A Conceptual Framework for Preparing Highly-Qualified Teachers
The primary mission of the teacher preparation programs in the Division of Education at Lewis-Clark State College is to prepare caring professionals who teach for understanding in communities of learning. Our faculty members believe that in order to ensure the continuous intellectual, social, and physical development of all learners, the qualified teacher must perform several roles. In preparing for these roles, teacher candidates must demonstrate knowledge, skills, and dispositions related to seven main areas of professional competence. Successful candidates must consistently exhibit:
- Appropriate conduct as a professional.
- Knowledge of the foundations of the profession.
- Expertise in all subjects taught.
- Skills as an educational designer.
- Skills as an educational facilitator.
- Skills as an educational evaluator.
- Capacity for reflective practice.
Through participation in our teacher preparation programs, teacher candidates have opportunities to develop, to nurture, and to demonstrate their professional competence in each of these seven areas. The complete list of standards and indicators of knowledge, skills, and dispositions associated with them can be found at Program Standards.
The Conceptual Framework communicates the unit’s shared mission and explains how curriculum, instruction, technology, assessment and evaluation are related. It provides a theoretical construct for the program’s conceptual meanings and generalizations, the policies and procedures, and actual activities and processes that systematically relate how the physical, natural, social, and human realities of the unit are aligned into a coherent whole. In 1998, a grant funded by the J.A. & Kathryn Albertson Foundation provided the impetus for recreating the teacher education programs at Lewis-Clark State College. Our Conceptual Framework was thoroughly revised as part of this review and renewal process. The program revision process involved all members of the Elementary and Secondary Coordinating Teams as well as members of the professional community. During the spring of 2005 each element of the Conceptual Framework was thoroughly discussed again by all members of the current faculty. All agreed that the existing Conceptual Framework continues to appropriately articulate the unit’s mission and practices.
Goal: To prepare caring professionals who teach for understanding in communities of learning
The teacher education programs are designed to prepare competent, caring teachers who have the knowledge, skills, and dispositions needed to be effective in helping all students learn.
As a unit, our mission is to “prepare caring professionals who teach for understanding in communities of learning.” The term caring emphasizes our commitment to preparing teachers who recognize the importance of relationships in the teaching-learning process and who are committed to creating inclusive, safe, and supportive learning environments for all students. The caring teacher values and appreciates diversity and respects students’ varied talents and abilities, and uses an understanding of individual and group motivation techniques to encourage positive interaction, active engagement, and self-motivation.
The term professional emphasizes our commitment to preparing teachers who are knowledgeable, dedicated to the profession, and reflective in their practice. Knowledgeable teachers are content area experts who understand the interaction of subject matter and effective teaching strategies in helping students learn. Dedicated teachers understand that teaching and learning extend beyond the classroom, that professional growth is critical and that it is an on-going process. In addition, they recognize the value of reflection in the teaching-learning process.
Teaching for Understanding
The phrase teaching for understanding emphasizes in-depth learning, generative topics, understanding goals, performances of understanding, and ongoing assessment. Learners are able to demonstrate that they know more than rote-level material. Learning facts is an important aspect of understanding, but learning facts is not sufficient. Students must be able to connect information in meaningful ways and be flexible in applying their knowledge to a variety of situations and settings. In addition to a good repertoire of knowledge, they must have well-developed skills and an understanding of the meaning, significance, and use of what they have studied. Teachers use a variety of instructional strategies to encourage students’ development of critical thinking, problem solving, and performance skills. These teachers foster active inquiry, collaboration, and supportive interaction in the classroom.
Communities of Learning
Finally, the phrase communities of learning addresses our belief in the importance of establishing community, both in the classroom and beyond the classroom, and of maintaining professional partnerships and collaborations. Learning communities include all those with an interest in the education of children, adolescents, and adults: teacher candidates, Division of Education faculty, LCSC Arts & Science faculty, on-site teacher educators, administrative and support personnel, parents, and laypersons. We believe that continual interaction and shared responsibility between and among members of the learning community are essential in the preparation of highly qualified teachers. We especially value the involvement of on-site teacher educators (cooperating teachers) who provide opportunities for our teacher candidates to apply their formal pedagogical knowledge and skills in actual classroom settings. On-site teacher educators (OSTEs) are also involved in providing our teacher candidates with new knowledge through on-campus presentations in their particular areas of expertise.
Professional Standards for Teaching:
Through the educational experiences gained from classroom activities and on-site, field placements, teacher education students (referred to as teacher candidates) develop the knowledge and skills of a highly qualified teacher. This purposeful collection of knowledge and skills is defined by a focused set of Professional Standards for Teaching. The Professional Standards become the foundation of the teacher education curriculum. They ensure that the teacher candidate remains focused throughout preparation to become a teaching professional and can readily demonstrate these competencies to others.
Students in teacher education provide evidence of their skills through performance, demonstrating that they have developed into dedicated and knowledgeable professionals, content specialists, competent educational designers, capable educational facilitators, insightful educational evaluators, and reflective professionals.
Overview of the Professional Standards for Teaching of the LCSC Teacher Education programs.
Integrative Themes: Technology and Diversity
Two themes are present throughout our teacher preparation programs: 1) the integration of technology and 2) respect for and responsiveness to diversity. These themes are the expression of certain priorities or areas of particular interest that are valued by the faculty. Our faculty members believe that technology offers many possibilities to support learning and teaching in traditional and non-traditional environments. Technology is, therefore, integrated into a variety of courses in teacher education ranging from the initial entry-level course to the elementary and secondary internship courses. Teacher candidates are encouraged to consider how technology can enhance their learning and teaching, and references to the integration of technology are present in a number of program standard indicators and Course Syllabi. As a manifestation of the importance placed on the continuing exploration for effective ways by which technology can strengthen teacher education, our faculty members have adapted a significant number of courses for distance delivery.
Our faculty members believe that it is important to respect, value, and attend to individual differences and to provide experiences for teacher candidates to interact with higher education and school faculty, other candidates, and K-12 students who represent diverse ethnic, racial, gender, language, socioeconomic, exceptionality, and religious groups. Through instruction and modeling, our faculty members proactively encourage teacher candidates to accommodate the needs of the individual student, including students who are physically or intellectually challenged, and to provide instruction that is appropriate for each situation. In addition, candidates are encouraged to be sensitive to the ethnic and cultural backgrounds of their students and to the communities in which they teach. Ethnic and cultural diversity are to be recognized and celebrated for the invaluable contributions they make toward the enrichment of personal growth and the enjoyment of life for all members of society. Our candidates are provided with field experiences on the Nez Perce, Colville, and Coeur d’Alene Indian reservations, and in Seattle and Portland area urban and tribal schools. This theme of respect and valuing of diversity is reflected in our Program Standard Indicators and Syllabi of education coursework. In addition, the faculty members manifest their commitment to this theme through support of a variety of initiatives such as CAMP (College Assistance Migrant Program) and the Indian Education Professional Development Program. The AISLE grant (American Indian Students in the Leadership of Education) was recently awarded to a member of our faculty. Amongst other goals, this grant was designed to establish an on-campus learning center for Native American students pursuing a four-year college degree.