1. By: Christie Sanderman
The Problem with Preservice Education and Technology to Support Learning
By: Christie Sanderman

2. Preservice Education
Will play an especially important role during the next few decades.
Can be an undergraduate major or program in addition to an academic major.
Can be completed in traditional 4 years or as a 5 year Masters program.

3. Philosophical Traditions of Practice in Teacher Education
4 traditions dominated the 20th century:
An academic tradition that emphasizes a teacher’s knowledge of subject matter and their ability to transform that knowledge into student understanding and comprehension.
These 4 traditions dominated the 20th century…

4. Philosophical Traditions of Practice in Teacher Education ctd.
A social efficiency tradition that emphasizes a teachers ability to apply a knowledge base about teaching which was made based on research into the teaching field.

5. Philosophical Traditions of Practice in Teacher Education ctd.
A developmentalist tradition that stresses a teacher’s ability to base instruction on direct knowledge of their students mental readiness for particular activities, units, etc.

6. Philosophical Traditions of Practice in Teacher Education ctd.
A social reconstructivist tradition that emphasizes a teacher’s ability to analyze social contexts in terms of their contribution to greater equality.

7. However…
Most Preservice teacher education programs do fit neatly in each of these categories.
Different components of the program (field experiences, courses, student teaching) tend to be disjointed.
People in charge of the programs have little communication and there may be no shared base among teachers.

8. More problems:
Students do not get the chance to work together during their education and stay together.
Political factors get in the way (misguided regulatory intrusions from schools, accreditation boards, and state and federal departments have a negative effect on teacher education programs.)

9. Findings by The National Commission on Teaching America’s Future
Inadequate time.
Fragmentation: the traditional program offers disconnected courses.
Uninspired teaching methods (new teachers are expected to be innovative and to excite students yet we are often taught to become teachers through standard lecture).
Superficial curriculum (the need to fill requirements leads to not being able to go into depth on content).

10. Findings by The National Commission on Teaching America’s Future ctd.
Many Preservice schools do not keep up with new developments in the science of learning.
The difference between what is taught in college courses and what happens in classrooms leads to later rejection of educational research by teachers.
Beginning teachers are more influenced by the nature of the schools they begin teaching in than what they learned in college.

11. Opinions? Any thoughts on this topic?
Where do you think Wright State stands?

12. Technology to Support Learning
There are two opposing viewpoints to using technology in education:
The “romanticized view:” the mere presence of technology in schools will enhance student achievement
The contrasting view: The money and time spent on technology are all wasted.

13. What has been discovered…
Technology has great potential to enhance student and teacher learning but only if used appropriately!
Technology can be used incorrectly by allowing students to waste time on things like playing with design elements rather than paying attention to the activity they are working on or using the internet to surf.

14. 5 important ways technology can be used in the classroom
Opportunities for new Curricula.
Providing Scaffolds and Tools.
Giving students and teachers more opportunities for feedback, reflection, and revision.
Building local and global communities which include teachers, administrators, parents etc.
Expanding opportunities for teacher learning.
Chapter 9 explores these 5 items!

15. New Curricula Opportunities
Technology has the capacity to bring real world problems into the classroom.
Technology can get past the constraints that field trips, special labs, and work study programs face.
Interactive environments that technology allows for helps students understand ideas/concepts etc. more than non-interactive environments like videotapes.
See examples!

16. Technology used as Scaffolds and Tools (think training wheels)
New technology can be used as a tool to help students solve problems.
Computer based learning tools have become much more sophisticated over the years.
Computer scaffolding enables learners to do more complex tasks that they would not be able to do without the help of technology.
Used to just be flashcards on the screen – now include things like calculators spreadsheets, graphing programs, Mathematical programs that allow students to do advanced calculations, and modeling programs among others.

17. Some Up to Date Examples

18. Stay tuned for more!