MLFTC launches new courses in graduate teacher preparation programs

How are the values of individual educators reflected in their decision making? How might teachers use feedback from a community to ensure its needs are met? How can educators encourage questioning and risk-taking? And how will they know their innovations are effective and lead to positive change for students and communities?

These questions are a part of a new series of courses ASU’s Mary Lou Fulton Teachers College launched in its graduate teacher preparation programs in the fall 2021 semester.

The series, Educator Scholar Community, or ESC, consists of three one-credit courses designed to provide students with a personalized learning experience and customized professional development opportunities. 

These courses connect a student’s teacher preparation coursework, MLFTC’s core value of Principled Innovation and professional work in PK–12 learning environments, says Ronald Beghetto, Pinnacle West Presidential Chair and professor, who is co-teaching ESC courses with Gina Conner, clinical assistant professor and senior program coordinator of graduate programs.

Principled Innovation is a framework for decision-making, aimed at preparing students to become effective educators and caring citizens. The framework was developed with the support of the Kern Family Foundation, which awarded MLFTC a $12.4 million grant to develop and incorporate character education into its teacher and leadership preparation programs. 

“The series complements the coursework and professional experiences our students receive by equipping them with the ability to anticipate and creatively respond to the uncertainty and complex challenges they face as PK–12 educators,” says Beghetto.

One way the series infuses the framework is by utilizing the Principled Innovation card deck, which is intended to spark individual and group reflection to engage character and develop wisdom. Each card features two questions, and the deck is divided and color-coded into four categories: moral, civic, intellectual and performance. An example from the moral section is, “What are my biases?” and “Do I acknowledge the bias I bring to this situation, or am I taking action to remove that bias?”

These questions are embedded throughout course assignments to help students think differently about their teaching practices, Conner says. 

A current student in the program, who is a full-time classroom teacher, used the questions to reflect on finding effective ways to engage with the Spanish-speaking parents of his students, says Conner. “This was a challenge due to the lack of resources available to provide effective and equitable communication with all families,” she says. Through the student’s reflections, Conner says, he empathized with the families who needed more support and communication and strived to find innovative ways to connect with them and build meaningful relationships. 

Another student, says Conner, shared that she altered her behavior after reflecting on the question, “What actions did I take to get to know the community or context in which I am operating?” Just a few weeks into the program, the student explored neighborhoods, local parks, small businesses and churches to deepen her understanding of the students and families she serves, Conner says. And by doing so, she gained a deeper understanding about how to best support her students and how to personalize learning experiences for students, she says.  

“A unique and innovative feature of this series,” says Conner, “is that it provides our students with the opportunity to select from and contribute to a growing library of topical ‘power-ups.’”

Power-ups, Conner says, are a growing library of timely professional development and personalized learning options that provide students with tailored learning experiences on topics such as communicating effectively with families, designing lesson plans that support both academic learning and creative expression and applying the Principled Innovation framework in professional decision making. 

Students also have the opportunity to develop power-ups to be implemented in their own PK–12 classrooms in order to augment their existing curriculum and support the unique learning needs and interests of students. “The ESC series offers graduate teacher preparation students personalized learning experiences, opportunities to engage in innovative and creative teaching and learning projects, make connections across their coursework and field experiences, and develop a supportive community of professional colleagues,” Beghetto says.

“Teaching a course for the first time always provides an opportunity to learn what is working and what needs improving to benefit students,” says Beghetto. “In addition to learning how power-ups bolstered teaching practices, we learned more about the knowledge and skills students need to thrive as novice educators. As a result, we are building out additional personalized learning power-up experiences to address their needs,” Conner says.

Beghetto and Conner say they are encouraged by students’ reception to the series. “As students apply new skills in their classrooms, they are able to reflect on their values, empathy and ethical decision-making in order to make a positive difference in their school and classroom,” says Conner. 

Shannon Welte, a student in the courses, says, “These courses have been the highlight of my time in the program. I enjoy doing the assignments because I can take what I learned straight into my digital classroom.” Welte is a Grade 2 teacher’s aide at ASU Prep Digital.

“The most exciting thing about the ESC courses is the freedom and creativity they offer. I’m able to explore, investigate, question and attempt teaching and assignments any way I choose, as long as I can support my practice and decision-making with reasons that could enhance my classroom,” says Welte. “If we — teachers and students — lose this vigor for real discovery,” she says, “we lose any notion of mastering the content in a meaningful, life-changing way.” 

Looking back on her time in elementary, middle and high school, Welte says it was those moments of creativity and mastery that stand out. “That’s what the Education Scholar Community is all about: teaching teachers how to find those moments in their classrooms and with their students,” she says.