Fall 1999
Vol 8 Issue 1
IN THIS ISSUE...
Student Voices-Insights on Invaluable Learning Experiences
Taking Learning and Leadership Seriously
Redefining the Learning Environment
A Win-Win Situation for Everyone
Challenging Beliefs about Good Teaching
An Emphasis on Quality Learning
Involvement in the Teaching Process
Providing Support and Motivation
Learning at a Community College: An International Perspective
ASSIDERE
Getting Students Involved in Assessment
Students Sharing Their Learning
SEE ALSO...
The Labyrinth
Maricopa Center for Learning and Instruction
Dynamic Learning: Challenging Beliefs
About Good Teaching
Jackie Jaap, SMCC
Teacher education programs cannot effectively prepare tomorrow's teachers using yesterday's mental models of teaching and learning. These programs must move beyond instruction in the method of "delivering" content and skills, controlling student behavior by using punishment and rewards, and testing and grading students. They must, instead, focus on an understanding of the ways people learn and the ways of creating a collaborative classroom. Also, they must focus on methods of connecting students with the joy of learning. Understanding of genuine systemic change, with an emphasis on interconnectedness and complexity, should be the exit goal for every prospective teacher.
In the Dynamic Learning Teacher Education Program at South Mountain Community College, a team of faculty members spends four semesters with a cohort of future teachers. During this period of time, our faculty team challenges their assumptions and deeply entrenched beliefs about "good" teaching. Through questions, research, collaborative projects, and field experiences, our students gradually make connections between theory and educational practice, and they build their own educational philosophies based on how human beings learn. In this article, three Dynamic Learning students share their thoughts about the teaching and learning process.
Estevan Rivera is a senior in the College of Education at Arizona State University. When Estevan entered Dynamic Learning in 1996, his first words were, "What do I need to do to get an "A"? Can I get extra credit?" However, he was the first in our class to purchase his own copy of Alfie Kohn's Punished by Reward, and he has found a constructivist school for his own children. Brandi Jones, a junior education major in the Honors College at Arizona State University, just completed an internship with the Department of Education in Washington D.C. Since joining the Dynamic Learning Program in 1997, she has become a strong advocate for abolishing competition and grades in schools and has acquired an extensive home library in current research on teaching and learning. Jenny Casselman is a sophomore in Dynamic Learning at South Mountain Community College. Since enrolling in the program in 1998, her field experiences have encouraged her to study bilingual education and dual language classrooms.