Questions across coursework
The courses of the Teacher Certification program cannot be approached individually. In order to emerge with a complete understanding of the role and practice of being a teacher, the courses need to be seen as part of a continuum, each connected with the other in an endeavor to develop critical thinking, passionate and caring teachers.
For the purposes of my study, I have identified a series of study questions and activities that address the learning targets of each course while connecting the study in each course into a larger holistic understanding of being an educator.
Please note that these questions are meant to define a guiding framework at this time and that they are neither the only questions I will seek to investigate nor are they specific enough to define my entire course of study. I also recognize that I offer these questions without actually having embarked on the study in any course and so am liable to change the questions/activities as my studies progress.
Each question/activity is meant to relate to the one before/after it, thus creating an investigation continuum across the entire breadth of study. The course in which each question/activity will be addressed is included in parentheses following the question/activity description.
What is the history of American education? (Foundations of Education)
What is the role and value of education in society? (Foundations of Education)
What is current state of American public education? (Foundations of Education) How has the No Child Left Behind initiative impacted public education?
What are some of the alternatives approaches to public education? Have they been successful? In what way? (Foundations of Education)
What is my perspective on the role and value of education in society? (Foundations of Education)
How do children (humans) learn? (CIA: Learning Theories)
How have various learning theories been practiced in the development of educational approaches? (CIA: Learning Theories)
What are some of the current learning theories? Have they been put into practice? If yes, how? What has been the impact? (CIA: Learning Theories)
Which learning theories and practices seem most relevant to me? Why? (CIA: Learning Theories)
What are some of the dominant curriculum theories? Why have they dominated? What has been the impact of their application? (Curriculum Theory)
Based on current trends, what are expected to be some of the dominant trends of society in the future? What would be an appropriate way to create curriculum for this future? (Curriculum Theory)
What would be an effective curriculum for the emerging dimensions of living in the 21st century? (Curriculum Application, Education for the Future)
This larger question will eventually be broken down so as to be addressed in greater detail across the two courses.
How might individual academic areas like Reading, Language Arts, Science, Math and Social Studies be taught in innovative ways based on the curriculum defined in #12. (Methods Courses
What are some of the dominant classroom management strategies used historically and contemporarily? What is the impact of these strategies? (Classroom Management)
Are the strategies studied in #14 relevant to today’s classroom? Are they relevant to the implement of the curriculum/educational approach defined in #12? (Classroom Management)
What would be an effective classroom management method for the educational approach defined in #12? (Classroom Management)