A Canadian pre-tenure teacher
educator’s professional
development journey: Her
struggles in teaching at the
University level.
International Professional
Development Association
2010 Conference
Birmingham, UK
Stephanie Chitpin
University of Ottawa
November, 2010
Abstract
- This paper explores elements of my professional development
as a pre-tenured university professor.
- I trace my journey of growth which was aided by peer mentoring.
- A brief discussion on literature associated with mentoring.
- How mentoring helped me improve my teaching practice
through critical conversations.
- It documents my struggles to improve my teaching at the
university level.
- I am not presenting it as a model of best practice but,
highlighting how mentoring allowed me to reflect on and improve
my teaching practice.
steph.chitpin @uottawa.ca
Literature on Mentoring
– Mentoring is one of the many strategies promoted to create
reflective practitioners (Mullen, 2000) ;
– Mentoring requires mentors to build trust with less
experienced colleague, help them to reflect upon
pedagogical practices and build competence (Moir &
Hanson, 2008).
– Learning to teach can be uncomfortable for both the mentors
and the mentees.
steph.chitpin @uottawa.ca
Mentoring
– In academic settings, mentoring can occur in the traditional
one-to-one or group format.
– Abate and Eddy suggest that “a formal matching process
may be less effective than informal matching” (p. 366).
– The traditional one-to-one mentoring may promote a
hierarchical power relationship between the mentor and the
mentee (Darwin, 2000; Hansman, 2003; McCormack &
West, 2006).
– When mentees adopt mentors’ teaching styles and
language use without having a full understanding their
success at fitting in are likely to be superficial (Maynard,
2001).
steph.chitpin @uottawa.ca
Theories of Mentoring
Among the many theories of mentoring that exist in the
literature, “learning by reflecting” and “learning through
apprenticeship” will be explored in this paper
steph.chitpin @uottawa.ca
Learning by reflecting
“We do not learn from experience. We learn from reflecting on
experience” (Dewey, 1933, p. 78).
Dewey defines reflection as “active, persistent and careful
consideration of any belief or practice in light of reasons that
support it and the further consequences to which it leads” (p. 9).
steph.chitpin @uottawa.ca
Definitions of Reflection
Lockhart (1994) defines reflective teaching as teachers and
student teachers collect data about teaching, examine their
attitudes, beliefs, assumptions and teaching practices, and use
the information obtained as a basis for critical reflection about
teaching
Other definitions take a broader stance and embed the concept
of reflection within the social and political contexts of programs,
schools and communities (Zeichner & Liston, 1996)
steph.chitpin @uottawa.ca
Learning through apprenticeship
– Some scholars have challenged the theory of learning by
reflecting a view of learning to teach as an apprenticeship
(Brown & McIntyre, 1993).
– They also draw on Lortie (1975) notion that “craft is work in
which experience improves performance” and it “cannot be
learned in weeks or even months” (Brown & McIntyre, 1993,
p. 18).
– Brooks and Sikes (1997) state that while ‘learning through
apprenticeship’ might be useful for “passing on lower-order
craft skills” (p. 18) - not be suitable for teaching.
– Shaw (1992) believes that “teacher training would be very
flat if it were reduced to on-the-job apprenticeship” (p. 58).
steph.chitpin @uottawa.ca
Learning to Teach
-
Juxtaposing different settings to present life as student, classroom
teacher, doctoral student and pre-tenured university teacher education
professor;
-
Description of the Curriculum Design and Evaluation course
steph.chitpin @uottawa.ca
Pre-service teachers’ feedback on the course
The following are samples of comments from pre-service
teachers’ evaluations of the course:
– I have found the course to be helpful. I have used the ideas
from the readings and assignments/postings in my
practicum. Group discussions/work is very valuable. I have
gained a lot from the experiences of my instructor and peers.
– I found the course was well structured. I like how we get a
chance to apply the assessment concepts and then report
back to the group what has worked and what hasn’t. I also
like how we can go back to the postings to read the different
ways our peers have addressed teaching/learning issues.
steph.chitpin @uottawa.ca
Pre-service teachers’ feedback on the course
– I still believe that I have learned the most in my practicum.
However, I entered this course with an attitude that I will not
get much out of it because my older brother took the course
with [you] the previous year. I was pleasantly surprised to
find out that you have changed the
contents/assignments/evaluations for the course. I actually
have quite enjoyed your course. I find your course has been
helpful in preparing me to become a teacher. Thank you.
steph.chitpin @uottawa.ca
Pre-service teachers’ feedback on the course
- I find the modules on “Lesson planning and Differentiated
Instructional Strategies” to be the most useful for me. I have
printed out the readings of these two modules so that I would
use them as references. I find your podcast on Blackward
Design to be extremely useful. My associate teacher was
impressed with the way I have designed my lesson plans.
steph.chitpin @uottawa.ca
Conclusion
- challenges and dilemmas faced as a pre-tenured teacher
educator preparing new teachers;
- teaching is a lifelong task, an autobiographical act;
- learning to teach is a laborious, time-consuming and reflective
process
- experiences influence what and how I teach;
- only a small marking on my professional journey;
- acknowledging my not so successful teaching experiences has
allowed me to view the future with a different lens
steph.chitpin @uottawa.ca
Acknowledgements
I wish to thank the University of Ottawa for the grant to
allow me to pursue this work. I would also like to thank all
my mentors, Ben Levin, J.Gary Knowles, Maurice Taylor,
Terry Orlick and Christian Blanchette for sharing their own
teaching moments and for continuing to inspire me with
their teaching ideas.
steph.chitpin @uottawa.ca