The College of Education
Announces the Final Examination of
Thomas Kristian King
for the degree of
Doctor of Education
March 18, 2016 at 2:00 pm
406 Ball Hall, University of Memphis
Memphis, TN
Biographical Sketch
Business Administration (BBA), Business, Delta State University
Business Administration (MBA), Business, Delta State University
Advisory Committee
Trey Martindale, Ed.D, Associate Professor, Instruction and Curriculum Leadership, Committee chair
Deborah Lowther, Ph.D., Professor Chair (Retired), Instruction and Curriculum Leadership
Lee Allen, Associate Professor & Interim Chair, Instruction and Curriculum Leadership
Carmen Weaver, Assistant Professor, Instruction and Curriculum Leadership
Major Field of Study
Instructional Design & Technology
Period of Preparation: 2010 – 2016
Comprehensive Examination Passed: April 2013
DESIGNING EFFECTIVE PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT
FOR SUBSTITUTE TEACHERS
Abstract
Substitute teachers are brought into a classroom in the absence of the permanent teacher to ensure continuous instruction occurs and students are afforded a safe learning environment (Duggleby & Badali, 2007). Most substitute teachers must immediately ask themselves two questions when they walk into the classroom: “Do I have control?” and “What am I supposed to do?” (Bontempo and Ardeth, 2003). Unfortunately, maintaining instructional continuity is not always possible simply due to the challenges substitute teachers must face in this position as a temporary teacher. The purpose of this study was to create an online orientation course to identify what instructional topics best prepare substitute teacher candidates to enter a K-12 public classroom.
Data were collected from the literature and participants to identify the skills they believed were needed to prepare substitute teachers for the classroom. The data collected guided the development of an online instructional intervention administered to 12 substitute teachers in a rural Mississippi high school. The results of the study aligned with the existing research and identified a need for continuous professional development in classroom management and teaching strategies to further develop and equip quality substitute teachers.