Center of Pedagogy Hosts Virtual Teacher Education Program Clinical Prep Week

On August 17-19, 2020, the Center of Pedagogy hosted a virtual Teacher Education Clinical Prep week, a series of workshops for all clinical I and II interns to prepare them for a hybrid/remote clinical experience. The event, held via Zoom, was conceived and developed by the Teacher Education Program Clinical Task Force in response to feedback from spring teacher interns, University mentors, cooperating teachers, course instructors, MSU Network for Educational Renewal district partners, program coordinators from departments across campus, the statewide Field Directors’ Group, and more. The Clinical Task Force is a working group co-led by staff and faculty in the Department of Teaching and Learning and the Center of Pedagogy. In keeping with Montclair State University’s commitment to the principles of the MSU Network for Educational Renewal and the National Network for Educational Renewal, the event truly has involved the tripartite of teacher education faculty and staff, arts and sciences faculty, and school-based practitioners every step of the way.

Over 200 students participated each day, and presenters included school and district partners, adjunct and full-time faculty, staff, doctoral students, and alumni. The diverse array of expertise brought to the sessions created a successful and informative event. The interns were quite responsive to the presenters and utilized the Zoom chat for questions, comments, and participation in breakout groups.

The online sessions featured presentations on topics such as Overviews of Clinical Practice I and II courses; What Will the Fall Look Like?; Principles & Best Practices for Online Learning – Hybrid and Fully Online Courses; Google Classroom; Self-Care and Stress Management; SeeSaw; Virtual Learning for Diverse Learners; Assessing Instruction; Critical Thinking in Online Settings; and Advice from Recent Graduates.

The event was co-coordinated by Dr. Sumi Hagiwara and Ms. Caroline Murray, with help from the following faculty and staff: Loretta Bellina, Daniela Bivona, Marilyn Davis, Naome Dunnell, Scotta Frye, Rebecca Goldstein, Alan Lentin, Deirdre MacKnight, Mary Marsan, Gina Martino, Jennifer Robinson, Lucy Villaluz, Trish Watson, and Linda Wise. Additional help was received from John O’Brien in IT and Joe Bavazzano in the ADP Center for Zoom guidance and support, and Lisa Abreu Morel, Roger Drew, Jan Johnson, Ryan Minieri, and Michelle Shanahan.