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ON-SITE TEACHER DEVELOPMENT
Submitted by: St. Clair TEC Academies, Port Huron, MI
The four charter academies operated by the St. Clair County Intermediate School District's Technical Education Center (TEC) have developed a unique arrangement with Ferris State University for providing ongoing, on-site professional development to academy teachers. Reasons for Practice There are some academy teachers who possess only temporary certification and are teaching without the benefit of a traditional university-based teacher education program. This new model for professional development was adopted to assist the TEC academies in providing these teachers with a high-quality induction model. Length of Time in Effect The professional development program began in 2001. THE CHALLENGE THE St. Clair TEC Academies had was to make talented individuals who had worked in industry into effective classroom teachers. Many teachers at the St. Clair TEC academies did not come through the traditional model of teacher training, having worked instead in industry for the majority of their professional careers. Under traditional models of professional development, teachers receive training in a university setting. Then they develop their skills further by participating in training conducted by providers (such as universities and regional service cooperatives) that offer instruction on a wide variety of topics. Many teachers at the St. Clair TEC academies were highly knowledgeable in current industry standards, but had limited experience in school settings-particularly in the areas of writing curriculum, using different instructional strategies, and classroom management. In seeking to develop a staff with both vocational and secondary certification,
the St. Clair County TEC Academies developed a partnership with Ferris
State University (FSU). The university and the academies worked together
to develop programs that specifically address the needs of various academy
staff members, assisting them in gaining Michigan certification and/or
the skills necessary to improve their teaching. An additional feature
is that university trainers travel to the academy to deliver the training
on site. This differs from the traditional model in which teachers go
to the provider for training.
What are the Benefits to Employers Involved with the School?
What are the Benefits to the School?
Information on the professional development partnership between the St. Clair TEC Academies and Ferris State University was recently published in the May, 2002 edition of Techniques (journal of the Association for Career and Technical Education). See http://www.acteonline.org/public/tech-curr-issue.html for additional information. St. Clair TEC Academies:
Tel: 810-364-8990
Ferris State University:
Email: chandles@ferris.edu
More Highlighted Practices: Intermediate School District Sponsorship of Charter Academies
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