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| navigate: home: magazine: fall 2002: article | |
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Professional Development School is top teacher education program in nation By Jeff Deitrich | ||||||
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Article reprinted courtesy of the College of Education The Penn State–State College Area School District Professional Development School program has been selected by the Association of Teacher Educators as the winner of the Distinguished Teacher Education Program Award for 2002. The award is given to recognize and honor outstanding teacher education programs that exemplify collaboration between local education agencies and institutions of higher education in program development and administration. It is designed to stimulate development and innovation that will bring into harmony all groups that have direct involvement in the preparation of teachers. It emphasizes the association’s concern for quality in teacher preparation. Professional Development Schools were established to help meet the unique needs of today’s students and to provide new models of teacher education and development. The schools support the learning of prospective and beginning teachers by creating settings in which novices enter professional practice by working with expert practitioners, enabling veteran teachers to renew their own professional development and assume roles as mentors, university adjuncts and teacher leaders. They also allow school and university educators to engage jointly in the research and rethinking of practice, creating an opportunity for the profession to expand its knowledge base by putting research into practice and practice into research. The Professional Development School has several hallmarks that distinguish it from other programs: inquiry, technology and a drive to prepare teacher leaders as change agents in schools. “The State College Area School District is very honored to be the joint recipient with Penn State’s College of Education of the Distinguished Teacher Education Program Award for 2002,” said Cameron Bausch, assistant to the superintendent at the school district. “The Professional Development School collaborative is so beneficial to our elementary students, teachers and principals.” Dr. Nancy Dana, associate professor of curriculum and instruction and Professional Development School co-director, said inquiry “involves teachers problematizing their practice, systematically studying their practice and taking action for change. Our focus on inquiry has facilitated changes, including enhancing student learning via technology.” Dr. Carla Zembal-Saul, assistant professor of science education, noted the technology enhancements. “Interns experience learning with and about a variety of technology tools, both general productivity tools and discipline-specific tools, as part of their course work and then have opportunities to design and teach technology-rich lessons. In doing so, mentor teachers also experience ways in which to use cutting-edge technologies to enhance children’s learning,” Zembal-Saul said. Dana noted the overall goal of the Professional Development School is to change the profession itself. “We are preparing teacher leaders,” Dana said. “Through the process of inquiry, they are learning ways in which to question their own practice and support decisions they make in the future. One graduate spoke eloquently to the judges in Denver about changes she is making in her school as a first-year teacher.” The final defining feature of the program is its true collaborative nature. It is veteran teachers, prospective teachers and teacher educators coming together to think about issues and practices in education. “The creation of planning teams of faculty, mentor teachers, principals and curriculum support teachers has been unique,” noted Dr. James F. Nolan, professor of curriculum and supervision and Professional Development School co-director. “These teams work together to redesign methods courses for preservice teachers and to plan and deliver professional development for veteran teachers.” “When those groups come together, a synergy is created that helps each individual group excel in ways that neither one could do on their own,” Dana added. The program is institutionalized both at Penn State and the State College Area School District. The collaborative has received important external funding from a Lucent Technologies Foundation K-16 Partnership Grant. While those funds help, program designers ensured the core activities of the program could be supported via the collaborative. Being recognized nationally will bring added recognition to Penn State and State College Area School District, along with the ability to provide leadership. Penn State is one of the few programs in the nation that has been able to actualize the idea of inquiry, especially for undergraduate students. Other universities can now look to Penn State for leadership. The program also hopes the momentum and inspiration from the award will help expand collaborations with other Penn State units and help to draw additional external funding. | |||||
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© 2002 Outreach Communications, Outreach & Cooperative Extension, The Pennsylvania State University phone: (814) 865-8108, fax: (814) 863-2765, e-mail: outreachnews@outreach.psu.edu |
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