Where English Student Teachers SUCCEED

And High School Students LEARN

Strengthening Teaching and Learningin an Urban School Partnership

NCTE Conference 2006November 17, 2006

Panelists

Dorothy Clark, Asst. Professor, CSUN English Dept.

Lynne Culp, NAHS Cooperating Teacher

Sandra DaLie, NAHS Facilitator

Bonnie Ericson, CSUN Facilitator,

Dept. of Secondary Education

Athena Milis, NAHS AMC Academy Facilitator

Laura Rodriguez, NAHS Teacher

Christina Saidy, Former Teacher-in-Residence,

CSUN English Department

Presentation Overview: Bringing Institutions Together

School Site-based Coordination University Facilitation Early Field Observations in English

Classrooms Student Teacher Placements/Cooperating

Teachers Collaborative Classroom Projects at CSUN

and NAHS

Desired Outcomeof Our Presentation

UniversityTeacher

Preparation

High School Partnership

INCREASEDSTUDENTSUCCESS

Northridge Academy High School Partnership effort between

LAUSD (public institution) and CSUN (state university)

Opened in Fall 2004 Current enrollment: 960 –

roughly ¼ enrollment of most LAUSD high schools.

Who are our students?

Ethnic Representation 55.1% Hispanic 23.3% White 7.5% Black 8.3% Filipino 5% Asian 3% AI/Alsk .1% PI

LEP: 107 (mostly Spanish) approximately 11% 15% Reclassified

Gifted: 152

Title I: whole school

Lunch Program: 455

Special Ed: 140 (14.5%)

Our Teachers

Teaching Experience Permanent: 24 Probationary 1 (first year teacher): 9 Probationary 2 (second year teacher): 7 Interns: 2

Four NAHS Academies (Small Learning Communities)

9TH Grade Bridge and Exploration Academy

Arts, Media, and Communication

Health and Human Development

Leadership and Learning Designed to parallel

CSUN colleges

NAHS is building a culture of. . . .

high expectations academic rigor relevant curriculum

■positive relationships■parents/community connections■collaboration with CSUN!

Learning Conversation Principles Listen to understand rather than respond. Assume and exhibit good will. Wonder in front of each other. Open your mind to new learning. Invite and embrace differences.

“The Culture of Northridge Academy High School”

About CSUN

diverse university community 33,000 students more than 4,000 faculty and staff 356-acre campus in the heart of Los

Angeles' San Fernando Valley.

CSUN English Department

The English Subject Matter Option for the Single-Subject Matter Credential in English

Designed for prospective secondary English teachers and a state-approved subject matter program.

Students receive a B.A. in English and single-subject competency by completing the approved coursework and exit interview.

2005 program revisions include early field experience.

The English 406/429 Early Field Experience

What, Why, and How: Early Field Experience is a requirement of the CCTC for all

Single-Subject programs

CSUN’s English Single-Subject Early Field Experience is split between two courses: an advanced writing class and an adolescent literature class

Placement is handled through the School of Education

Student Reflections

What's next

CSUN Department of Secondary Education

Who We Are and What We Do: 16 full-time faculty 50 part-time faculty and supervisors 4 single subject credential program

pathways In 2005-6,

800 single subject credentials in all subjects 130 in English alone. Each semester, about 60 student teachers

enrolled in one of the student teaching experiences.

Teachers for a New Era

CSUN is one of 4 original and 11 total sites. Purpose of this large grant program funded

by Carnegie and other major foundations is to reform teacher preparation

Three key principles: Inclusion of Arts and Sciences Evidence-based Clinical Practice

What the CSUN Facilitator Does

Chair university-wide faculty committee. Oversee NAHS-CSUN student interactions. Coordinate with NAHS Facilitator to plan

cooperative/student teacher orientation & meetings, Participate in cooperating/student teacher meetings Assist in coordinating student teacher placement Head evidence collection, in collaboration w/ others. Work with University supervisors supporting student

teachers at NAHS

What the NAHS Facilitator Does Ensure there are no surprises. Organize the placement of classroom observers. Oversee the placement of student teachers. Make sure ST’s are a part of our learning

community. Assist in organizing meetings to support the

growth of student teachers and cooperating teachers.

Facilitate communication on site and with CSUN.

The Student Teacher Experience:Audience Participation!

Option A: Recall when you yourself were a student teacher –

or

Option B: As a cooperating teacher or university support person –

Think about. . .

Your Most Challengingor

Most WonderfulStudent Teaching Experience

EVER!

With a partner seated near you, Talk about your experience. Tell how you felt about it then. Tell what you make of it now.

The Role of the Cooperating Teacher developing

professionalism preparing a

portfolio opportunities for

reflection and understanding

growth is mutual

Through the Eyes of the Student Teacher

How do we know it’s working? 2005-6 Surveys

Student teachers felt a strong sense of community at NAHS and established highly effective working relationships with their cooperating teachers.

The NAHS coordinator/CSUN liaison activities resulted in clearer program understandings and expectations; ongoing, accessible communication; and support for both cooperating and student teachers -- who both proposed additional sessions.

There were some differences between cooperating teachers’ and student teachers’ perceptions of student teachers’ preparation for student teaching in subject knowledge, pedagogy, and assessment.

School-University Partnerships:Audience Participation!

What are some positive school-university partnerships you’ve

experienced, and what features contributed to their success?

NAHS-CSUN Students Working Together As mentors As peers As learners

English 429/English 10 Collaboration CSUN-NAHS students read and discuss

The Day They Came to Arrest the Book by Nat Hentoff in person and online.

Four in-person meetings -Getting to know you: reading habits

interviews (CSUN) -Socratic discussion: The Day They Came to

Arrest the Book (NAHS)-Group project planning: (NAHS)-Culmination: collaborative group projects on

censorship (NAHS) Ongoing online discussion

Online Discussion

Asleep on our Feet 14 comments Posted in Discussion Topics at 9:22 pm A somnambulist is a sleepwalker. What if I said we were heading toward becoming a Somnambulist

Society? What would that mean and how do we prevent it from happening? What happens when we, as a

society, stop questioning? Our government? Our principles? Our understandings of the truth? Think of

what happened in “Future Fright” and consider how that is more of a possibility than we might think.

Whose right is it anyway? 22 Comments Posted in Discussion Topics at 11:25 pm Who decides the criteria for judging whether or not a book is acceptable for people to read? Should we

all have the right to make that personal choice of what is acceptable for us to read and what is not?

What if a child is not old enough to make that decision? Who should make that choice for them? Why?

English 429/English 10 Collaboration CSUN-NAHS students read and discuss

The Day They Came to Arrest the Book by Nat Hentoff in person and online.

Four in-person meetings -Getting to know you: reading habits

interviews (CSUN) -Socratic discussion: The Day They Came to

Arrest the Book (NAHS)-Group project planning: (NAHS)-Culmination: collaborative group projects on

censorship (NAHS) Ongoing online discussion

Collaborators

Working Together Brought us Closer

English 406/English 10Collaboration Overview

CSUN students help NAHS students revise their writing.

Two in-person meetings

-getting to know you:

business letter revision (CSUN)

-culminating celebration and reflection (NAHS)

Weekly online revision suggestions and response

Thank you to my CSUN writing buddy I can tell that you care about my writing very much. I just want to thank you for giving me constructive criticism. I really try to correct all of the suggestions that you make. I again want to thank you for helping me to become a great writer.

Class Compositions

English 10: 23 students

Average Age: 15

Special DesignationsIEP: 7 students ELL: 5 studentsGifted: 2 students

Ethnicity 15 Hispanic4 Caucasian 2 African-American2 Asian

Standardized Test ResultsWriting Range: Grades 4-11Reading Range: Grades 4-11

English 406: 28 students Age: Range from 22-60+ 16 Seniors 9 Juniors 2 post-BA 1 graduate student Study focus: 5 Liberal Studies (pre-elementary) 1 Linguistic focus 1 Deaf Studies 1 Theater focus 1 Graduate in Rhetoric/Composition MA

program 3 (currently in classroom) Two International Students; Diverse

ethnicities Several students have had previous

careers.

“I’m not good enough”

Positive Initial Encounter

Troubleshooting: Technology/Blogging

Issues Hesitation in Posting Josh and Nicky E-mail discussions

lead to unexpected results

Initial worries turn into gifts

Why oh why haven’t I heard from my C-SUN buddy

With out help what am I

A cave man with sticks playing with fire

So help me so I can evolve and be a man with power and

brains.

So please help me Corey

ImplementationNAHS

House calls In-class discussions E-mail correspondence Computer lab time Homework Grades

CSUN

Review of pedagogical approaches: The Skinless Writer

Reflective journal entries E-mail communications In-class discussions

CSUN Buddy FeedbackI have equally enjoyed having a NAHS buddy! What I REALLY liked about this entry, besides its wonderful content–and I am glad that you are enjoying my honest commentaries–is its lack of structural or mechanical error. It is well-written, clear, concise, and to the point. If you find you are one of those students who has a hard time coming up with things to write about, you should consider trying a list (even before writing blogs) which will help you to get a good idea of what it is you wish to express. Also, you can refer to it constantly and if you forget something (which happens to me all the time in this process) it will be right there. Even in college a lot of students can’t stand the pre-writing process. They want to get the paper done and over with as soon as possible! But I have always focused my attention first on making an informal outline, or a diagram like a bubble-chart, etc.. Even though it may SEEM to make the process a LONGER one, it actually works to do the exact opposite. My outlines serve as a map–they guide me throughout my paper, remind me of the points I want to make, and are much easier to work with than the paper in organizing topics for clarity, coherence, unity, and impact on the reader.

Josh and Nicky

CSUN Student Reflections Terror, Joy, Frustration, Appreciation "The day we were told that we were gong to have a high school buddy, I

was completely terrified." "This has been a wonderful experience, despite the minor technical

glitches. Though my student and I are unable to regularly post each week, I found this experience to be priceless. This is a wonderful opportunity for us--the college students studying to be teachers--and for the students of NAHS. I am sure that they are even able to identify more closely with the college experience. I hope I am able to help my student to become excited about attending college, not frustrated or frightened."

"Having a buddy also encouraged me not to be afraid of high school students. I was always afraid that the high school students were 'terrors,' but my buddy has taught me that they are just human beings who are looking for guidance. It turns out, this experiment does not only impact our high school buddies, but I too am learning from my buddy."

Next Steps Develop response protocol

for CSUN peers Develop a way for NAHS

students to directly respond to CSUN students

Schedule more in-person meetings between classes

Troubleshoot technology issues on both sides.

CSUN students formal response/reflection

CSUN reflective journal as part of early field experience

Your Questions?

And we wish you aWONDERFUL and PRODUCTIVE

Convention!