The Teaching and Learning Interchange project, funded by the U.S. Department of Education, is currently developing an online community of practice to support pre-service classroom teachers, intern and pre-intern teachers in the acquisition of subject matter competence, knowledge of teaching pedagogy, and classroom management strategies. In collaboration with many of California's 58 county offices of education (who support school district administration of pre-intern programs overseen by the CTC) the TLI program content isaligned with California's K-12 student academic content and teacher performance standards.

The design of the TLI is informed by current research into distributed learning, new teacher development, effective teaching pedagogy and the mentoring of teachers. Our services use web-based technologies and video streaming as the medium for distributing instruction, facilitating inquiry into effective classroom practice through case study, and to provide access to and opportunities for mentoring teachers at all levels of professional development.

In California and across the nation, there is a critical shortage of science, math and special education teachers. For this reason, the TLI has focused its efforts upon the development of materials that will help bring new science, math and special education teachers into the profession, to engage them in a community of learners and to support continual professional growth.

WIDENING THE PATHWAY TO A TEACHING CREDENTIAL

The Teaching and Learning Interchange developed a research-informed model for supporting pre-credential classroom teachers to acquire both subject matter competence and knowledge of teaching pedagogy and classroom management. The interchange content is aligned with California’s K-12 student academic content and teacher performance standards.

COLLABORATIONS

The TLI uses our partners’ web-based technologies and video streaming as the medium for distributing content-based instruction, inquiry into effective classroom practice through case study, and as a medium for facilitating access to new teacher mentoring. These technologies will support the TLI to provide:

• Subject-matter competency tutoring and test preparation for the California Subject Examinations for Teachers
• Video case investigations into classroom practice in the teaching of subject matter
• Resources to support the infusion of technology into classroom practice
• support for pre-interns, intern and new teachers to acquire key technology skills to meet the CA Technology Standards for Teachers and the ISTE National Educational Technology Standards.

OUTCOMES

The over-arching goals of the Teaching and Learning Interchange project are to make the technology tools TRANSPARENT while supporting new teachers to acquire the essential skills necessary for effective teaching; to provide a mechanism to distribute/share learning among participants, mentor teachers and experts and to provide means for participants to collaborate and meet without the barriers of time and place.

WHERE CAN I FIND OUT MORE ABOUT THE TLI?

Please visit our Contact Information page for information on getting in touch with the Teaching and Learning Interchange administration and staff or to obtain driving directions to our offices at the the University of San Francisco.

FUNDED BY

Developing future teachers who know how to use modern learning technologies to improve student learning is a major challenge facing our nation's teacher preparation system. PT3 grants support innovative program improvements to prepare technology-proficient educators for 21st century schools