The BRIDGE Between Preparation and Induction

The BRIDGE (Building Resources: Induction & Development for Georgia Educators, http://www.teachersbridge.org) has continued to grow and develop with the addition of new features and more resources. The BRIDGE provides seamless support for teachers transitioning from preparation through induction and beyond. Teacher educators and local school educators providing support to beginning teachers find the system to be a support mechanism for 1) documenting practices of accomplished teachers and 2) delivering critical resources focused on teacher knowledge and redistributing both on-demand to beginning teachers.

Development of the BRIDGE began as an online representation of GSTEP’s Framework for Accomplished Teaching, intending to improve access to the elements, indicators, and corresponding descriptions clearly explaining good teaching practices. The BRIDGE is similar to other technology-based knowledge and support systems in the way that resources are contributed by the teaching community and organized according to frameworks (e.g. standards or rubrics). The original intent was to develop a ‘living document’ defining the expectations of the next generation of teachers through documentation of knowledge, experiences, and practice. In fact, a statement from an exiting student teacher during focus group work has resonated throughout the project. She said, “I am clear about what is expected of me. I can read about the expectations defined in the [GSTEP] Framework – but I need to see it. I need to see it in order to really understand what it is that is expected of me.”

Initial development of the BRIDGE was within the context of teacher preparation programs. However, the BRIDGE has also has been introduced to in-service and pre-service teachers at UGA and throughout the six-districts during the past year. Teachers are enthusiastic about this tool for which they can see so many practical uses within their practice. Teachers are accessing just-in-time, credible resources that are organized by the GSTEP Framework, which makes locating desired resources easy and self-directed. Users of the BRIDGE have expressed a great sense of empowerment about having a resource they can use for self-assessment and self-directed professional development. After one presentation to middle school faculty, the new teachers were exploring the BRIDGE independently before the presenter ever made her way across the room to assist them.

New teachers often have limited access to the continuous support mechanisms–tools, artifacts, and resources–that guide classroom practice across the teachers’ careers. As they leave teacher preparation programs, most beginning teachers lose access to pedagogical and content knowledge support provided by their teacher preparation programs. Beginning teachers in rural schools may find themselves as the only new teacher with few local colleagues in their domain. A new science teacher, for example, may be a department of one, with support provided by teachers in other subject areas. Fast growing suburban and large urban schools system may hire new teachers in large numbers, and provide induction and support in large groups with less individualized support determined by subject-specific needs. In these cases, beginning teachers has limited access to the subject-specific support needed to continually improve their practice. Clearly, there is a need for systematic and continuous support for beginning teachers as they evolve along their careers. The BRIDGE, designed and built as a mechanism for continuous support for beginning teachers, is one way to meet that need.

Next Steps

The BRIDGE is an initial step towards leveraging new technologies to help beginning teachers access resources and build their teaching skills. But, connecting teachers to resources is not enough. Teachers need opportunities to share their practice and learn from others. The BRIDGE will support such learning groups around peer-reviewed resources and contributions of its members.

In addition to providing access to professional and practical knowledge, the BRIDGE will address issues of teacher isolation by facilitating the establishment of cross-career stage learning communities. These communities of educators will consist of pre-service teachers, beginning teachers, veteran teachers, and university faculty. Evidence of practice drawn from BRIDGE resources or shared by members of learning communities will serve as a focus of discussion about teaching and learning. The cross-career nature of these groups offers two unique opportunities for teacher professional development. First, these learning communities on the BRIDGE will allow for the sharing of multiple perspectives about the teaching/learning process. In this way, beginning teachers will get the opportunity to hear a variety of experiences rather than just the one or two teachers they may get to know well in their building. Second, the BRIDGE will provide the conduit for future and young teachers to become directly engaged in the entire education community, helping them to shift their self-perceptions from that of novice to practitioner.

In a time of increased mandates and calls for greater accountability, teachers are grateful for a tool that bridges the gap between them and the resources they need to improve their own practice and increase student learning. The BRIDGE has terrific potential for helping teachers grow and become more effective in their teaching practice.

—Art Recesso (Amy Sanford also contributed to this article.)