The School of Education

A Philosophy of Learner Empowerment: An Interactive Model of Education

Model of
Conceptual Framework

This mission statement of the Education Unit forms the basis for the Unit's philosophy or conceptual framework, which serves as a scaffold upon which all of our academic programs and coursework are constructed. The conceptual framework philosophy emphasizes three essential points:

• The focus is on the learner.
• The goal is learner empowerment.
• The learner exists in a social and cultural world

Underlying our mission, our philosophy and our practice is a belief that educators must understand the nature and process of learning and development (Dewey, 1933; Piaget & Inhelder, 1969; Vygosky, 1980 [1934]; Duckworth, 1996); appreciate and teach to the cultural and cognitive diversity represented by all learners (Gardner, 1983; Nieto, 2004; Renzulli, 1998; Tomlinson, 2003, Wurzel, 2004); recognize the centrality of critical literacy to their development and empowerment (Cazden, 1988; Delpit, 1994; Freire, 1987; Heath, 1983; Moll, 1990; Pressley, 2002; Stanovich, 2000); respond to the interrelationship of cognitive, emotional, physical, social and moral development (Kohlberg, 1981; Gilligan, 1982; Noddings, 1992; Paley, 1999); and engage learners in essential questions related to meaningful subject matter content (Eisner, 1987; Sizer, Meier & Sizer, 2004;Wiggins & McTigue, 1999). As part of an institution committed to public education, community service and equality, we emphasize throughout our programs the importance of inclusion, collaboration and the creation of communities within schools and classrooms (Dryfoos, 1994; Hargreaves et al, 2001; Johnson & Johnson, 2000). We incorporate in all our educator preparation programs academic content and field experiences that sensitize candidates to the needs and conditions of diverse social/cultural groups (Anyon, 1997; Delpit, 1994) and that draw on the rich cultural and linguistic diversity represented by the people of our college, our region and the world (Swiniarski & Breitborde, 2003). Finally, we believe that educators must see themselves as members of learning communities with a lifelong commitment to their personal and professional development (Darling-Hammond & Sykes, 1999; Meier, 2002).

The graphic that depicts the conceptual framework portrays an empowered learner, representing both the professional educator and the student, whose learning becomes life-long. Lifetime learners have the habit of posing important questions; know where to find information, including using new information technology; evaluate relevant information; formulate alternative solutions; and assess outcomes. Learner empowerment is shaped within an interactive model of education, which includes five themes. These five themes are:

• Human Development: This theme looks at the pattern of personal movement or change in a lifetime. This pattern of movement or change is complex, the product of biological, cognitive and social processes. The professional education candidate articulates how students develop and learn and provides opportunities to support the intellectual, social, and emotional development of students in field experiences.
• Content Knowledge: This theme refers to the academic background that candidates take into their pre-practicum, practicum, and/or clinical classrooms, combining knowledge from the arts and sciences and education. Candidates for all educator licenses demonstrate a competent command of literacy skills. They incorporate important discipline-based concepts and apply discipline-based tools of inquiry in the teaching of subject matter. Collaboration between Arts and Science and Education faculty is critical to the development of candidates' content knowledge. Faculty share their expertise and deep commitment to the academic discipline(s) within the Unit and the College, and with the larger educational community.
• Pedagogy: The pedagogy theme addresses the theory and practice of teaching that professional education candidates use in a variety of complex teaching-learning contexts. Faculty within the Unit model best practices to help shape the learning experience for professional education candidates. Candidates, in turn, create teaching-learning experiences that make subject matter meaningful to students and demonstrate their mastery of content pedagogy in the classroom.
• Community Partnerships: This theme extends the Unit mission and attention beyond the walls of the college. Helping to shape candidates' knowledge, skills and dispositions are partnerships with community agencies; cooperating schools and centers where pre-practicum, practicum, and clinical experiences occur; local museums and nonformal educational institutions; and advisory boards composed of professional educators. Community partners play both a supportive and evaluative role in candidates' developing professional expertise. Professional education candidates use the resources of the local community in planning learning experiences.
• Socio-Cultural Context: This theme refers to the socio-cultural context within which professional education candidates will work. It emphasizes candidates' knowledge of and responsiveness to the linguistic, social and cultural backgrounds of their students and the impact of that background on students' learning. It refers also to candidates' knowledge of their own socio-cultural backgrounds and their understanding of how that context informs their thinking, their behavior and their teaching. This theme acknowledges the power of social learning and enriches the classroom and community experience. Professional education candidates use this knowledge to plan and deliver instruction that meets the needs of all learners and to communicate effectively with families.

Integrated within each of the above themes are the strands of inquiry, communication, assessment, practice, and reflection, representing continuous and interactive processes of learning. In this interactive model of education, the learner is empowered and constructs his or her knowledge base in preparation for lifelong participation in a community of learners.

Our goal is to prepare teachers at both the initial and advanced levels who are knowledgeable, competent and ethical pedagogical leaders. They are educated to know and apply research-based "best practices". The twenty-first century teacher must exhibit and model processes of inquiry, problem solving and reflection built on a solid foundation of substantive content knowledge. This combination of content, pedagogy and reflective process empowers the learner intellectually, socially and personally.

Education Unit Teaching Proficiencies

In an effort to clarify the knowledge, skills, and dispositions required of the professional education candidates at Salem State College, the faculty, for more than two years, worked together to develop and refine a set of teaching proficiencies to define what candidates need to know and be able to do in their work with students. In this work, the Unit's members considered our own goals/philosophy in light of state and national standards for educator preparation and licensure.

The teaching proficiencies defined by the Unit include:

• The candidate plans effective and developmentally appropriate lessons and units that show knowledge of the academic discipline(s) and the corresponding curriculum frameworks.
• The candidate draws on results of formal and informal assessments to plan activities, modify instruction, and confirm students' progress toward learning outcomes.
• The candidate delivers engaging and effective instruction through a variety of teaching techniques and clear communication.
• The candidate creates a classroom environment that encourages engagement in learning, positive social interaction, and self-motivation.
• The candidate modifies instruction to promote achievement of all students and meet the needs of diverse learners.
• The candidate fosters an appreciation of our multicultural nation, an understanding of the global community, and respect for individual differences.
• The candidate reflects on his/her practice through the reading of current research, critical evaluation of instruction, and informed discussion with colleagues.
• The candidate involves families in students' academic activities, drawing from the home community for resources to enhance instruction and learning.
• The candidate integrates technology into classroom instruction in ways that are developmentally appropriate and ethically responsible.
• The candidate exhibits professionalism based on an understanding of the intellectual, legal, and ethical responsibilities of educators.

Proficiencies Matrix

• Proficiencies Matrix [PDF 36KB]

Assessment/Evaluation System

Subsequent to defining the teaching proficiencies, the Education Unit worked to develop a comprehensive assessment system to evaluate student progress toward attaining these goals.

A graphic to assist the reader in understanding the comprehensive assessment system follows. Sources of data collection are emphasized since the global goal of data utilization for program improvement is key.

View larger image | View as PDF [PDF 152KB]

References:

Anyon, J. (1997). Social class, race, and educational reform at the Marcy School. in Anyon, ed. Ghetto schooling: A political economy of urban educational reform. New York: Teachers College Press.

Cazden, C. B. (1988). Classroom discourse: The language of teaching and learning. Portsmouth, NH: Heinemann

Darling-Hammond, & Sykes, G., eds. (1999). Teaching as the Learning Profession: A Handbook of Policy and Practice. San Francisco: Jossey Bass.

Delpit, L. (1994). Other people's children: Cultural conflict in the classroom. New York: New Press.

Dewey, J. (1933). How we think. Boston: Houghton Mifflin.

Dryfoos, J. (1994). Full-service schools. San Francisco: Jossey Bass.

Duckworth, E. (1996). The having of wonderful ideas. New York: Teachers College Press.

Eisner, E. W. (1994). The educational imagination: on the design and evaluation of school programs. 3rd ed. New York, Toronto: Macmillan.

Freire, P. (1987). A pedagogy for liberation. South Hadley, MA: Bergin & Garvey Press.

Gardner, H. (1983). Frames of mind: the theory of multiple intelligences. New York: Basic Books.

Hargreaves, A. & Earl, L. Moore, S., & Manning, S. (2001). Learning to Change: Teaching beyond Subjects and Standards. San Francisco: Jossey-Bass.

Kohlberg, L. (1981). The philosophy of moral development. San Francisco: Harper & Row.

Gilligan, C. (1982). In a different voice. Cambridge, MA: Harvard University Press.

Heath, S.B. (1983). Ways with worlds: Language, life and work in communities and classrooms. New York: Cambridge University Press.

Johnson, D. W., and F. P. Johnson (2000). Joining together: Group theory and group skills, 7th ed. Boston: Allyn & Bacon.

Meier, D. (2002). In schools we trust: Creating communities of learning in an era of testing and standardization. Boston: Beacon Press.

Moll, L.C. 1990. Introduction, in Luis C. Moll (ed). Vygotsky and education: Instructional implications and applications of socio-historical psychology. Cambridge. Cambridge University Press.

Nieto, S. (2004). Affirming diversity: The sociopolitical context of multicultural education, 4th ed. New York: Longman Publishers.

Noddings, N. (1992). The Challenge to care in schools. New York: Teachers College Press.

Paley, V. G. (1999). The kindness of children. Cambridge, MA: Harvard University Press.

Piaget, J. & Inhelder, B. (1969). The psychology of the child. New York: HarperCollins.

Pressley, M. (2002). Reading instruction that works: The case for balanced teaching. New York: Guilford Press, 2002.

Renzulli, J. (1998). A rising tide lifts all ships. Phi Delta Kappan, 80 (2), pp.105-111.

Sizer, T.R., Meier, D. & Sizer, N.F. (2004). Keeping School : Letters to Families from Principals of Two Small Schools. New Have: Yale University Press.

Stanovich, K. (2000). Progress in understanding reading: scientific foundations and new frontiers. New York: Guilford Press.

Swiniarski, L.B. & Breitborde, M-L. (2003). Educating the global village: the child in the world, 2nd ed. Englewood Cliffs, Merrill Prentice Hall.

Tomlinson, C.A. (2003). Fulfilling the promise of the differentiated classroom: Strategies and tools for responsive teaching. Alexandria, VA: Association for Supervision & Curriculum Development.

Vygosky, L. (1980 [1934]). Thought and language. Cambridge, MA: MIT Press.

Wiggins, G.P. & McTigue, J. (1999). Understanding by design. Alexandria, VA: ASCD.

Wurzel, J., ed. (2004). Towards multiculturalism: Readings in multicultural education. Newton, MA: Intercultural Resource Corporation.