Teaching For A Practical Change: Rethinking Preparation of Teachers - Softcover

Jasmin, Dr. Don G.

Softcover

ISBN 10: 1467026123 ISBN 13: 9781467026123

Verlag: AuthorHouse, 2012

Inhaltsangabe

Teachers' is a "learner's learner" who will always have critics regardless of their passion for teaching. The apathy among educators and administrators between policy makers, pundits, businesses and parents are arguably part of the reason why our educational system is a "Nation at Risk" Educators have agreed that one of the challenges is the lack of preparation programs for teachers, and are placed in a precariously systemically failing schools. Some policy makers with their quasi reformation bills at Congress are repeatedly contemplating an emergence of intelligence, (i.e. technology) and try to articulate the implementation idea throughout the U.S schools again; another new pseudo reform for the 21st century. Our technology savvy society is convinced and tirelessly tries to persuade educators that they have world class achievement levels; of technical know how, of mastery of the new technologies that would improve our nation's educational system.

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Dr. Donald G. Jasmin was born on March 27, 1958 in the Caribbean, and grew up in Nyack and Spring Valley, two of many suburban towns in Rockland County, in northern New York, which lies between Connecticut and New Jersey. Dr. Donald Jasmin has always been a practical person who admired to express himself in writing and storytelling. As a child, he would love to listen to his Elementary and Middle School, Reading and Language Arts Teachers' read aloud to the class and/or of student's assignment to the class. Growing up in a household of eleven siblings, including his parents, where work and family activities are the mainly centered in the house. It was inconceivable that he thought, he might grow up to be an author. Dr. Jasmin left Spring Valley, New York and joined the United States Navy, where he attended Southern Illinois University at Carbondale, Illinois and majored in Business Administration and Science. After ten years as a commissioned naval officer in the Navy, he was honorably discharged and attended Mercy College in New York and majored in Education & Psychology. While teaching in Bronx, New York, he Co-owned and operated a private Elementary and Middle school, "Faith Hope Charity Christian Academy" Mount Vernon, New York. Dr. Jasmin attended Hofstra University, Long Island, New York then transferred to Argosy University, Sarasota, Florida and majored in Organizational Leadership in Behavioral Science and Education. Dr. Jasmin is currently residing in Norwalk, Connecticut since November 9, 2009. He joined the University of Phoenix, Fairfield County Campus as the Department Chair for the Colleges Arts and Sciences. He has published two books; (7/2008). Why Are Children Cannot Read - and how to prevent it (ISBN 978-1-4343-8971-8) and Leadership in the Classroom for First Year Teachers (Manuscript with Argosy University, 2003).8-22-2011Dr. Donald G. Jasmin was born on March 27, 1958 in the Caribbean, and

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Teaching for a Practical Change

Rethinking preparation of TeachersBy Don G. Jasmin

AuthorHouse

Copyright © 2012 Dr. Don G. Jasmin
All right reserved.
ISBN: 978-1-4670-2612-3

Contents

Dedication......................................................................viiPreface.........................................................................xiiiChapter - 1 Teaching Teachers...................................................1Chapter - 2 Teachers' Teaching Students.........................................43Chapter - 3 Unknown Challenges in Education.....................................58Chapter - 4 Teachers' Reinforcing Subject Matter................................85Chapter - 5 Prevention Efforts to Improve Students Learning.....................115Chapter - 6 School Curriculum...................................................133Chapter - 7 Teachers and Administrators.........................................162Chapter - 8 Administering Affairs and Issues of Power...........................191Chapter - 9 Resourceful, Collegial and Governance...............................213Chapter - 10 Fundamental Academic Crisis........................................229Chapter - 11 College/University for the School of Education.....................248References......................................................................259

Chapter One

Teaching Teachers

Teaching teachers is unlike teaching students, which may not be a morally neutral affair. It is the releasing and instilling of obligations of a primary antidote, which is the sense of discovery and growth in what may be termed the learning process. It is not a focus only for students. It is also one for the teacher for whom, no less than for students, that sense is the sole antidote to mindless routinization of thought and action. What we owe students, we owe teachers. No one will say that teachers are the only primary conduits for information and of abstract principles. We expect more from teachers and they have identified in their own experience the nature and context of productive learning. Teachers are encouraged to take on the obligation to create similar conditions for students. This ideal holds for the teacher of teachers and the teacher of students. Even though it is an ideal impossible to attain, or if attained impossible to sustain, it is one by which we should not judge any and all teachers. The realities of classrooms and schools are obstacles to approximating the ideal, but that is no excuse for forgetting it. We know that "love thy neighbor" is a statement of an ideal our world and our frailties seem intent to subvert, but we also know that it is a statement by which we should judge others and ourselves. In the quiet of the night, we know we should expect more of others and ourselves. Ideals are double-edged swords: they tell us what we should be even though we know at best we will be only partially successful in attaining them.

I have said that the primary focus of education is fostering the sense of discovery and growth in the learning process of teachers and students. The learning process in the world of real classrooms involves more than what we conventionally call subject matter. In the course of any one day things happen in a classroom for which that focus is as relevant as it is for learning to read or write; it requires an understanding and a course of action consistent with the primary focus. For example, a teacher discovers that a student has lied or cheated. How would we want the teacher to understand and respond to that knowledge? We would, I assume, not be satisfied if the teacher only punished the student: break the law, pay the penalty. That would bother us for the same reason that we feel if a student got all or mostly wrong answers on an arithmetic test, the teacher should go well beyond merely indicating that the answers are wrong. We expect the teacher to seek to discover why the student performed so poorly. Of course, the student has "a problem" but so does the teacher. Indeed, the teacher has two problems: to reexamine his/her way of teaching that student and to determine what other factors may be at work. For any untoward event in a classroom, the teacher, consistent with the primary focus, has to look both inward and outward, a stance that makes discovery and growth possible. In addition, a stance makes discovery and growth possible for the student. In the case of the student who lied or cheated, I am not one who believes punishment is unnecessary or undesirable. However, before punishment is pronounced is it not the obligation of the teacher to try to understand the lying and cheating and to help the student in ways that might prevent such occurrences in the future?

We have heard much about twentieth century teaching quality is diminishing in academic effectiveness as compared to countries across the pond. What we do not hear is that in the course of one day a teacher inevitably faces and has to deal with value issues arising from or affecting the learning process. Is it not likely that our dissatisfaction with educational outcomes, deriving as those outcomes do from teaching subject matter and not students are what makes the "clarification of values" a matter of chance in the model classroom? I cannot refrain from saying that we need a curriculum for values, like we need a hole in our heads. If you think that statement is unwarranted, then I suggest that you sit in any classroom for a day and note the number of times moral and ethical issues, implicit or explicit, arise and are ignored, glossed over, superficially discussed or handled in counter-productive ways.

Years ago, I had several colleagues who observed every day for a month in middle and high school classrooms and noted each time something occurred that was relevant to and illuminated the "constitution" of that classroom. That is, the "values" without which what went on in the classroom was inexplicable, and who "wrote" that constitution which said, so to speak, what the rights, duties, and obligations of students and teacher were – what the "laws" were. The occurrences were many; in each classroom, however, the constitution was "written," proclaimed and enforced by the one adult. If some of the laws you will note lack the specificity of the Ten Commandments, from the standpoint of the student and the teacher were, like Moses, who was confronted by pagans who did not know right from wrong, but who needed to be subdued. I am not an advocate for participatory democracy in which everyone's opinion should have equal weight, but if you are to be consistent with the primary focus, then how the constitution of a classroom is forged has a pervasive effect on learning subject matter and assimilating values. To set the teaching of values apart from the teaching of subject matter, would make as much sense as separating the teaching of subject matter from the teaching of students. It makes less sense in that it disguise ignorance or insensitivity to what life is like in the classroom.

The lack preparation of educational personnel inadequately prepares them for what life is like in real classrooms, in real schools and leaves them unable to benefit on opportunities to be consistent with the primary focus. The preparation of such personnel should begin not with theory or history or research findings or pedagogical technique but with concrete issues of classroom life; the practical, inevitable, action requiring issues based on which the would-be teacher can judge and utilize theory and research.

It apparently is easy for the teacher of teachers to forget...

Details zur Ausgabe

• Verlag: AuthorHouse
• Erscheinungsdatum: 2012
• Sprache: Englisch
• ISBN 10: 1467026123
• ISBN 13: 9781467026123
• Einband: Taschenbuch
• Anzahl der Seiten: 282
• Kontakt zum Hersteller: Nicht verfügbar
• Verantwortliche Person: gpsr@libri.de; gpsr@libri.de; ; Friedensallee 273; Hamburg; 22763; Deutschland