From sheltered practice to actual teaching: the experiences of three new-to-profession teachers

Abstract

This study investigated and documented the early teaching experiences of recent college of education graduates. The study provided a path to reflect upon and link their beginning experiences in the classroom to the student teaching component of the participants' university preparation program. While many programs have certain criteria for its programs, many new-to-profession teachers face many challenges including: student motivation, planning and implementation of curriculum, instruction, and assessment. Without adequate preparation, numerous pre-service teachers do not feel prepared for the challenging first years of teaching. As teachers prepare for a career of teaching, they must prepare for the demands of the classroom as the classrooms continue to change and become more diverse each year. Therefore, our college programs must understand the importance of this ever-changing profession in order to better prepare our teachers for the classroom. This study examines three new-to-profession teachers all in their second year of teaching. Utilizing case studies, the rich and textual data formed their stories. I co-created their narratives of their student-teaching practice and their story of the first two years in the classroom from interviews and classroom observations. Utilizing documents such as evaluations, reflective journals, and other personal documents, this study provided an in-depth analysis of what 157 concepts were learned and well utilized, what concepts were learned but seldom utilized, and what concepts were not learned, but needed in the initial years of teaching.