Description & Application Process

Certificate in Practice-Based Approaches to Methods Instruction in Teacher Education

Begins Fall 2022

Overview and invitation

TeachingWorks, led by Deborah Loewenberg Ball, is an organization at the University of Michigan dedicated to ensuring that all children have skillful teachers who are committed to and able to support their growth. We have a particular focus on promoting equity and social justice through teaching. TeachingWorks is staffed by experienced teacher educators with special expertise in practice-based teacher education. We currently support improvement networks and fellowships in practice-based teacher education in California, Maryland, Michigan, and Minnesota, and we provide shorter-term support and partnership in many other forms to teacher educators in more than 20 states.

We are excited to invite applications for the second cohort of our certificate in practice-based approaches to methods instruction in teacher education, designed for content methods course instructors in teacher education programs. In this one-of-a-kind, year-long learning sequence, teacher educators will develop and demonstrate their competency in core pedagogies of practice-based teacher education, including selecting and using video, focusing teacher preparation on high-leverage practices, and attending to issues of justice and equity through teacher education. The sequence combines three in-person events with virtual coaching and webinars.

The application period is December 1, 2021 – March 15, 2022. Informational webinars will be offered on December 6, 2021, at 3:00 p.m. EST and January 21, 2022 at 12:00 p.m. EST (register here). Applications will be reviewed on a rolling basis, and all applicants will be notified of their acceptance  by May 18, 2022.

Eligibility

The learning sequence for the certificate is designed for content methods course instructors in teacher education programs. We seek enthusiastic and committed applicants who have the time and the inclination to work together and with TeachingWorks to try out and develop independent competency with new approaches to teacher education in their methods courses. Prior knowledge of or experience in practice-based teacher education or in intertwining attention to social justice inside of methods courses or a willingness to attend a set of learning experiences in Spring/Summer 2022 is required .

Eligibility considerations:

• Grade level: Participants must teach methods courses for elementary, middle, or secondary level teacher candidates. 
• Subject area: Whole group activities in the workshops that are part of this learning sequence will use ELA and mathematics content and examples, as these are the primary areas of expertise of the TeachingWorks staff facilitating the program. However, teacher educators working in all content areas are encouraged to participate; we are eager to work with you to adapt resources for use in your content area.
• Course type: Participants must teach methods courses.
• Course schedule: Applicants must be scheduled to teach courses in which they can try out practice-based pedagogies during the semesters they participate in the sequence, as the learning sequence requires artifacts from teaching, including video.

Certificate sequence resources and expectations

Participants will:

• Learn practice-based teacher education pedagogies such as video analysis and rehearsal that intertwine content knowledge, teaching practice, and attending to issues of justice.
• Develop competence and confidence in preparing new teachers who understand systemic inequity and who seek to use their teaching practice to disrupt patterns of injustice in classrooms, support bilingual students, and deliver culturally responsive instruction.
• Join a network of teacher educators who understand their role in supporting excellent beginning teaching in U.S. classrooms and are committed to continuously improving the instructional practice of their teacher candidates by improving their own practice. 
• Receive remote support from TeachingWorks staff members during the learning sequence.
• Use rich and numerous materials for training novice teachers, including videos, sample lesson plans, sample instructional activities, sample k-12 high-quality instructional materials, and sample assessments.

Participants will be expected to engage in all of the elements of the learning sequence detailed below. In order to earn the certificate, participants will need to do the following: 

• Attend a set of virtual learning opportunities throughout the year.
• Work with a TeachingWorks staff member to identify, document, record  and share aspects of your practice across the year.
• Demonstrate, through a set of carefully curated assignments, your competency with layering, using PBTE pedagoges, leveraging high-leverage practice, and leveraging high-quality instructional materials to support candidate practice.

Cost

The cost of the program is $10,000 per person, payable in 3 installments. We know that this may be a significant cost for individual participants, and are hopeful that we can partner with individual teacher educators to identify funds to support their learning. If you are interested in participating, we encourage you to try to identify funding sources at your institution, and we would be happy to support you in pitching the project to funders in your area.  We also offer a discounted rate for cohorts from the same institution.

There is a limited number of scholarships for teacher educators in Texas and California.  If you are in Texas or California, you will be prompted to complete the scholarship application.

TeachingWorks is interested in collaborating with philanthropic organizations to provide additional scholarships and ensure participation for specific groups of teacher educators. If you or your organization is interested in providing scholarships to teacher educators in your area, or from a particular university or teacher preparation program, please contact Monique Cherry-McDaniel (cherrymc@umich.edu).

How to apply

Applications will be reviewed on a rolling basis until March 15. 2022/. Detailed application instructions are below, and the application form is here. Some applicants might be accepted without an interview; others will be asked to participate in a short, informational interview using Zoom, with members of the TeachingWorks staff. In the interview, we will ask questions based on the materials submitted in the written portion of the application; the primary purpose will be to better understand a candidate’s fit with the program. Final decisions will be made and applicants notified of those decisions by by May 2022..

Application components

Please note: Submit your application through this online form. For your convenience and planning, below is a list of the questions that you will find in the online application form.

General information questions:

1. What is your name?
2. What is your phone number?
3. What is the name of the primary institution in which you serve as a teacher educator?
4. What is your primary instructional role? Check all that apply. [English language arts methods course instructor, mathematics methods course instructor, general methods course instructor, social studies methods course instructor, science methods course instructor, other]
5. Do you prepare teacher candidates primarily for elementary, middle, or high school, or some combination? Check all that apply.

Short answer questions (no more than 1-2 paragraphs each):

6. Please describe (a) what you already know about practice-based teacher education and (b) why you are interested in learning more through participation in this learning sequence.
7. What are some ways that your work as a teacher educator can contribute to the TeachingWorks mission? At TeachingWorks, we believe in using teacher preparation as a lever for justice. Our goal is to create a system for teacher preparation that focuses on skillful beginning teaching that disrupts inequity. Our vision is that all students, wherever they are or whoever they are, receive responsible teaching that can help them grow and develop every single year. While we are committed to the education of all children, we are especially focused on achieving equitable educational opportunities for students of color and those living in poverty by improving and making more consistent the quality of teaching that they receive.
8. Please describe your expected course load over the 18 months of the learning sequence (fall 2021, winter/spring 2022, fall 2022) and indicate where you expect to have opportunities to use practice-based pedagogies in your instruction.
9. What, challenges, if any, do you anticipate in participating in the certificate learning sequence (e.g., time available to do the work required; flexibility to try new things in courses, etc.)? How might we help you in mitigating these challenges?
10. Part of TeachingWorks’ goal is to share learning and resources about justice-focused, practice-based teacher education with faculty across the country. In what ways might you support this mission by sharing your work and learning with colleagues at your institution or in your professional network?

Letters of support

11. Please upload a signed statement of support from your dean or department chair. You may use the form at http://bit.ly/PBTEcertFORM.
12. Please upload a brief letter of recommendation from a colleague. The letter should address the following prompts:
    1. In what capacity and for how long have you known the applicant?
    2. In what ways have you seen the applicant take up new ideas and ways of teaching and apply new learning to their own practice?
    3. How have you seen the applicant work to advance justice and equity?
    4. In what ways have you seen the applicant influence others’ teaching practice, or institutional change?

For more information

To learn more about TeachingWorks, visit teachingworks.org. To see examples of our teacher education curriculum resources, visit library.teachingworks.org. If you would like to talk more with us about the program, join a webinar (register here) or contact Monique Cherry-McDaniel at cherrymc@umich.edu