E. Implications for Action
The authors will provide an overview of the program itself, including
pedagogical, logistical considerations for the collaboration, explore evidence of the
program’s efficacy in meeting the goals of increasing pre-service teachers’ cultural
competence and bolstering the academic skills and college preparation of the young
Black men who participate, and offer suggestions of lessons learned in the five years of
the collaboration.
Process-related conclusions relate to the following issues:
•
Impacts of mentoring sessions on all participants
•
Challenges and opportunities engendered by importing Black students onto a
primarily White campus for a long-term field experience
•
Instructional design and delivery considerations
Product-related conclusions will address the following issues:
•
Significant growth in pre-service teachers’ knowledge, skills and dispositions
related to cultural diversity and intercultural communication
•
Time, financial and logistical considerations
•
Retention of novice teachers 3-5 years post-certification
•
Competing measures of accountability in an atmosphere of collaboration
Section II: Outcomes and Methods
A. Learner/Participant Outcomes:
Participants will:
1. Understand the design and delivery processes and instructional objectives for BAMP and
its impact on participants (both the mentors and the Gents).
2. Identify the factors that enhance or inhibit the effectiveness of disparate groups sharing
accountability for a joint venture in pre-professional development.
3. Comprehend the tensions inherent in attempting even modest changes in a largely
monocultural university.
4. Consider the applicability of this research to their own teaching and learning contexts.
B. Methods:
Exploring the challenges and accomplishments of this collaboration’s efforts to
prepare culturally competent, confident young teachers will be accomplished best in the
context of a poster, as the data are diverse, visual and naturally provoke and invite
multiple conversations. While generally evaluated as successful, this change initiative has
not been problem-free. Those problems will be shared frankly. The high level of
discourse already generated among those directly involved suggests that AACTE
constituents will also benefit from hearing what this one institution has accomplished and
what participants have learned. Undoubtedly, attendees will pose equally thoughtful
questions that will extend the scope of these investigations.
Convention