My Beliefs About Teaching and Learning...What you learn in the DDL Community depends more on what you do than what anyone else, including STEs and UTEs do.The goal is to organize a course that includes assignments, activities, and instruction that enhance dialogue, reflection, and knowledge construction.
Our role as a community of teacher educators is to facilitate your learning by designing appropriate learning experiences, establishing a supportive climate, selecting useful materials, and providing information.
Each community member can and should facilitate the learning of others.
We believe learning is enhanced by experiencing moderate levels of dissonance and discomfort in a supportive environment.
We believe learning is enhanced by engaging in experiences and reflecting about those experiences using applicable concepts, principles, models, and theories.
Relying solely on standardized practice, as noted by Darling-Hammond (1987), is malpractice: "The problem with this bureaucratic model is that effective teaching is not routine, students are not passive, and problems of practice are not simple, predictable or standardized." (p.2)
Teacher Training Teacher Education Focus on mastering predetermined criteria
Emphasis on the "how to"
Goal is acceptable practice
Results in teacher "followership"
Emphasis on teacher completing requirements
"Cookbook" metaphor
Helps prospective teachers develop an understanding of the central role of public education plays in a democracy.
Focus on developing teacher as inquirer
Emphasis on providing rationale and justification for thinking
Goal is ability to work with both structured and ill-structured problems
Results in teacher "leadership"
Recognizes ambiguity and complexity of teaching
"Chef" metaphor
Back