As part of our ongoing efforts to prepare highly qualified teachers, we require all partnership teachers to complete professional development in Cognitive Coaching. This model, developed by Bob Garmston and Art Costa, is designed to help individuals become self-directed, capable of making independent decisions and engaging in self-reflection that leads to personal growth.
In the partnership teacher-teacher candidate relationship, we use cognitive coaching to ensure that partnership teachers and university supervisors are using developmentally appropriate coaching strategies to nurture future teachers capable of leading in their own classrooms, schools, and the profession.
All new partnership teachers complete 10 hours of online professional development in cognitive coaching. To maintain active status as a partnership teacher, teachers must also attend at least one face-to-face refresher workshop every three years.
During each semester that a Partnership Teacher hosts a UNCW intern, they are also invited to attend a full day of professional development hosted by the Watson College of Education PDS Office. Professional Learning Days provide teachers with the opportunity to collaborate across schools and partnership districts, learn alongside UNCW faculty and community partners, and discuss a variety of issues related to teacher recruitment and retention efforts across our state.
In addition, partnership teachers are provided an opportunity to earn document additional hours of participation by reflecting on ways they might implement ideas and strategies generated from the Professional Learning Day.
In addition to receiving a stipend for completing the role of the primary partnership teacher (defined in our annual Partnership Teacher Agreements), the PDS Office will document up to 40 hours of participation for each teacher hosting a teacher intern.
All partnership teachers will be asked to attest to having completed a minimum of 5 coaching plans in collaboration with their intern. Coaching Plans mirror the Cognitive Coaching Cycle and capture crucial coaching conversations which are initiated by the UNCW intern. A guide for completing Coaching Plans is available below.
The edTPA is a performance-based assessment teacher candidates complete during their student teaching, which was designed by the Stanford Center for Learning and Assessment Equity (SCALE) and is currently being used in 35 states, as well as the District of Columbia as a summative assessment of teacher preparation.
It consists of three tasks which align with one cycle of instruction in which teacher candidates plan 3-5 lessons (Task 1: Planning), video record themselves teaching those 3-5 lessons (Task 2: Instruction), and analyze student work (Task 3: Assessment). For each of the three tasks, candidates write commentaries to support and justify their planning decisions (Task 1), analyze their teaching (Task 2) and use data to inform instruction (Task 3).
For additional information regarding edTPA, please use the link below and/or plan to attend one of the professional development opportunities.