tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-21843852.post2842637532152468963..comments2024-01-04T05:57:26.735-06:00Comments on Education Policy Blog: Hosted by the Forum on the Future of Public Education: Bad and good ways to defend social foundations and reform teacher educationCraig A. Cunninghamhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18160288758906798678noreply@blogger.comBlogger7125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-21843852.post-7118149977504288042010-08-18T18:42:28.093-05:002010-08-18T18:42:28.093-05:00Really enjoyed this post. I am a graduate of an Ir...Really enjoyed this post. I am a graduate of an Irish Teacher Education Undergraduate course. I had intended to follow an academic lifestyle with doing a doctorate with our course leader (which had been offered to me at the end of my course). For financial reasons I could not follow it as of yet. <br /><br />I think about my research and find myself between a rock and a hard place. The rock being the Teacher Education with as what I would call an Induction system for NQT's (Newly Qualified Teachers). The hard place being how to develop students equally in left and right brain thinking, but also backing the thinking up with their theory.<br /><br />This blog has "got me thinking" about so many more questions that I, and Irish teacher education institutions for that matter, need to ask ourselves about the master behind our madness. The points raised, of which there are many, have developed tenfold in my mind over the past number of days since I read this blog...I just had to come back and post!!<br /><br />The key for me is that the points and principles raised, aside from what state laws require in California or New York, (??) has shown that there are almost an infinitive area of topics for a teacher training course to address and that they vary for all.Unknownhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/05078558530062900416noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-21843852.post-65605874420851556392010-07-06T06:03:55.299-05:002010-07-06T06:03:55.299-05:00Great post! I have only been blogging for a couple...Great post! I have only been blogging for a couple of months and your advice here really has helped! I totally agree with you and Thank you so much for sharing it...<br /><a href="http://www.chg-photographie.com/Photographe%20Mariage%20Prestation.html%22" rel="nofollow">photos de mariage originales</a>photographe mariage parishttps://www.blogger.com/profile/00767418641496603390noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-21843852.post-47642291441147265112010-06-24T18:31:17.135-05:002010-06-24T18:31:17.135-05:00Sherman (or is it Dr. Dorn?),
I guess I was making...Sherman (or is it Dr. Dorn?),<br />I guess I was making your point in the sense, that going to a "radical" school (SF State) ensured that I got those courses, which may, or may not be taught at other schools (ex. most credentials in the state come from National University). This was why I picked Sac State, because it's not quite as "liberal" as San Francisco (few places are). I think those classes may not be offered because, well, I'm not even sure if there is a cohort going through this year or next. Kinda a lousy job market to put it mildly. <br /><br />Anywho, I would say that foundations classes with critical social theory are good, but you really need it contextualized. The hardest thing to balance in teaching in poor communities is balancing one's understanding of the truly difficult situation many of these kids and families are in, with the need to teach. I call it the sympathy vs. pity balance. <br /><br />I see three types of teachers come into these schools. The first type have neither pity or sympathy. They are disdainful of the parents, kids, and community, and blame them for their retched state. They usually, thankfully, move on. The next group spends their time feeling sorry for the kids, but can't move on, and their pity keeps them from helping the kids or families improve themselves. They often want to "fix" them, without giving them tools to fix themselves. <br /><br />The last group is the most successful. They understand the context. They may be frustrated by parents who are not "living up to their responsibilities", but they will not just throw up their hands, but seek ways to bring parents (or sometimes just the student) on board. They understand that a lot of the responsibility rests with institutions not doing their job. <br /><br />I think the theory can help with this, but if you don't contextualize it by having folks intern, student teach, observe or otherwise participate in urban school settings, they run the risk of falling into the second category, which in the long run will not help the students or community.<br /><br />I think Dan's point about mentoring folks is apt.Leroy's Momhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/13839945290918777434noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-21843852.post-46384853848235466402010-06-24T12:06:21.478-05:002010-06-24T12:06:21.478-05:00I realize that I'm not a teacher yet, and that...I realize that I'm not a teacher yet, and that I'm just working towards that end, so disregard if this is a bit off. However, as a Navy sailor, we get folks all the time who aren't "ready" for the job they are doing. So your last paragraph, on the desire to require more education for teachers, is intriguing to me because it is one of the biggest complaints of us senior sailors. Our "kids" just don't get enough instruction before they come to the ship, so there is always some learning on the fly, or OJT, which I assume would work for teaching (I hope, because I'll need it).<br /><br />Sorry for the long background. The point is that we have to mentor new sailors or they will fail. Isn't it the same for new teachers?The Navy Christianhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/15116964729906856912noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-21843852.post-19747675315598175712010-06-23T08:15:56.142-05:002010-06-23T08:15:56.142-05:00Dear Leroy's Mom,
Most states have a range of...Dear Leroy's Mom,<br /><br />Most states have a range of options individual programs can take, and my point was that the state of California did not require any course that would ordinarily be taught by someone with extensive graduate education in humanities or social-science perspectives on education. CSU Sacramento may have courses listed in the catalog that look like it may fit (EDBM 117 or EDBM 118) and are present in a few programs of studies, but that's not required by the state. For example, CSU Fullerton's multi-subject certification program currently doesn't list anything like that.<br /><br />And even EDBM 117 and EDBM 118 in CSU Sacramento look like they're in the books but not necessarily taught. I checked the course schedules for all of 2010, and neither course appears anywhere in the relevant departmental schedule:<br /><br />Spring 2010: http://webs-web1.irt.csus.edu/class_schedule/Spring2010/EDBM.html<br />Summer 2010: http://webs-web1.irt.csus.edu/class_schedule/Summer2010/EDBM.html<br />Fall 2010: http://webs-web1.irt.csus.edu/class_schedule/Fall2010/EDBM.html<br />Spring 2011: http://webs-web1.irt.csus.edu/class_schedule/Spring2011/EDBM.html<br /><br />(Then there's the question of whether, if it's taught, who teaches it. But that's separate from the question of whether external/internal pressures work against social foundations' having a central place in a teacher ed curriculum.)Sherman Dornhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/00491045214079619658noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-21843852.post-70451263004925777222010-06-22T21:35:18.371-05:002010-06-22T21:35:18.371-05:00This is a really nice post, something I'll tak...This is a really nice post, something I'll take a look at again next time I teach a foundations course for teachers (which I rarely do in my strange little corner of the universe).<br /><br />On the Giroux issue, I was actually asked to review one of his books a couple of years ago, which was cobbled together out of three different essays. I literally could not make head or tails of what he was trying to say. The different essays actually made arguments that directly contradicted each other in key areas. At points he was clearly out of his area of expertise (whatever it is) and didn't seem to really know what he was talking about. It just didn't seem worth my time or the existential pain to do an honest review of the thing, so I sent it back. I haven't read anything new by him since. Later I saw a vague but genuflecting review elsewhere. Sad, because as annoying as his writing often was ("how dare you tell ME what counts as clarity!"), he did make some thoughtful arguments. I had hoped it was just that book.Aaron Schutzhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/10667097977144954236noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-21843852.post-63721136070512452922010-06-22T21:18:32.465-05:002010-06-22T21:18:32.465-05:00I think you've misread a bit about California....I think you've misread a bit about California. First a little background, California defaults all language learners into English immersion classes, unless their parents request bilingual instruction. Because of this, every teacher is expected to potentially teach English language learners, and therefore all teachers are expected to have a "CLAD" authorization on their credential. This means they are certified to teach in a cross-cultural and language development setting. Note, that the current test for this (CTEL) requires a cultural component (http://www.ctel.nesinc.com/BC_viewSG_opener.asp).When I did my credential, about a decade ago, I was required to take a course on cultural issues, that involved a lot of critical social theory, although in nice bite-sized pieces in the form of a reader. It might have even included Giroux. I should also note that a teacher credential program is a “post-baccalaureate” one in California, so the courses are at a graduate level (at least in terms of credit, if not content). We don’t have a requirement (like New York) that you get a Masters, but it does set you up for finish up your masters degree at a later date (I still haven’t done it) I took both my undergrad (History with a Minor in Poli Sci) and credential courses at San Francisco State. The school had substantial pockets of critical social theory adherents (it has one of the oldest Ethnic Studies programs in the country, which was established after the student strikes in the 1960s). I think you missed this by looking at the state ed code requirements, which didn’t use your language, but I looked up my local state university (Sacramento), and low and behold, they are teaching “multi-cultural foundational” issues (http://edweb.csus.edu/tpac/assets/2042_MS_Program_Handout-3-09.pdf). ANY university that is providing an “urban education” will cover this because you have to. They may not cover it well, they may not cover it at a “true” graduate level, but it’s there. Teachers who come out of those programs are more desirable because not only have they taken those classes, but because all of their student teaching and observational work has been done in “urban” high-need classes.Leroy's Momhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/13839945290918777434noreply@blogger.com