SCET Journal 2020

Reconsidering

Our Practice

Over the years, many of the veterans I have en- countered--at times, myself included--do not or sim- ply cannot situate the skills they teach within a larger schema. Facts or skills or processes are taught as ends unto themselves rather than moveable pieces in a much bigger, more complex puzzle; grammar is but one example. Static vs. Dynamic Practices English teachers are familiar with the terms “static” and “dynamic;” the former referring to one who stays the same and the latter refers one who embraces change. I found veterans are more static in terms of their beliefs, practices, and attitudes, whereas novic- es are more dynamic. One novice commented her CT “has taught the same curriculum almost every year.” Another wrote, “I feel like there’s this point where you reach a place of complacency…I never want to be that way.” The perception among novices about veteran teachers is they get stuck in their ways, which is to say static, whereas the novices take pride in being the opposite, which is to say dynamic. Winkler (2002) found that veteran teachers active- ly dislike change since it might require sacrifice of beloved activities, compromise of educational philos- ophies, and sense of loss about professionalism and autonomy. By contrast, Winkler observed novice teachers are more open to change because they “had not accumulated a collection of favorite units or activ- ities; thus they found ample freedom to teach content according to their preferences” (p. 222). In short, Winkler’s findings support the claim that veterans are static and novices are dynamic. On Similarities in Teacher Perspectives At this point, the previous section might appear to deepen the schism between veteran and novice teachers, painting them as polar opposites. However, in the process of examining how the two are different, paradoxically a myriad of ways revealed how the two groups are similar. These similarities may reveal a po- tential remedy to the schism and improve the quality of teaching among both. The Value of Formulaic Writing Despite a wealth of evidence against the effec- tiveness of formulaic writing (Urbanski, 2005), both

novice and veteran teachers feel a certain need to teach formulaic writing to some degree, specifically the five-paragraph essay. By their own admission, veterans value formulaic writing. At the roundtable discussion, the general consensus was teaching formulaic writing early on provides a scaffold from which students eventually break free. “Formulaic writing is a necessity for set- ting basic standards and guidelines for writing,” one veteran said. A number of novices confess similar attitudes towards formula. One admitted, “I was raised on the five-paragraph essay, and though I do not think it the best way to teach writing, it proved a good starting point for me.” Some novices do have mixed or negative feelings about formulaic writing. One commented, “I cannot help but wonder where the balance lies be- tween helping students understand that writing follows no formula, yet teach them there are important formal elements they need to use in order to improve their writing.” While novice opinion veers toward continuing to teach five-paragraph essay writing in limited capaci- ty, a few novices remain committedly anti-formula. Teach the Way I Was Taught A second similarity is the compulsion to “teach the way I was taught.” Both a novice and a veteran teacher expressed this sentiment. “My first instinct when teaching is to emulate the classrooms that I’ve had the most success in.” The interesting part about this urge for both novices and veterans to teach this way is not its implications on the continuation of a cy- cle but the implications it could have for the nature of the mentor-mentee relationship. If we model what we see and teach the way we are taught, it is important novice teachers find effective veterans who are cur- rent in the field to mentor and serve as CTs for them. Positive Veteran/Novice Relationships A third similarity is the idea that each can benefit from the other. Even if the CT is stuck in her ways, having the novice as an intern somehow counter- acts her stasis. All but one novice teacher described her relationship with her CT positively in this regard. During the roundtable, the novices said things like “My coaching told me she loves having student teachers.” The veteran teachers did express the posi- tive impact novice teachers can have since they bring

2018/2019

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