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THE
CONCEPTUAL FRAMEWORK FOR PROFESSIONAL EDUCATION PROGRAMS AT EASTERN KENTUCKY
UNIVERSITY
Mission statement:
To teach, to learn, to help others teach and learn.
The
Professional Education Programs at EKU are dedicated to preparing the
highest quality educators and related professionals for Kentucky and beyond.
Our graduates demonstrate the integration of content knowledge, effective
pedagogical skills, dispositions, and technology, with a commitment to
diversity that fosters life-long growth and learning for all students.
Being true to our heritage as a school of opportunity, EKU provides a
climate that supports, challenges, and enriches students aspiring to careers
in a diverse society.
Eastern
Kentucky University is a student-centered, comprehensive public university
dedicated to high-quality instruction, scholarship, and service. Eastern
Kentucky University's Professional Education Programs support this institutional
mission and the college mission by continuing to focus on the vision that
the programs prepare Effective educators as effective people contributing
to the growth of our diverse society. The mission and vision are based
on an extensive body of research into the characteristics of effective
helping professionals which is cited below. At Eastern, students are provided
opportunity to acquire both depth and breadth in knowledge of subject
matter; to study and practice the skills of teaching; to reflect upon
personal abilities, interests, and dispositions as they relate to helping
diverse populations learn and grow; and to develop skills in the use of
technology in learning. The effective educator is perceived as one who
is able to integrate content and skills with personal dispositions in
order to help all students learn and develop. The primary goal of the
professional education programs is to help pre- and in-service educators
become more effective people contributing to the growth of our diverse
society. The five major elements of the EKU Professional Education Conceptual
Framework, Knowledge, Pedagogical Skills, Dispositions, Technology, and
Diversity, are based upon and are aligned with Kentucky's Teaching Standards
and support the Institutional Goals found in the Strategic Plan of the
University, (The teaching standards and institutional goals addressed
under each element are indicated) and the institution's Quality Enhancement
Plan theme that states that EKU will develop informed, critical and creative
thinkers who communicate effectively. Students progressing through a professional
education program at Eastern Kentucky University encounter numerous opportunities
for inquiry, analysis, and reflection as they strive to become more effective
persons and educators. The student's performance and the overall effectiveness
of each program are assessed during regular reviews of student progress
across each element of the conceptual framework.
The
Knowledge element enables students to construct understanding of the complexity
and richness of the learning/teaching process1,2,3. . This element allows
students to develop their abilities to explore and use relevant information
to gain knowledge, to evaluate information and ideas, to expand and generate
ideas, and to clearly express and develop a point of view. This element
includes: 1. general knowledge needed to develop as an educated person
and citizen in a diverse society, 2. specific knowledge related to a professional
specialty, 3. foundational knowledge in professional subjects basic to
professional preparation, 4. behavioral knowledge needed for understanding
of self and others, and 5. technological knowledge needed to enhance professional
practice. (Kentucky Teaching Standards I, VIII, IX, X: Institutional Goals
2, 3, 4)
The
Pedagogical Skills element enables the professional educator to facilitate
learning. Program experiences for both pre-service and in-service educators
address best practices in content-independent and content-specific pedagogical
methods.4,5 This is accomplished through a variety of in-class, virtual,
and field-based experiences involving acquisition of knowledge, application,
and reflection6,7,8,9 upon effectiveness. Recognizing the vital connection
between knowledge, experience and reflection10, faculty incorporates these
in every course in every program. EKU's Model Laboratory School and Madison
County Schools as well as diverse educational communities scattered throughout
the state provide essential settings for guided field-based experiences
for undergraduate and graduate students. These experiences allow students
to apply theory to real-life situations and receive immediate feedback
- an essential component of a program utilizing authentic, continuous
assessment. This element allows students to develop their abilities to
evaluate their professional performance and to expand, alter, and generate
new approaches that enhance that performance.21 (Kentucky Teaching Standards
I, II, III, IV, V, VII, IX, X; Institutional Goals 2, 3, 4)
The
Dispositions element includes the attitudes, beliefs, professional commitments,
and/or perceptions that educators possess which form the basis for behavior
and include: 1. self-perceptions that allow for identifying with diverse
student populations, 2. perceptions of students as able learners and worthy
individuals, 3. perceptions of the purposes of education in a larger context,
and 4. people oriented frames of reference. Research indicates that educators'
dispositions strongly influence student learning and development.11,12,13,14
A major goal of professional education programs at Eastern Kentucky University
is to assist students in identifying the dispositions associated with
effective educators, to help them self-assess their dispositions in order
to determine their suitability for an education career, and to facilitate
their development of even more positive perceptions. Effective educators
can handle a multiplicity of rapidly developing situations in ways that
maximize learning and facilitate the psychological growth of all students.
Being such an effective educator is an outcome of developing and maintaining
certain perceptions about oneself, students, and the tasks of teaching.
This element allows students to evaluate their behaviors and to use relevant
information to gain personal knowledge and to expand their ideas about
appropriate behaviors in their professional practice. (Kentucky Teaching
Standards I, II, III, V, VI, X; Institutional Goals 1, 3)
The
Technology element focuses on preparing candidates who are able to use
educational technology to help all students learn. A major goal of the
education program is to integrate technology throughout teaching and learning,
so that pre-service and in-service educators will be prepared to effectively
use the technology that awaits them. Research recommends the approach
adopted by the EKU professional education programs which coordinates technology
integration with the methods courses, extends into the field experiences
and permeates the candidates' programs. 15,16,17 This results in candidates
who develop their technological skills to communicate more effectively,
to analyze and interpret data, manage and prioritize tasks, and to engage
in problem solving, which are critical skills identified by the ETS International
Literacy Panel. 18 Candidates will be able to utilize technology to increase
and enhance learning, motivation, personal productivity, and creativity
for all students and to develop their abilities to explore, evaluate,
expand, and use relevant information to enhance their professional goals
and objectives. (Kentucky Teaching Standards I, III, IV, V, IX; Institutional
Goals 2, 3, 4)
The
Diversity element reflects the unit's commitment to preparing candidates
to support learning for all students regardless of their race, gender,
ethnic heritage, or cultural background. The professional education programs
at EKU accept the obligation to prepare both pre-service and in-service
education professionals to be competent as they face the challenges of
today's diverse school and societal settings. The programs recognize the
12 sources of cultural identity (race, ethnicity/nationality, social class,
sex/gender, health, age, geographic region, sexuality, religion, social
status, language, and ability/disability) that influence teaching and
learning. 19 The unit embraces the belief stated by James Banks that "An
effective teacher education policy for the 21st century must include as
a major focus the education of all teachers… in ways that will help them
receive the knowledge, skills, and attitudes needed to work effectively
with students from diverse racial, ethnic, and social class groups." 20
Students will be able to explore and use relevant information about diversity,
evaluate that information, and develop their abilities to expand their
ideas and clearly articulate a commitment to diversity in their professional
practices. (Kentucky Teaching Standards I, II, III, IV, VI; Institutional
Goals 1, 3, 5)
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