1. Chapter 7
Ecology of Teaching

2. Prologue What is effective teaching?
What characteristics do students bring to learning situations?

3. Does effective teaching involve eliciting what a student already knows and enabling the student to accommodate that knowledge to form new concepts?
Does effective teaching involve choosing from all available information and shaping that knowledge so that it can be assimilated by the student?

4. Does effective teaching involve knowing one’s students individually, so one can combine various methods?

5. The teacher’s role as a socializing agent
The most powerful socializing influence of the school lies in those who translate program goals into action – the teachers

6. Fig. 7-1, p. 257 Figure 7.1: An Ecological Model of Human Development.
The teacher and student interact in the microsystem of school to affect learning outcomes.
Fig. 7-1, p. 257

7. Figure 7.2: Teachers and Leadership Styles.
Fig. 7-2, p. 260

8. Teacher characteristics and student learning
Teachers as leaders
Teachers as managers
Teacher expectations

9. Student characteristics and teacher interaction
Gender
Research has shown that teacher-student interactions differ according to the gender of the student

10. Student characteristics and teacher interaction
Ethnicity
Ethnicity is a factor in teacher-student interactions
Generalized values of the macroculture
Generalized values of the microculture
Individualistic and collectivistic orientations affect socialization
Contrasts between individualism and collectivism affect teaching

11. Student characteristics and teacher interaction
Socioeconomic status
Four components of SES
Income
Education
Family structure
Neighborhood

12. Student characteristics and teacher interaction
Learning Styles
Children have preferred ways of learning and teachers have preferred ways of teaching
Researchers suggest that children develop learning or cognitive styles based on the socialization they receive in their families and peer groups

13. Student characteristics and teacher interaction
Because all children learn differently, Howard Gardner recommends that teachers adapt the curriculum to the various multiple intelligences he believes encompasses human capability
Logical-mathematical
Linguistic
Bodily-kinesthetic

14. Student characteristics and teacher interaction
Musical
Spatial
Interpersonal
Intrapersonal
Naturalist

15. Figure 7.3: Gardner’s Multiple Intelligences.
Fig. 7-3, p. 273

16. Student characteristics and teacher interaction
Disability
Educators modified teaching environment to include:
Individualized instruction
Adapting curriculum to various learning styles
Collaboration with various professionals
Peer Tutoring

17. Student characteristics and teacher interaction
IDEA requires that an IEP be written annually

18. Student characteristics and teacher interaction
Identification and assessment of children with disabilities
Congress passed PL in 1986, which addressed the needs of infants, toddlers and preschoolers with disabilities
An early intervention program was authorized by PL

19. Student characteristics and teacher interaction
Teacher and parents can observe behavior through a variety of techniques
Anecdotal records
Checklists and rating scales
Time samples

20. Student characteristics and teacher interaction
Assessments may include teacher observations, medical assessments and psychological assessments
Assessments are meaningless without follow-up services
Assessment is an ongoing process
Programs designed to meet the needs of children with disabilities must involve the family

21. Student characteristics and teacher interaction
Inclusion
The community, via legislation has facilitated integration of individuals with disabilities into society
VRA of 1973: “Bill of Rights” for those with disabilities into society
Schools and support services must be involved in enabling persons to make the transition from home to community

22. Student characteristics and teacher interaction
Risk and resilience
Children and poverty
Children and substance abuse
Parental substance exposure
Alcohol
Violence in families

23. Macrosystem influences on teaching
Philosophies of teaching and learning
Teacher-directed (traditional)
Learner-directed (progressive or modern)

24. Table 7-1, p. 285

25. Macrosystem influences on teaching
Socialization outcomes of different classroom contexts
Traditional programs generally produce children who perform academically and are able to work individually
Modern programs generally tend to foster autonomy and cooperation
Instructional settings can be organized into “goal structures”

26. Table 7-2, p. 289

27. Macrosystem influences on teaching
Accountability and standardization
Accountability of education refers to the idea of making schools responsible for student learning or achievement outcomes

28. Figure 7.4: Mesosystem Influences on Teaching: Fostering Student Learning.
Fig. 7-4, p. 291

29. Mesosystem influences on teaching
Family involvement in learning
Developmentally appropriate learning and assessment

30. Bobby

31. Video Questions
What must parents and teachers do to work collaboratively on behalf of children with exceptionalities?
How does the IEP drive the educational process for Bobby?

32. Video Questions
The potential exists that a significant gap will develop between Bobby’s academic abilities and the academic abilities of his classmates over time. How might the educational process change for Bobby as he gets older? Consider changes of classroom setting and the thought of “least restrictive environment”.

33. Kristina

34. Video Questions
How does the educational system meet the needs of students like Kristina?
What type of pressures/challenges exists for teachers who have such varying abilities in their classrooms? How do they manage such diverse needs? Is every students’ needs met in such an environment?

35. Video Questions
How can non-English speaking children be evaluated academically in a fair way?