Supportive Relationships in Communities of Practice
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Teacher candidates can benefit from professional learning communities within their university classrooms, clinical placement schools, disciplinary groups, and sometimes, within other affinity groups. These communities can allow candidates to productively engage with real problems of practice as they promote active, interactive, constructive, and iterative learning. School communities are expansive and candidates should have experiences with every element of the community—such as faculty and staff in all parts of the school, families, and community organizations that may work with the school.
Preparation programs should consciously create, model, and help teacher candidates learn to engage productively in these communities so that they are surrounded with examples and supports for problem solving. To do this, programs need strong, reciprocal relationships with PreK-12 schools, enabling clinical placements aligned with the candidates’ learning. Engaging with research and reflecting on practice are ways that communities of practice can learn together. This facilitates candidate understanding of the whole child within the contexts that are closest to the child.
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Debriefing What’s Needed to Plan and Facilitate a Discussion in a Secondary English Methods Course 
In this secondary English methods course, the teacher educator is leading teacher candidates in a debrief after a small group discussion of an assigned passage. The teacher candidates were tasked with collaboratively preparing for and facilitating a short discussion among their classmates using specific facilitation strategies. In the debrief, the teacher educator asks candidates to think about their growth in using the specific facilitation strategies they’ve been learning, pressing them to notice the knowledges—content knowledge, knowledges of learners and learning, pedagogical knowledge—they needed in order to prepare for and facilitate a successful discussion.
This video demonstrates the SoLD educator principles of curriculum rooted in a deep understanding of learners, learning, and development; supportive developmental relationships in communities of practice; development of skills, habits, and mindsets of an equitable educator; and pedagogical alignment and modeling.
Explicitly Teaching Routines in an Elementary Literacy Methods Course
A teacher educator engages an elementary literacy methods course, focusing on the importance of explicitly teaching routines “one day at a time; one day one center” so that centers are not “busywork” but are explicitly introduced to students. In introducing a multimedia example, the teacher educator emphasizes the importance of teachers being intentional about the HOW of their teaching in addition to the WHAT of their teaching. She has selected a video of accomplished teaching to exemplify and model the strategy of teaching students the expectations and routines of center work, and the discussion among candidates is positive and engaged. The teacher educator discusses how over the course of a year, teachers might move from teacher-initiated and teacher-structured centers to those initiated by young learners, aligned to child development.
This video demonstrates the SoLD educator principles of curriculum rooted in a deep understanding of learners, learning, and development; supportive developmental relationships in communities of practice; and pedagogical alignment and modeling.
Identifying Effective Discussion Strategies in a Secondary English Methods Course
A teacher educator engages a secondary English methods class in identifying effective discussion strategies. Facilitating equitable discussions is something that educators need to know and be able to do. By engaging the students in examining the practice of veteran teacher Yvonne Divans Hutchinson, the teacher educator leverages her class as a supportive community of practice, develops their skills, and provides pedagogical modeling.
This video demonstrates the SoLD educator principles of supportive developmental relationships in communities of practice; development of skills, habits, and mindsets of an equitable educator; and pedagogical alignment and modeling.
Elementary Literacy Read Aloud Rehearsal with Coaching
In this video, elementary literacy teacher candidates practice reading aloud with teacher educators coaching them on strategies to elicit ideas from students as they read aloud. Several candidates practice their reading-aloud strategies—asking questions about the title, having learners turn and talk, etc. The teacher educator interjects during their practice to suggest possible changes to their practice with explanations. These opportunities to practice and learn from and with peers offer rich experiential learning opportunities that can support the development of a community of practice. In one instance, a male teacher candidate pauses and asks whether a moment was fair/unfair, asking for a thumbs up/thumbs down, and then invites the circle to turn and talk. The teacher educator’s coaching encourages the teacher candidate to invite student participation and offer space for multiple perspectives. In a final debrief, the teacher educator suggests letting students’ comments sit for a moment rather than quickly moving on after a student has responded in order to “get more voices in here.” These reminders are to further develop the skills, habits, and mindsets of an equitable educator.
This video demonstrates the SoLD educator principles of supportive developmental relationships in communities of practice; rich, experiential learning opportunities; development of skills, habits, and mindsets of an equitable educator; and pedagogical alignment and modeling.
A Cycle of Planning, Enacting, and Reflecting in an Elementary Literacy Course
In this video, a teacher educator supports teachers to plan for, enact, and analyze one of their first quick image lessons with elementary students. The teachers are specifically working on the practice of orienting students to one another. This video includes teachers reflecting and analyzing teaching followed by planning for subsequent lessons based on their reflections. The teacher educator focuses attention on the strategies used to represent students’ ideas and position students competently. See https://tedd.org/repeated-teaching/ for materials that support teacher educators to introduce, prepare for, enact, and analyze repeated teaching and https://tedd.org/designs-for-practice-based-te/ for materials to support designs for practice-based teacher education.
This video demonstrates the SoLD principles of a curriculum rooted in a deep understanding of learners, learning, and development; supportive developmental relationships in communities of practice; rich, experiential learning opportunities; development of skills, habits, and mindsets of an equitable educator; and pedagogical alignment and modeling.
In this third-grade classroom, the mentor teacher is modeling for the teacher candidate how she circulates among students to hear their solution strategies in preparation for leading a strategy sharing session. The mentor teacher shares her thinking and decision-making with the teacher candidate to offer insight into when, how, and why she engages with specific students as she circulates and debriefs these student interactions with the teacher candidate to offer her thinking. The teacher candidate has the opportunity to practice after observing. The mentor and the teacher candidate are closely aligned, collaborating in working with individual students during mathematics work time. They are focused on effective questioning to help the students identify an efficient strategy for solving a multiplication problem. The mentor models it while the teacher candidate watches, then the teacher candidate selects a different student to try the mentor’s approach. See https://tedd.org/huddling for materials that support teacher educators to introduce, prepare for, enact, and analyze huddling.
This video demonstrates the SoLD educator design principles of curriculum rooted in a deep understanding of learners, learning, and development; supportive developmental relationships in communities of practice; and rich, experiential learning opportunities.
Summer Institute: Preparing for and Enacting an Interactive Read-Aloud
In this video, a teacher educator supports teachers to plan for, rehearse, and enact one of their first interactive read-aloud lessons with elementary students. The teachers are specifically working on the practice of eliciting and responding to students' thinking. In the previous lesson, the teachers began reading "Harvesting Hope" by Kathleen Krull with a small group of students. Now the teachers are planning to facilitate a discussion for their next lesson when they finish reading the text.
This video highlights the SoLD educator preparation principles of supportive developmental relationships in communities of practice; rich, experiential learning opportunities; development of skills, habits, and mindsets of an equitable educator; and pedagogical alignment and modeling.
Teacher Collaboration While Teaching
The video shows teachers looking at a set of student mathematics work. Both educators talk about how collaboration provides someone to "think with, talk with, and do our best work." They select student examples to show to the group. They discuss the differences between two students' mathematics approaches. The teacher educator praises the idea of collaborating in the classroom while the students are still there, so as not to lose the moment. This video shows how huddling can help teachers determine which student strategies to highlight for the whole group. The teacher educator notes that though teachers make a really good plan, in the moment kids are different, and it's important to be responsive to how they are learning: "Being able to huddle is recreating that plan. Now that we have more information from our students, what do we want to focus this conversation on?"
This video demonstrates the SoLD educator principles of supportive developmental relationships in communities of practice; and rich, experiential learning opportunities.
Teaching Example: Linguistically Inclusive Morning Meeting in Early Childhood
This clip (2:09–3:20) demonstrates how a PreK teacher uses the home language (Spanish) of her children as well as the school language (English) to launch the day in a welcoming way and to support children's developing knowledge of the days of the week and the calendar. The video provides a useful example of conducting classroom routines and developing linguistic sensitivity in language and literacy development for preservice teachers.
This video demonstrates the SoLD educator principles of development of skills, habits, and mindsets of an equitable educator; and supportive developmental relationships in communities of practice.
Teaching Example: Reflecting on Center Time Activities and Journal Writing
This clip (6:00–12:58) shows how a teacher invites children to reflect with her on varied activities during the hour-long center time and prepare to journal. The clip exemplifies how a teacher can use knowledge of children's developing abilities to reflect on their learning and apply it to writing development. The clip highlights how the teacher models reflection and giving positive feedback, supports writing development, and differentiates instruction to support emergent writers. In particular, the teacher supports an emergent writer by making lines for the words in the short sentence that they will write, by helping them sound out the words they are writing, and by assisting them in finding the words they need in the classroom's environmental print. This clip can be used to support teacher candidates' knowledge of how to set up environments for active learning, how to support literacy and writing development, and how to create classroom community by equally honoring and supporting children who are at different stages of development.
This video demonstrates the SoLD educator principles of curriculum rooted in a deep understanding of learners, learning, and development; supportive developmental relationships in communities of practice; and development of skills, habits, and mindsets of an equitable educator.
Additional video resources from The Learning Classroom Series
How People Learn: Introduction to Learning Theory
In the first episode of "The Learning Classroom," educators share their experiences and insights on effective teaching strategies, focusing on how people learn, how to create productive learning environments, and how to motivate students. Several shared examples demonstrate that effective teaching integrates various learning theories and strategies, adapts to the complexities of human learning and the diverse needs of students, and creates a dynamic and supportive educational environment.
This episode highlights the SoLD educator preparation principles of curriculum rooted in a deep understanding of learners, learning, and development; supportive developmental relationships in communities of practice; development of skills, habits, and mindsets of an equitable educator; rich, experiential learning opportunities; and pedagogical alignment and modeling.
Learning As We Grow: Development and Learning
The second episode of "The Learning Classroom" examines the concept of readiness for learning and illustrates how developmental pathways—including physical, cognitive, and linguistic—all play a part in students' learning. This episode includes a 1st-grade teacher, a 7th- and 8th-grade science teacher, and a 12th-grade physics teacher, along with expert commentary from University of California at Santa Cruz Professor Roland Tharp and Yale University Professor James P. Comer.
This episode highlights the SoLD educator preparation principles of curriculum rooted in a deep understanding of learners, learning, and development; supportive developmental relationships in communities of practice; development of skills, habits, and mindsets of an equitable educator; rich, experiential learning opportunities; and pedagogical alignment and modeling.
Building on What We Know: Cognitive Processing
The third episode of "The Learning Classroom" covers how prior knowledge, expectations, context, and practice affect processing, using information, and making connections. This episode includes a 1st-grade teacher, a 9th- and 10th-grade mathematics teacher, and a special education teacher, along with expert commentary from Stanford University Professor Roy Pea.
This episode highlights the SoLD educator preparation principles of curriculum rooted in a deep understanding of learners, learning, and development; supportive developmental relationships in communities of practice; development of skills, habits, and mindsets of an equitable educator; rich, experiential learning opportunities; and pedagogical alignment and modeling.
Different Kinds of Smart: Multiple Intelligences
The fourth episode of "The Learning Classroom" explores Harvard University Professor Howard Gardner's theory of multiple intelligences, describing how people have learning skills that differ in significant ways.
This episode includes expert commentary from Howard Gardner and highlights the SoLD educator preparation principles of curriculum rooted in a deep understanding of learners, learning, and development; supportive developmental relationships in communities of practice; development of skills, habits, and mindsets of an equitable educator; rich, experiential learning opportunities; and pedagogical alignment and modeling.
Feelings Count: Emotions and Learning
The fifth episode of "The Learning Classroom" introduces ways to create an emotionally safe classroom to foster learning and to deal effectively with emotions and conflicts that can be obstacles to learning.
This episode includes expert commentary from Daniel B. Goleman, author of the book Emotional Intelligence, and Yale University Professor James P. Comer and highlights the SoLD educator preparation principles of curriculum rooted in a deep understanding of learners, learning, and development; supportive developmental relationships in communities of practice; development of skills, habits, and mindsets of an equitable educator; rich, experiential learning opportunities; and pedagogical alignment and modeling.
The Classroom Mosaic: Culture and Learning
The sixth episode of "The Learning Classroom" discusses how culturally responsive teaching enables students to create connections, access prior knowledge and experience, and develop competence. Kathleen Hayes-Parvin, 6th-grade teacher at Birney Middle School, Southfield, MI, and 9th-grade teachers William Dean and Jeff Gilbert at East Palo Alto High School, Menlo Park, CA, are featured. University of Wisconsin Professor Gloria Ladson-Billings and University of Arizona Professor Luis Moll provide expert commentary.
This episode highlights the SoLD educator preparation principles of curriculum rooted in a deep understanding of learners, learning, and development; supportive developmental relationships in communities of practice; development of skills, habits, and mindsets of an equitable educator; rich, experiential learning opportunities; and pedagogical alignment and modeling.
Learning From Others: Learning in a Social Context
The seventh episode of "The Learning Classroom'' focuses on Lev Vygotsky's work, exploring how learning relies on communication and interaction with others in communities of learners. It features a 5th-grade teacher and a high school teacher, with expert commentary from Tufts University Professor David Elkind, Yale University Professor James P. Comer, and University of California at Santa Cruz Professor Roland Tharp.
This episode highlights the SoLD educator preparation principles of curriculum rooted in a deep understanding of learners, learning, and development; supportive developmental relationships in communities of practice; development of skills, habits, and mindsets of an equitable educator; rich, experiential learning opportunities; and pedagogical alignment and modeling.
Watch It, Do It, Know It: Cognitive Apprenticeship
The eighth episode of "The Learning Classroom" demonstrates how teachers help their students develop expertise and accomplish complex tasks using modeling, assisted performance, scaffolding, coaching, and feedback. It features a 5th- and 6th-grade teacher and an 11th- and 12th-grade English and social studies teacher, with expert commentary from University of Michigan Professor Annemarie Sullivan Palincsar.
This episode highlights the SoLD educator preparation principles of curriculum rooted in a deep understanding of learners, learning, and development; supportive developmental relationships in communities of practice; development of skills, habits, and mindsets of an equitable educator; rich, experiential learning opportunities; and pedagogical alignment and modeling.
Thinking About Thinking: Metacognition
In the ninth episode of "The Learning Classroom," experts describe how thinking about thinking helps students better manage their own learning and learn difficult concepts deeply. The program features a 12th-grade English teacher and a 6th-grade teacher, with expert commentary from University of Michigan Professor Annemarie Sullivan Palincsar and Lee S. Shulman, former President of the Carnegie Foundation for the Advancement of Teaching.
This episode highlights the SoLD educator preparation principles of curriculum rooted in a deep understanding of learners, learning, and development; supportive developmental relationships in communities of practice; development of skills, habits, and mindsets of an equitable educator; rich, experiential learning opportunities; and pedagogical alignment and modeling.
How We Organize Knowledge: The Structure of the Disciplines
The tenth episode of "The Learning Classroom" covers the ways in which the organization of knowledge and understanding can influence learning. It introduces Bruner's and Schwab's ideas about the structure of the disciplines. A 4th-grade teacher, a 10th-grade biology teacher, and a 9th- through 12th-grade teacher are featured, with expert commentary from Lee S. Shulman, former President of the Carnegie Foundation for the Advancement of Teaching.
This episode highlights the SoLD educator preparation principles of curriculum rooted in a deep understanding of learners, learning, and development; supportive developmental relationships in communities of practice; development of skills, habits, and mindsets of an equitable educator; rich, experiential learning opportunities; and pedagogical alignment and modeling.
Lessons for Life: Learning and Transfer
The eleventh episode of "The Learning Classroom" describes what conditions are needed for knowledge and skills learned in one context to be retrieved and applied to a novel situation, and how different teaching strategies can increase the possibilities for transfer. The program features a 4th-grade teacher and a 7th- and 8th-grade teacher, with expert commentary from Lee S. Shulman, former President of the Carnegie Foundation for the Advancement of Teaching.
This episode highlights the SoLD educator preparation principles of curriculum rooted in a deep understanding of learners, learning, and development; supportive developmental relationships in communities of practice; development of skills, habits, and mindsets of an equitable educator; rich, experiential learning opportunities; and pedagogical alignment and modeling.
Expectations for Success: Motivation and Learning
The twelfth episode of "The Learning Classroom" explores how teachers can enhance their students' motivation by encouraging them to be thoughtfully and critically engaged in the learning process, by supporting their drive for mastery and understanding, and by helping them become self-confident. This program takes a second look at classrooms seen previously to show how motivational techniques work in concert with other learning theories. Former Stanford University School of Education Dean Deborah Stipek adds her insight.
This episode highlights the SoLD educator preparation principles of curriculum rooted in a deep understanding of learners, learning, and development; supportive developmental relationships in communities of practice; development of skills, habits, and mindsets of an equitable educator; rich, experiential learning opportunities; and pedagogical alignment and modeling.
Pulling It All Together: Creating Classrooms and Schools That Support Learning
The thirteenth and final episode of "The Learning Classroom" discusses how schools can organize for powerful learning through a coherent, connected approach to teaching and learning that is reinforced and supported by structural features. This session features the staff and students of two schools: a public school in Michigan serving grades 3 through 8 and a first-year charter school in California.
This episode highlights the SoLD educator preparation principles of curriculum rooted in a deep understanding of learners, learning, and development; supportive developmental relationships in communities of practice; development of skills, habits, and mindsets of an equitable educator; rich, experiential learning opportunities; and pedagogical alignment and modeling.