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Abstract: The professional development school (PDS) model of teacher preparation is designed to provide pre-service teachers with the opportunity to work alongside experienced educators in a realworld setting. Action research is often used to find solutions to a problem or to develop an analysis of an aspect of the community of practice surrounding the educational profession. This study examines the lasting effects of action research conducted by undergraduate teacher candidates in a PDS teacher preparation program, compared to teacher candidates who did not participate in action research in a PDS program. The study concludes that, while action research completed by teacher candidates is not always noteworthy, experiencing the action research process with the guidance of a faculty advisor and a teacher mentor has lasting effects on teachers' professional skill development.
KEYWORDS: action research, professional development schools (PDS), faculty advising, mentor teachers, teacher candidates
NAPDS NINE ESSENTIALS ADDRESSED:
2. A school-university culture committed to the preparation of future educators that embraces their active engagement in the school community
4. A shared commitment to innovative and reflective practice by all participants
7. A structure that allows all participants a forum for ongoing governance, reflection, and collaborate
The professional development school (PDS) model of teacher preparation is designed to provide pre-service teachers with the opportunity to work alongside experienced educators in a real-world setting (Holmes Group, 1990). Professional development schools are a partnership between university educator preparation programs and their school partners in which the education of new teacher candidates is a shared responsibility of both entities. The PDS model is partially based on the idea that teacher candidates who spend time engaged in real-world clinical settings are exposed to a higher level of knowledge and skill development that might be missed in the university setting, alone. PDS classrooms provide a carefully mentored environment in which teacher candidates have opportunities to apply theories in real-world settings and try things out in a protected environment where the teacher candidate has help and support. Field experiences provide teacher candidates with strong learning environments as well as serendipitous learning opportunities (Brannon & Fiene, 2013). Studies indicate that pre-service teachers trained in a PDS model are more grounded in theory, comfortable in using theory to support their teaching, and likely to...