SO, YOU WANT TO BE A TEACHER?

AN INVESTIGATION INTO TEACHING, LEARNING, AND SCHOOLING

WINTER QUARTER  2003

Faculty
Terry Ford
Sem 4117
x 6713
Sherry Walton
Sem 4712
x 6753

 

Program Overview: During the first quarter of this program, participants explored and analyzed historical and contemporary models of teaching and learning using three theories of learning (behaviorism, constructivism, social constructivism), recent research about the roles the brain plays in learning, and the relationship of issues of power and privilege to learning.  Winter quarter's work will build on the explorations of fall quarter to determine approaches to teaching that best support the diverse population of children who attend public schools in this country.
 

Program members will begin the quarter in small collaborative groups investigating the systemof public schooling in Washington and the attitudes of educators and politicians toward the children they serve.  We will attempt to discover how poverty, disabilities, gender, and ethnic diversity impact students' abilities to obtain an equitable and excellent education. We will also attempt to answer the question of what schooling should look like if one of its purposes is to prepare young people to participate effectively and ethically in an increasingly diverse, multicultural society.
 

Seminar books and papers will focus on experiments in public education that have been successful in helping more children and young people participate in equitable and productive educational experiences.  Workshops, projects, and field trips will support program participants in carefully analyzing the aims of education and effects of specific teaching strategies.  In addition, students will be introduced to:
 

--current federal legislation that is reshaping teaching and assessment,
--regulations that affect teacher certification in Washington, and
--the Essential Academic Learning Requirements which guide the curricula of schools in Washington.
Special Fees:   Students may be asked to contribute $60 each to cover field trip and/or retreat costs.

 
 

Anticipated Credit Distribution

4-History of Education

4-Writing

4-Social Foundations of Education
4-Educational Psychology

 

Anticipated Weekly Schedule:   To be Determined--but similar to Fall Quarter