Improving teachers' practice through reflection, systematic inquiry, and professional activism offered in three one-credit modules: (1) Reflective Practice, (2) Action Research, (3) Leadership and the Teacher.

Relationship to the Knowledge Base, National and State Goals:

This course is designed based upon a constructivist teaching and learning philosophy or knowledge base. The instruction presents to the student that knowledge is constructed by the learner based on ways of knowing which are specific to individuals, schools, the work place, families, and communities. The major function of this course is to facilitate the student’s construction of knowledge and development of skills for improving the practice of teaching. National and state recommendations will guide the course instruction.

Instructional Objectives:

Module 1: Reflective Practice.

• Affirm the dignity and worth of all students and provide the positive support students need to be effective learners
• Emphasize instructional techniques that promote critical thinking and problem solving and that encourage divergent as well as convergent thinking
• Monitor the engagement of students in learning activities, and the progress they are making, to determine if the pace or content of instruction needs to be modified to assure that all students accomplish lesson and unit objectives
• Assemble, reflect upon, interpret, and communicate evidence of one's own effectiveness as a teacher including evidence of success in fostering student progress in learning
• If unsuccessful in fostering student learning, analyze and interpret why this was so, and determine what the teacher would do different if a similar unit were taught again

Methods of Instruction:

Modules are delivered through the world wide web. Interns will enroll in one credit hour of practica in conjunction with each module of this course. The course modules and related practica are problem oriented. Each module is self-directed and will address more than one problem, and each problem focuses on one or more learning objectives. A general pattern for each problem is:

1. read the problem statement and its background information;
2. watch a student or students in their environment;
3. reflect on the student(s) and their environment;
4. interact with student(s) and observe what student(s) do;
5. reflect on interactions and what student(s) do in conjunction with explanatory information;
6. propose how you can improve your interaction.

Interns will interact with their supervising teacher educators throughout the process and university instructors when necessary.

Content Outline:

1. Reflective Practice

1. Affirming the dignity and worth of all students and provide the positive support students need to be effective learners.
   
2. Emphasizing instructional techniques that promote critical thinking and problem solving and that encourage divergent as well as convergent thinking.
   
3. Monitoring the engagement of students in learning activities, and the progress they are making, to determine if the pace or content of instruction needs to be modified to assure that all students accomplish lesson and unit objectives.
   
4. Assembling, reflect upon, interpreting, and communicating evidence of one's own effectiveness as a teacher including evidence of success in fostering student progress in learning.
   
5. When unsuccessful in fostering student learning, analyze and interpret why this was so, and determine what the teacher would do different if a similar unit were taught again.
   

Evaluation:

Each student will provide evidence (documents or actions) of achievement of each objective. The student will also provide entries from a reflective journal on how they achieved each outcome. The student's supervising faculty member will assess the evidence and reflective journal entries to estimate the extent to which the evidence demonstrates the student's achievement of an objective. A coordinating faculty member will discuss student progress with the supervising faculty member at least twice: once during and once after the completion of the module. The coordinating faculty member will then assign a letter grade for the module.

Bibliography:

Colton, A. B., & Sparks-Langer, G. M. (1993). A conceptual framework to guide the development of teacher reflection and decision-making. Journal of Teacher Education, 44, 45-54.

Pultorak, E. G. (1993). Facilitating Reflective Thought in Novice Teachers. Journal of Teacher Education, 44(4), 288-295.

Schon, D. A. (1987). Educating the reflective practitioner: Toward a new design for teaching and learning in the professions. San Francisco: Jossey-Bass.

Wilson, S. M., Shulman, L. S., & Richert, A. E. (1987). 150 ways of knowing: Representations of knowledge in teaching. London: Cassell.