Guidance by Experts

As teacher candidates navigate their way through a TBR university teacher education program that includes a clinical residency, it is of paramount importance that we provide them the professional support they need to ensure that they will be effective teachers from the first day they enter the classroom as professional educators. The Ready2Teach program will provide such support through guidance by experts who play vital roles in the preparation of teacher candidates.

These experts function in three categories: university faculty, master clinicians, and mentor teachers. Members of each group are selected based on rigorous criteria articulated either by the TBR or the National Council for the Accreditation of Teacher Education (NCATE).

• University faculty, as highly qualified instructors in a teacher education program, model best professional practices. Such practices include differentiated instruction, problem-based learning strategies, and frequent use of formative assessment. They also collaborate with their colleagues in the academic disciplines, as well as those in school settings.
• Master clinicians serve as a primary liaison between a university and local school systems. They also facilitate Ready2Teach residency experiences and capstone performance assessments for teacher candidates at TBR campuses. Master clinicians are selected based on rigorous criteria that approximate national board certification requirements. They hold an earned doctorate or demonstrate exceptional professional expertise.
• Mentor teachers, previously referred to as “cooperating teachers,” provide direct support and guidance to teacher candidates within the classroom during their school-based clinical residency. Mentor teachers must themselves be effective practitioners and exhibitors of the skills of clinical educators. The TBR is designing a formal mentor training to help teachers demonstrate eligibility to serve as mentors.

Through the expert guidance provided by these groups of professionals, our teacher candidates can begin their careers as professional educators who are truly “ready to teach.”