School of Education and Child Development Essay Example for Free

School of Education and Child Development Essay The School of Education and Child Development in Drury University aims to provide a teacher education program that would engender educated professionals who would uphold the importance of education and exert great efforts in order to become a productive contributor to the learning community. Future educators are trained in the university to make sound choices and judgments for the advancement of learning and education, to be instrumental in the teaching and learning process to help in the education of other people, and acknowledge the importance and significant roles that children play in the global community. (Drury University, 2004) The university takes on the future of the coming generations as their responsibility and acknowledges the functions of teachers in the realization of this responsibility. Therefore, the teacher education program of the university was designed not only teach future educators the nominal aspect of teaching, but also to encourage commitment and dedication to their line of industry. Part of this commitment is to take on various roles in order to become influential to the students and their education, knowledgeable about the lessons they teach, and the strategies and approaches that should applied in teaching process. Moreover, the teacher education program aspires to inculcate the ideal representation of the educational institution as one that nourishes learning, creativity, and uprightness and reaffirm the teacher’s view of himself as a valuable part of the school. (Drury University, 2004) Another significant objective upheld by the teacher education program is the much-needed participation of teachers to the development and enhancement of educational institutions, more specifically public schools. Teachers are persuaded to be actively involved in the reformation of the schools in order to affect desirable educational programs and learning outcomes. Moreover, the university also encourages not only the education of future educators in the university but also their ability to be able to apply everything that they have learned in the public school setting. (Drury University, 2004) The vision and philosophy of the university’s teacher education program is primarily geared towards the contributory aspect of teaching to society as a valuable member of the learning community. As a future educator, one must be able to give back to society what was learned and experienced during one’s stay in the university under the teacher education program. This may be accomplished by being instrumental in changing and modifying the face of education by improvement and development. Through this, the university is able to produce professional educators that cultivate quality and meaningful education that shapes the future of the coming generations. The teacher education program has set out several guidelines or standards that determine the competencies that students must achieve throughout training under the program. For instance, teachers must be able to focus on the students, and as part of the educational institution, they must be able to identify and provide for the needs of the students. Moreover, teachers must be able to acknowledge that students are different from one another, while at the same time exerting equal time and effort in facilitating learning within the learning environment. In addition, the learning process should be implemented during instruction in such a way that it meets the developmental needs of the students as a whole (physical, social, mental, etc. ). (Drury University, 2004) The teacher takes on multifarious roles such as the managing the classroom, monitoring the learning progress of students, etc. but most of all, the teacher is should be the one who facilitates learning through appropriate lessons and challenging activities, motivating and stimulating learning, and sound judgment and assessment of student progress. All these, of course, are grounded on the standards and objectives of education and the learning outcomes that the education program has established in the core curriculum. Aside from working with the students to affect learning, the teacher is also groomed to collaborate with other stakeholders that regard the teaching profession important as a means of educating the students. For instance, teachers must be able to establish meaningful relationships with other professional educators in order to gain insight and additional knowledge in being an effective educator within the learning community. Teachers, throughout the course of handling students from different family backgrounds and culture, must also build relationships with the parents of their students. This is part of the parent’s involvement in the education of their children, as a valuable instrument in the follow-up phase of learning within the family environment. (Drury University, 2004) The teacher education program is primarily based on established principles and standards such as the National Board for Professional Teaching Standards (NBPTS), National Council for Accreditation of Teacher Education (NCATE), the School Development Model of Comer, and postulates for the reform of teacher education by Goodlad. (Drury University, 2004) The university has achieved a highly competent teacher education program through its establishment according to the standards of NBPTS, which claims to uphold the values and knowledge that teachers should be learning (NBPTS, 2008). Moreover, the university’s teacher education program was also developed under the guidance of the NCATE standards, which aims to provide quality programs for educational institutions that embody what the students have to learn in order to achieve professional standards in preparation for the future (NCATE, 2008). The conceptual framework of the university’s teacher education program maybe understood by reviewing the eleven domains of teacher education. These eleven domains embody that learning outcomes and performance appraisals that the future teacher should accomplish before deployment to the actual school setting. The acquisition of relevant knowledge, such as the basics of teaching, the understanding of the needs and differences of students, the ability to develop challenging instructional strategies and materials, the development of a pertinent course curriculum that is fitting to the global scenario, the learning of schools for the employment of technological tools and recent instruments to facilitate learning, are just some of the eleven domains that are included in the conceptual framework of the university’s teacher education program. (Drury University, 2008) The knowledge of the university’s mission and philosophy, teaching program, and the conceptual framework for the teacher education program, is all-important in understanding the roles and responsibilities that future educators should accomplish throughout their college education as a preservice teacher. Moreover, future educators are informed of the things that they should acquire in order to be a valuable member of the learning community. References Drury University. (2004).Conceptual Framework for Initial Certification of Teachers. Retrieved April 1, 2008, from Drury University. Website: http://www. drury. edu/academics/undergrad/education/pdf/bluebook. pdf NBPTS. (2008). National Board for Professional Teaching Standards. Retrieved April 1, 2008, from the National Board for Professional Teaching Standards. Website: http://www. nbpts. org/ NCATE. (2008). Standards. Retrieved April 1, 2008, from the National Council for Accreditation of Teacher Education. Website: http://www. ncate. org/public/standards. asp