Additions
Two major themes evolved in this category: classroom management and specific Master‘s level English teacher education program aspects (see Figure 8). For beginning teachers, classroom management has always ranked high as a topic of concern; for example, one participant wrote:
I would add a course (or a few weeks in a course) on classroom management and discipline issues – I think many of us were most concerned about how to handle different situations that arise when you get large number of big kids in one room. While I do think we learn best by doing (learning how to handle disciple issues as they arise), I think it would be very beneficial to teach [English Education MAT] students a number of strategies to help avoid many of the classroom management issues. (BTQ, 625-630, 2009)
Another participant stated, ―Though I don‘t know how they would simulate real
classroom experiences, I would‘ve liked to have had more instruction/advice regarding discipline issues‖ (BTQ, 447-448, 2009). One beginning teacher commented that many of the typical mistakes made the first year could have been prevented if the Master‘s level English teacher education program had presented more information on classroom management: ―A workshop on classroom management would have been great for that first year trial-and-error period. Looking back, there were several obvious things I did wrong that might have been prevented with a little aid‖ (BTQ, 697-699, 2009). Finally, one participant teacher emphasized more information on positive behavior management strategies: ―I also believe continued instruction on positive behavior management strategies would be helpful. There are too many angry teachers out there. I think many, not necessarily [Master‘s level English teacher education program] students, are ill equipped to begin their careers successfully‖ (BTQ, 540-542, 2009).
Another area that participants recommended to add or emphasize in the Master‘s level English teacher education program is managing and appropriately handling
administrators and parents. A beginning teacher stated, ―I would have more emphasis on classroom management, talking to parents and dealing with the discipline issues in the classroom‖ (BTQ, 384-385, 2009). Another beginning teacher reiterated this concern: ―I really do believe that a course on how to create dialogue between parents and teachers
and ways to handle conflict in the face of sometimes extreme adversity could better prepare teachers and give them confidence in these inevitable situations‖ (BTQ, 946-949, 2009).
A second area related to the classroom management category was working with reluctant learners in the English language arts classroom and motivating students. Research states that well-designed classrooms have fewer disruptions, but if beginning teachers cannot identify or understand how to address student motivation, reluctant