Our Conceptual Framework
"Constructing knowledge" refers to the process by which
individuals make meaning of professional information and develop
personal theories about teaching, learning and human development.
Individuals construct knowledge through structured educational
activities and life experiences.
"Developing practice" refers to both the process by
which education professionals improve how they do their job as
well as to the process of developing and growing as reflective
professional practitioners.
"Fostering relationships" refers to the development
of those dispositions necessary to create mutually beneficial connections
among people and educational institutions and organizations.
Rationale
Through a continuing process of development, the faculty members
of Purdue University Calumet's School of Education have integrated
information about instructional principles and about the specific
needs of the School's clientele with its Mission Statement in order
to derive the Standards that describe the characteristics we hope
to help our candidates achieve. This Framework rationale describes
how current research and insights about education have been integrated
with our Mission Statement to arrive at these Standards.
Throughout the professional education program, candidates are
expected to meet the standards at increasingly complex levels.
Candidates are assessed at each level to demonstrate performance.
The themes of constructing knowledge, developing practice, and
fostering relationships provide the foundation for each of the
Standards. These Standards, which can be grouped into three general
categories, form the backbone of our Teacher Education Program.
- The main purpose of education is to help learners achieve significant
educational outcomes. Teachers facilitate this process by applying
the appropriate knowledge, dispositions, and performances in
developing diverse approaches to educational strategies that
are constructive, consistent and reflective of sound practice.
Therefore, a major goal of our Teacher Education Program is to
help our graduates develop knowledge, dispositions, and performances
to help students learn. This major goal of developing effective
instructional strategies embraces Standards 1 through 3 of our
Teacher Education Program.
Instruction works best when it is based on sensible, validated
models and theories (e.g., Joyce & Weil, 1996; Gagne & Driscoll,
1988). Therefore, our graduates must prepare and effectively
implement instruction that reflects a variety of strategies
and motivates learners to actively engage in learning. This
concept of instructional planning, preparation, and implementation
underlies Standard 1 of our Teacher Education Program.
A sound grasp of content knowledge is necessary for teaching
any subject. Therefore, our graduates must understand and apply
the central themes, concepts, and skills associated with their
teaching major to their practice (Cruickshank, 1990; Grossman,
Wilson, & Shulman, 1989). They must also understand the
relationship between their teaching major and other subject
area disciplines. This concept of understanding content knowledge
underlies Standard 2 of our Teacher Education Program.
Teachers must often respond to unusual situations &endash;
they must "think on their feet" and solve problems as they
arise. Therefore, our graduates must reflect on their practice,
understand and use a variety of problem-solving heuristics
and foster learners' critical thinking abilities (Cruickshank,
1996; Freire & Macedo, 1987; Gore, 2001). This concept
of creative problem solving underlies Standard 3 of our Teacher
Education Program.
- Studies have shown that effective educational strategies need
to take into consideration modern research and technology. Therefore,
a second major goal of our Teacher Education Program is to enable
our graduates to use current research, knowledge, and technology
to empower the people they serve. This major goal of using current
research and technology embraces Standards 4 and 5 of our Teacher
Education Program.
Professional journals, textbooks, and other sources contain
an abundance of information on how to teach (e.g., Alkin, 1992;
Wittrock, 1986.). In addition, teachers attend conferences
and workshops at which people present to them information on
innovative and effective strategies. To make use of this information,
our graduates must understand current trends in educational
research and critically examine this research in relationship
to classroom applications. (Krathwohl, 1997; Vockell & Asher,
1995.) This concept of critically evaluating educational research
underlies Standard 4 of our Teacher Education Program.
Modern technology offers a wide variety of new hardware and
software &endash; ranging from textbooks to multimedia computer
presentations &endash; available for delivering instruction.
Our graduates must understand the central concepts related
to educational technology and appropriately implement this
technology into classroom preparation and instruction. (Anandamm,
1998; Vockell & Schwartz, 1992.) This concept of understanding
and using technology underlies Standard 5 of our Teacher Education
Program.
- Quality teaching occurs when teachers are aware of their own
strengths and weaknesses and are aware of the characteristics
and needs of the learners with whom they will work. Therefore,
a third major goal of our Teacher Education Program is to enable
our graduates to be sensitive and responsive to the unique needs
of themselves, of others, and of the diverse society in which
they practice. This major goal embraces Standards 6 through 9
of our Teacher Education Program.
Students with special needs often receive the best possible
education when they are integrated into regular classrooms
(NEA, 1992). Therefore, our graduates must understand various
special needs and exceptionalities of learners, must understand
how these may be manifested in learning situations and
must adapt instruction to ensure success for all learners.
This concept of working with students who have special
needs underlies Standard 6 of our Teacher Education Program.
Current scholarship supplies abundant information regarding
how student diversity in culture, ethnicity, race, language,
special needs, sexual orientation, gender, religion, socioeconomic
status, and geography affects learning. This scholarship
also provides suggestions for the use of information about
diversity to focus effectively on individual needs (Bennett,
1995). Therefore, our graduates must understand the nature
of diversity in the human community, must understand how
diversity can affect learning, and must create an environment
that protects the individuality and dignity of all learners.
This concept of understanding and respecting diversity
underlies Standard 7 of our Teacher Education Program.
Communication with learners, parents, colleagues, and
others is an essential part of teaching (Darling-Hammond,
1991; McLaughlin & Pfeifer 1988; Raths, 1971). Therefore,
our graduates must use knowledge of appropriate verbal,
nonverbal, and written communication in preparing instructional
materials and must effectively communicate with stakeholders
within the educational community. This concept of effective
communication underlies Standard 8 of our Teacher Education
Program.
Teachers often work in settings that differ radically
from the communities in which they themselves have lived
and in which students often differ substantially from one
another. Our graduates must understand the dynamics of
educational, geographic, and school communities, must effectively
participate within these communities, and must foster an
environment that respects all learners (Cruickshank, 1996).
This concept of understanding communities underlies Standard
9 of our Teacher Education Program.
By working toward meeting these Standards, the faculty, staff,
and candidates in the Purdue University Calumet School of Education
are advocates for and models of quality education and lifelong
learning.
References:
Alkin, M.C. (Ed.) (1992). Encyclopedia of Educational Research
(6th ed.). New York: Macmillan.
Anandam, K.(Ed.) (1998). Integrating technology on campus:
Human sensibilities and technical possibilities. New Direction
for Community Colleges. 101.
Bennett, C. (1995). Research on racial issues in American
higher education. In Banks, J. & Banks, C. (Ed.) Handbook
of research on multicultural education. New York: Macmillian
Publishing.
Cruickshank, D.R. (1990). Research that informs teachers and
teacher educators. Bloomington, IN: Phi Delta Kappa Educational
Foundation.
Cruickshank, D.R. (1996). Preparing America's teachers. Bloomington,
IN:
Phi Delta Kappa Educational Foundation.
Darling-Hammond, L. (1991). Are our teachers ready to teach?
Teacher education results in better student learning. Quality
Teaching, 1, 6-7, 10.
Freire, P. & Macedo, D. (1987). Literacy: Reading the
word and the world. South Hadley, MA: Bergin & Garvey.
Gagne, R.M. & Driscoll, M.P. (1988). Essentials of Learning
for Instruction. Englewood Cliffs, NJ: Prentice-Hall.
Gore, J. (2001). Beyond our differences: A reassembling of
what matters in teacher education. Journal of Teacher Education,
52(2).
Grossman, P.A., Wilson, S., & Shulman, L.S. (1989). Teachers
of substance: Subject matter knowledge for teaching. In M.C.
Reynold, Knowledge base for beginning teachers. New York: Pergamon.
Joyce, B. & Weil, M. (1996). Models of Teaching (3rd ed.).
Boston, MA: Allyn & Bacon.
Krathwohl, D.R. (1997). Methods of Educational & Social
Science Research : An Integrated Approach (2nd ed.). Reading,
MA: Addison-Wesley.
McLaughlin, M. & Pfeifer, R. (1988). Teacher education:
Improvement, acountability, and effective learning. New York,
NY: Teachers College Press.
NEA. (1992). Integrating students with special needs: Policies
and practices that work. A report from professional standards
and practice. Washington, DC: National Education Association.
Raths, L. (1971). What is a good teacher? In J. Raths, J.
Pancella, Van Ness (Eds.), Studying teaching (2nd ed.). Englewood
Cliffs, NJ: Prentice Hall.
Vockell, E.L. & Asher, J.W. (1995) Educational Research
(2nd ed.). Englewood Cliffs, NJ: Prentice-Hall.
Vockell, E. L., and Schwartz, E. (1992). The Computer in the
Classroom (2nd Ed.). New York: McGraw-Hill.
Wittrock, M.C. (Ed) (1986). Handbook of Research on Teaching.
(3rd Ed.) New York: Macmillan.
{Note: The sources comprising the actual knowledge base underlying
our teacher education are much greater than the references cited
here. This list includes only those sources cited in this statement
of our Conceptual Framework.}
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