Fitting in and Learning to Teach: Tensions in Developing a Vision for a University-Based Induction Program for Beginning Teachers.

Developing and retaining highly qualified teachers are central elements in efforts to improve teaching and learning in the United States (U.S. Department of Education, 2002). As part of these efforts, higher education institutions are beginning to design comprehensive induction programs for their graduates (Alliance for Excellent Education, 2004). One example: through the Teachers for a New Era initiative (Carnegie Corporation of New York, 2001), Michigan State University has embraced the challenge to design a seamless teacher preparation program that begins with planned learning experiences designed for entering freshmen, extends throughout a year-long internship and into the first two years in a beginning teacher's own classroom. This formal induction component is based on the belief that after completing the initial teacher preparation certification program, beginning teachers are merely at the beginning of the process of learning to teach. As a distinct phase in learning to teach (Feiman-Nemser, 2001), induction can "stand as a key juncture of learning, growth, and support" for those beginning their careers as teachers (Paine, Pimm, Britton, Raizen, & Wilson, 2003, p. 15). This key juncture provides a new opportunity for developing partnerships between K-12 schools and universities in ways that respect and value the uniqueness that each institution offers while together working toward the goal of developing high quality teachers for K-12 schools. A continuing challenge, however, is bringing the worlds of theory and practice together, a challenge made even more visible as university faculty and K-12 teachers work to collaboratively design, from the ground-up, an induction experience for beginning teachers. Defining our Vision of Induction The purpose of this article is to describe the development of a conceptual framework for a university-supported induction component of a teacher education program. Our university has not played a prominent role in providing formal support during the induction years. Like most other universities, once teacher education students graduate, responsibility for their learning has been turned over to school districts that are mandated, but not necessarily prepared, to provide induction support. While some schools encourage professional learning sustained by collaborative work among veterans and novices, others reinforce isolation as new teachers are left to figure things out for themselves (Johnson & Kardos, 2002). Guidance may also be provided by an assigned mentor, though the duties allocated to the role of a mentor vary and often involve becoming a "buddy" who gives advice and solves immediate problems with little or no discussion about continued learning to teach (Gordon & Maxey, 2000). The literature on induction provides program descriptions (David, 2000; Davis, Resta, Higdon, & Latiolais, 2001) and advice for principals on ways to support new teachers (Weasmer & Woods, 1998) but presents few images of a university's efforts to create an induction program that extends the ideas begun in preservice teacher education while novices are within varying school contexts (Auger & Odell, 1992; Johnson, Clift, & Klecka, 2002; Resta, Huling, White, & Matschek, 1997). We believe that university teacher educators can make valuable contributions in defining and designing support for beginning teachers that compliments and extends school district support (Gold, 1996). Even well-prepared novices have critical learning needs during their first years and can benefit from substantive assistance in developing strategies for continuing to learn to teach (Britton, Paine, Pimm, & Raizen, 2003). Indeed, a university-school partnership can help beginning teachers use their experiences in the classroom to develop a reflective stance on their teaching, one that can benefit both their practice and their students' learning (Wood, 2001). Developing an Induction Vision with K-12 Educators Our dilemma in developing a university-based induction experience was being responsive to beginning teacher needs while also challenging them to develop a framework for their thinking and asking them to consider new perspectives about what it means to teach. …