Finding a Voice and Place in a Normative Profession.

This qualitative casc study identified how various conditions supported one voluntary novice teacher learning community called STEP+. Participants were all graduates of Stanford University's teacher education program (STEP), a fifth-year, combined master's and credential program. STEP+ teachers convened for as many as 5 years away from their school sites as they went from being preservice teachers to third-, fourth-, and fifth-year teachers. Participants completed several interviews about STEP+ over the years. The first section of the paper locates the discussion of this beginning teacher learning community against the backdrop of literature about induction, professional development that often rests on mentor teachers to train new teachers. The next section contrasts this with collaborative, inquiry-oriented professional development (IOPD), a less technical model. The discussion of the culture of the STEP+ learning community, which is an example of IOPD, has implications for teacher educators invested in novice teachers' personal and professional development. The paper offers descriptive analysis of the norms, structures, and content that mattered for learning at STEP+. Implications for induction policy and practice are noted, and new questions are raised. (Contains 95 references.) (SM) Reproductions supplied by EDRS are the best that can be made from the original document. Finding a Voice and Place in a Normative Profession Tom Meyer meyert@newpaltz.edu SUNY NEW PALTZ April, 2000 Paper presented at the Annual AERA Convention: New Orleans, LA BEST COPY AVAI1LABLE 2 PERMISSION TO REPRODUCE AND DISSEMINATE THIS MATERIAL HAS BEEN GRANTED BY TO THE EDUCATIONAL RESOURCES INFORMATION CENTER (ERIC) U.S. DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION Office of Educational Research and Improvement EDUCATIONAL RESOURCES INFORMATION CENTER (ERIC) This document has been reproduced as received from the person or organization originating it. Minor changes have been made to improve reproduction quality. Points of view or opinions stated in this document do not necessarily represent official OERI position or policy. Finding a Voice and Place in a Normative Profession Overview It would be wonderful to simply put novice teachers together and say, "They will learn. " Why would a community of novice teachers voluntarily meet for years? How could a professional development site sustain its participants? The analysis in this paper identifies how three conditions supported one voluntary, novice teacher learning community called STEP+. STEP+ teachers convened for years away from their school sites as the participants went from being pre-service teachers to third, fourth and fifth year teachers (Meyer, 1999). In the first section of the paper, I locate the discussion of this novice teacher learning community against a backdrop of literature about induction, professional development that often rests on "mentors" teachers to "train" new teachers. I contrast this with collaborative, inquiry-oriented professional development (IOPD), a less technical model. The discussion of the culture of the STEP+ community, an example of IOPD, has implications for teacher educators invested in novice teachers' personal and professional development. The paper offers descriptive analysis of the norms, structures and content that mattered for learning at STEP+. Beyond retention: professional development that tends to the person(s) Most educators, and many citizens of the U.S., know about the shortage of teachers that is about to hit. Some estimate that 2 million teachers will be hired in the next decade. ' Of the new teachers to enter the fieldmany never enter who prepareabout 30-50% will leave the field within five to six years (Weingarten, 1998; Huling-Austin, 1986). The problem often gets framed that our schools need to do something to help support and retain our teaching force so that we are not caught in a continual cycle of hiring. One recent and popular policy response has been to fund "induction" programs to support, retain and evaluate teachers. This recognition translates to significant monies being made available by many states around the country to support induction programs. Calfornia, for instance, allocated $76 million to the Beginning Teacher Support & Assessment Program in 1998-1999. "Induction" funding and practice varies state by state and even within states. Teacher educators--whether they are known as professors, supervisors, mentors, or administrators--need to think beyond support and retention as the ultimate goal for novice teachers. We need to create places for novice teachers to define themselves as professionals in a normative profession, rather than as isolated technicians servicing students. Too often, in group settings or in