Training and Professional Development

Teacher Training and Professional Development

Candidates accepted into the program begin their commitment with six weeks of training through a Training Institute designed specifically for Oakland Teaching Fellows. Here, Fellows are exposed to seminars and workshops on state standards, foundations of teaching, and classroom management. During this intensive training, Fellows also participate in discussions and activities focused on the challenges and benefits of teaching in a diverse educational setting. Fellows work with current teachers in OUSD summer school classrooms, gain experience with lesson planning, and lead teach summer school classes.

The OTF Training Institute consolidates a great deal of training time into only a few weeks; thus, training is extremely demanding. Fellows must attend training five days a week from approximately 8:00 a.m. to 6:00 p.m. daily. Due to strict OUSD guidelines and the critical role that training plays in the classroom success of Oakland Teaching Fellows, Fellows cannot miss any portion of the OTF Training Institute. All Fellows will receive a $2,000 pre-tax stipend for successful completion of training.  For more information on the credentialing process, click here.

Although dates are subject to change, the 2008 Training Institute is expected to run from approximately June 23, 2008 to August 1, 2008.

Ongoing OTF Network

A new teacher’s first year is particularly challenging, and Fellows should anticipate long hours and intense effort, especially during the first semester. As Fellows work in high-need schools, often with limited resources, candidates are chosen for their ability to solve problems creatively and independently—an important factor in their success. As new teachers, Fellows have access to several key resources, one of the most important being the network of other Fellows with whom they form close relationships through training and as they begin teaching.

Upon entering the program, the Oakland Teaching Fellows office provides logistical assistance, such as helping Fellows manage the process of becoming full OUSD employees*.  While the Oakland Teaching Fellows office may assist Fellows in communications with OUSD administrative offices and by coordinating Fellows-only sessions with Human Resources, Fellows are responsible for meeting OUSD pre-employment requirements.  The Fellows program also provides communications, including periodic newsletters for teachers in the classroom, and hosts special events, such as professional development opportunities and social gatherings.

Fellows develop their main support network at the school level and by maintaining contact with Fellows with whom they trained over the summer. Although every situation is different, Fellows may collaborate with co-teachers at their school, District instructional specialists, assistant principals, principals or a grade- or subject-level team. School assignment and Training Institute events facilitate connections among Fellows who often teach the same subjects or are clustered together in particular schools or areas of the city. Fellows can draw on these connections as a resource for planning, reflection, and shared encouragement as they strive for excellence in their individual classrooms - not only during the first challenging year in the classroom, but for years to come.

In the first two years of teaching, as Interns working towards their Preliminary Credential, Fellows also benefit from resources provided by OUSD’s New Teacher Support and Development (NTSD) department.  NTSD matches OUSD Interns with coaches to provide feedback, resources, and model teaching in the first two years of teaching while earning the Preliminary Credential. NTSD encourages each Fellow to identify an excellent teacher at the school sites with whom they can develop a coaching relationship and work with on a regular basis.  NTSD also provides classroom resources and materials through the Teacher Resource Center.  Once Fellows receive their Preliminary Credential, after the first two years teaching, they will participate in the District’s Beginning Teacher Support and Assessment (BTSA) induction program, which supports new teachers who are working toward a Clear Credential.  For more information about New Teacher Support and Development, click here.

Through their university credential program, Fellows also take a range of courses that help them understand instructional theories and develop the skills they need to drive student success in the classroom. University-based advisors or coaches may visit Fellows’ classrooms to observe and provide feedback on teaching practices. Fellows report that taking classes with other Fellows also allows them to reconnect and see each other on a regular basis.

* District employee processing is contingent upon a Fellow’s ability to meet all pre-employment District requirements.