Learning Goals in the
Education Program encompass four major themes that are woven into university
coursework and fieldwork. Each of the
goals is discussed below.
Innovation Grounded In Knowledge Of Students And Learning
Constructivist perspectives on cognitive development serve as a
foundation for education courses. Constructivism has challenged traditional
conceptions of what it means to "know" and what it means to learn.
For much of the history of formal education teaching was viewed as synonymous with
"telling." Constructivist teaching assumes more active, more
contextualized, and more engaged learning.
Students in the education program are challenged to be
thoughtful about their own learning and can therefore be more thoughtful about
the learning of their students. We encourage critical thinking through
extensive reading and reflective writing. We promote problem solving through
interdisciplinary projects, joint inquiry, and analysis of multiple resources.
We ask for self-assessment through journaling, performance critiques, and
portfolios. Our program strives to teach our own students as we would have them
teach their students.
Ethical Practice
Our program prepares students to be mindful of their ethical and
professional commitments to teaching all the children in their classrooms and
to the moral purposes of schooling in a democratic society. Ethical practice
includes grounding professional decision-making in the broader discourse of
professional practice and policy rather than more individualistic
justifications. Thus, our program helps students understand that ethical
practice requires them to remain deeply engaged in their fields throughout
their careers and to act as public, not free agents.
Further, we encourage our interns to recognize that schooling in
democracy involves learning to thrive within ideological diversity as well as
ethnic and class diversity. We help them understand how curriculum and pedagogy
can be constructed to honor the strengths and beliefs of all children. We
assist them in the development of skills for working with parents and community
services to support the well-being and success of their students as well as
their emerging beliefs and ideals. We encourage them, in turn, to educate their
own students to understand that the purpose of education is the creation of a
just and democratic society which respects and values differences.
Practice Grounded in Intellectual and Professional Communities
Teachers accepting the invitation to teach in more innovative
and more authentic ways require support in their experimentation, resources to
address their questions, and the collegiality of peers and faculty. In our
M.Ed. Program, students are given the opportunity to work in groups and are
expected to contribute to the professional development of their
colleagues. In our Certification
Programs faculty, academic support staff, and field instructors, together with
the master teachers in the schools, evidence collaborative decision-making and,
where appropriate, engage the interns in that process. Field placements in
dyads and small groups demonstrate for interns the potential for professional
development in collaborative models of teaching. Because our interns
participate in rich professional and intellectual communities, we anticipate
that they will develop as teachers who cultivate community within their
classrooms and their schools.
Dedication to Educating Diverse Students
We are
committed to preparing future teachers who are dedicated to educating diverse
students. Our students engage in focused course work in multicultural
education. Their study is complemented by courses in pedagogy that stress the
ways in which curriculum and instruction can respond to differences in student
learning as well as differences between students themselves. Field placements
for students in the K-8 Teacher Certification Program are designed to give
interns experiences in several different settings where they can encounter the
wide variations among students and their schools.