ABSTRACT
The UBTR utilized the term “teacher education associates” (TEAs) to refer to what is commonly considered the university supervisor in the clinical experience model. The TEAs play a critical role in the UBTR process, far more than a typical university supervisor. This chapter focuses on their work, particularly as the residents’ perceptions, experiences, and needs manifested during the program’s inaugural year. By design, the UBTR program situates the TEAs as buffers between the residents and the Buffalo Public School System, and between the residents and the university. Early in the program, it was evident that the residents were “straddling two cultures,” each of which had different expectations for critically important practices such as selecting content, planning lessons, and assessing student learning. The TEAs spent considerable time helping the residents bridge the gap between pedagogical practices laid out in university coursework and those experienced at the placement sites.
