Conceptualizing Role Identities of Hybrid Educators

Today I received an email from a wonderful friend and colleauge who is exploring the world of hybrid educators. In this email, she wondered about whether or not she was a hybrid educator. Her email reminded me of the same dilemma I encountered when I was first exploring the literature of hybrid educators and trying to conceptualize my own identity in a professional development school. This role has always fascinated me, and consequently my research agenda so far has focused on this role. Today I thought I would post a chart I created to help conceptualize the role identities of hybrid educators. My hope is that this might offer some clarity regarding the role and assist my dear friend and others who might be considering this role. You can also find this chart I believe in my dissertation - Conceptualizing Supervision in the Professional Development School Context: A Case Analysis. It is Figure 1-1 on p. 16.

I created this image using the definition of Clark, et al (2005) who define hybrid educators as individuals who span across the borders of institutions either inter-institutionally or intra-institutionally. This image takes this definition and applies it to specific roles in a professional development school (PDS) context. In this setting, hybrids come from two specific institutions: universities or schools. Therefore, they are either university-based or school-based. University-based hybrids can be university faculty or graduate students. School-based can be either reassigend teachers who temporarily assume the role of teacher educator or mentor teachers, classroom teachers who voluntarily agree to mentor an undergraduate in a PDS setting. 

References:

Burns, R. W. (2012). Conceptualizing supervision in the professional development school context. An unpublished doctoral dissertation. The Pennsylvania State University, State College, PA.

Clark, R. W., Foster, A., Mantle-Bromley, C., Anderson, J., Badiali, B., Barnes, R., Dempsey, V.,Erickson, L., Field, B., Finch, M. E., Love, S., Luttrell-Montes, S., M’Gonigle, B., Rhodes, L. K., Young, J. (2005). Hybrid educators and the simultaneous renewal of schools and the education of educators. Seattle, WA: Institute for Educational Inquiry.