Transformative Teaching
Abstract
This presentation will discuss teacher candidate perceptions of well-being and school climate at one regional, comprehensive university in Washington State, US. Presenters will share data analysis and findings from the first phase of a mixed methods research study that examines the impact of Social Emotional skills interventions in teacher preparation and their impact on school climate, adult learning, teacher planning and behaviors, student achievement, and educational equity. The central question of the first phase of the study was, “What is the correlation between well-being and positive school climate?” Participants will learn about study results examining teacher candidate perspectives of early SEL intervention efforts in the first year of teacher preparation. Candidates were asked to evaluate their knowledge and experiences prior to SEL intervention, during, and after interventions. Study findings suggest that SEL interventions during teacher preparation can positively impact teacher candidate perspectives of their university school climate, feelings of empowerment in fieldwork related to classroom management efforts, and employing equitable tiered intervention support. The presentation will share the population details, study questions, tools, interventions, data collection and analysis, and the findings for this first phase of the longitudinal study.
Dr. Henning has over 16-years working in Educator Preparation Programs including experience with candidates in an intercultural setting, preparing candidates with deep understanding of teaching pedagogy combined with culturally responsive strategies and equity pedagogy, which includes Social Emotional Learning (SEL) strategies. Dr. Henning has supported teacher candidate’s through observation and feedback, asking critical questions to guide candidate growth. Dr. Henning designed and executed an argument-based validation study of the pilot of the teacher performance assessment.
Dr. Torres has 13-years teaching experience in P-12 schools as an educator and teacher-leader implementing Multi-Tiered Systems of Support (MTSS), Positive Intervention and Behavior Supports (PBIS) and equity pedagogy. As a practicing classroom teacher and professor at the University, Dr. Torres has participated in and facilitated collaboration, including data analysis conversations to support student learning. Dr. Torres brings expertise in assessment and research strategies to support the work of this project as we analyze data to make training decisions for the project participants and cross-year research data for evaluation.