Rare Opportunity for Future Teachers

Siena undergraduates have a strong track record of presenting their work at academic conferences - an opportunity not usually open to those who are still earning their bachelor's degrees.

A group of five early childhood/childhood education majors and their professors took part in the 2025 New York State Association of Teacher Educators and the New York Association of Colleges for Teacher Education (NYSATE/NYACTE) conference held this fall in Saratoga Springs. The students presented on results of a small-scale teacher survey about scripted subject curricula, and how it impacts their teaching.

"Many school districts are required to use scripted materials for their classroom lessons; how scripted can vary by district," explained Christina Pfister, Ph.D., associate professor of education. "Are teachers feeling pressure to adhere to the scripts word for word? Does it make teaching more difficult to teach, or impact test scores?"

Allison Karcher, Ph.D. teaching assistant professor, noted that "there is a tension for many teachers between adapting a curriculum for a specific class, but needing to adhere to a script."

Pfister and Karcher reached out to Lexie Denis '26, Alexcia Koonz '25, Gabrielle Mohos '26, Gabriella Neet '26 and Elli Sassano '26 to assist with the research for "Teacher perspectives on the challenge of making learning relevant in the age of scripted and mandated curriculum."

"We want student engaged in thinking about the world, and in using research to learn more about their chosen professional field," said Pfister.

Preliminary results showed that Capital Region teachers use a wide range of curricula, and while they generally appreciate having a scripted element, some thought it was too strict, while others appreciated the high level of guidance. For the most part, they said they felt free to be flexible when working one-on-one with students.

"Presenting at this conference as an undergraduate student opened my eyes to all of the possibilities within the field of education," said Denis. "I really enjoyed gathering feedback from education professionals and engaging in meaningful dialogue with those who are so knowledgeable about the field. Also, being able to attend with Dr. Pfister, Dr. Karcher, and my undergraduate peers made the experience even more meaningful."

Sassano said the research project and conference allowed her to step outside her comfort zone and explore a topic she wouldn't have known much about otherwise.

"I also feel like the topic we studied will help as we prepare for student teaching in the spring semester," she added. "With many schools using scripted curricula, it is important to understand the best uses of it and how you are still able to make it your own in the classroom."

When Pfister and Karcher asked her to be part of their research team, Koonz said she was excited to get started.

"Throughout the summer, we worked on the research to prepare for the conference. I felt comfortable when presenting, and it was nice to speak in front of professionals who had different perspectives on our topic. I was able to learn new ways of how they use scripted curriculum in schools. This conference was amazing, and I enjoyed every aspect of the process."

Mohos added that it was interesting to see a professional level conference from the student vantage point, and that although presenting was "a little scary" she said it turned out to be a good experience.

The theme of this year's NYSATE/NYACTE conference was "Transforming Educator Preparation: Innovation, Partnership, and Support in Uncertain Times." Attendees discussed reimagining educator preparation programs; strengthening partnerships among higher education, school districts, community organizations, and professional networks; as well as navigating the role of AI and technology.