School and University Collaboration Partners: A Model for Collegial Support of Literacy and Professional Development

Abstract

Our collaborative project investigated ways in which constituents involved in educational field experiences might develop ways to link pre-service and in-service professional development goals. Participants, including student teachers, college supervisor, K-2 and college faculty, and administrators, read and discussed The Art of Teaching Reading by Lucy Calkins. The group met one and one half hours every other week for six months to respond to the professional literature and apply it to their classrooms and respective teaching situations. Using a dialogue session format, action research questions framed current concerns about establishing partnerships for professional development to improve Institution of Higher Education and P-12 school linkages, and to examine the delivery of meaningful literacy instruction at the college level. Outcomes indicate the professional reading and dialogue sessions have made small but significant changes in the school curriculum and the participating teachers' instruction and have the potential to influence college level educational methods course content.