New Jersey Teachers Earn Micro-credential for Reflective Teaching

The latest cohort of Rutgers Alternate Route program completers are receiving their micro-credential for Reflective Teaching. Enrolled in the second-year Supervised Provisional Teaching II course, the micro-credential is earned after a full year of examining their professional practice.

Established in 2019, the program's first Reflective Teaching badge for this micro-credential was awarded to 204 non-credit teaching candidates. Now, after four years, the number has swelled to more than 260 due to increased program enrollment and decreased attrition from the first to second year in the program. 

At a time when teaching career interest is on the decline, Rutgers Alternate Route is grateful for the persistence of its new teachers and their commitment to continuous improvement through analytically evaluating their instructional practices and the effects of their decision-making on student learning.

Coursework for the micro-credential requires candidates to reflect on video recordings of teaching experiences, along with artifacts and student work samples demonstrating their effectiveness as facilitators of learning. Candidates also conduct an analysis of their instructional practices, citing research that supports their pedagogical choices. Additionally, candidates enlist and coordinate a team of educational leaders and distinguished peers as thought partners in their reflective teaching practice work.  Adeptness in these areas increases the likelihood that new teachers advance their careers with a mindset of continuous improvement.

Candidate feedback revealed they most appreciated opportunities to collaborate with colleagues, a guided structure for self-assessment and increased competency related to planning, instruction and assessment.    

We've highlighted more candidate feedback below.
 

"The reflective teaching exercises were very beneficial.  They helped me look back and really focus on what went well and what did not and why."
-Mary Ann G., K-6 Special Education Teacher    
 

"Everything we learned was practical and related to the three parts of the learning process: planning, teaching, and assessing."
-Araceli R., ESL Teacher
 

"The assignments were very time-consuming but taught me a lot about planning, instruction, and assessment."
-Jami S., Technology Teacher

"The most beneficial aspects of the program were the assignments that involved a mentor's assistance as they provided an organized resource to practice and learn from our mentor."
-Nadia A., K-6 Elementary Teacher    
 

"I think it was very beneficial to teach while taking the program so that I could use learned practices in the classroom and reflect on my teaching during course assignments."
-Matthew B., ESL Teacher
 

"I benefited from supervised planning and implementation of lessons, reflection on filmed lessons, and sourcing research and theory to support teaching practice and decisions."
-Mary B., K-6 Elementary Teacher
 

"Assembling a support team and working with a mentor has been the most beneficial to me because I was able to work closely with them. I felt comfortable asking them questions or for help throughout the process and they provided so much insight."
-Christina V., Biology Teacher
 

The digital badge issued to candidates is a dynamic visual image, which they are able to display as part of their LinkedIn profiles or other social media platforms supporting badge integration. Once displayed, others can easily click on the badge to obtain details about the conferring institution and associated criteria for earning the credential. This is an ideal way for teachers to provide evidence of their accomplishments when interviewing for new positions and seeking promotions or other recognition. 

A rising trend in education, micro-credentials for educators are gaining traction as an alternative to traditional professional development where seat time in workshops, rather than demonstrated competency, is the focus of such experiences. 

Micro-credentials personalize learning for teachers, enabling them to focus on their specific content area, to arrange their learning experiences at their own convenience, and to complete them as job-embedded performance tasks.

Rutgers Alternate Route is excited to be leveraging this promising opportunity to improve professional learning for teachers and congratulate the 2022-2023 cohort of digital badge recipients.

If you’re considering following your dream of teaching, Rutgers Alternate Route can offer you the support and training you need to succeed. Be sure to follow Rutgers Alternate Route on Twitter and sign up for Alternate Route’s monthly newsletter for more information and stories from the field of education.