Evaluating Socio-Cultural Pedagogy in a Distance Teacher Education Program

Teacher Education Quarterly, Summer 2005 by Teemant, Annela

Facilitator Responses

After piloting each new course in the school districts, developers scheduled full day focus-group discussions to solicit feedback from facilitators. This feedback was analyzed for themes related to program effectiveness, learning, pedagogy, and delivery system response. Overall, facilitators reported that the BEEDE program was excellent, organized, challenging for participants, and rich in content, research, and its focus on reflection and pedagogy. Some facilitators worried that the program was too comprehensive with too little time for reflection in the process. For example, one facilitator said, "This program is so thorough. This is an excellent, excellent program, and so I hesitate to say too thorough." Another facilitator offered a different opinion saying:

I don't want you to leave anything out. I want you to allow me, as the facilitator, to feel what my students are doing, where they are, what they caught, so that we can adjust, on the spot.... I can be a real teacher instead of an administrator of a textbook.

Facilitators highlighted making adjustments to the curriculum based on learners' needs; however, they were also uncertain about what could be streamlined or changed from the developers' perspective. Facilitators reported that portfolios provided ample evidence of change in teacher thinking and practices. For example, a facilitator said, "One teacher told me, 'What I've learned from this course is that I really have to learn how to do group work. ' She really saw the value of it. " Another facilitator reported that the reflection activities had great value:

Where they really reflected and looked at their classrooms: "What does this mean for me?" As I read those, I could see change. ... I'm seeing them come up with the generalizations.... They carry them with them, because they have ownership of them.

The facilitators were generally very positive about the delivery system features. They reported that the learning activities effectively modeled socio-cultural practices, active learning, and community building. The homework was described as rigorous and more intensive than participants expected. Facilitators, like participants, felt that instructions and vocabulary needed to be simplified. Facilitators reported that the quality of video segment content was excellent and justified more time in sessions for reflection and discussion. In contrast, facilitators received many complaints about the accessibility and functionality of CD-ROMs. Facilitators, in response, extended deadlines and encouraged participants to partner to complete CD-ROM assignments.

The facilitators discussed their own roles in the delivery system as both rewarding and challenging. On the one hand, they felt confident in the quality of the curriculum, their ability to model socio-cultural pedagogy, and the participants' achievement of learning outcomes. Facilitators used their own experience to reinforce concepts. On the other hand, one facilitator with over 20 years in the classroom and a Master's degree in linguistics said,