Consortium Philosophy

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The Teacher Education Program Consortium is a 'philosophy driven' organization. As
such it is guided by the following principles, of which the first three apply equally to
students and teachers while the fourth and fifth apply solely to teachers:

Knowledge in the full sense of the word is not imparted by a teacher to a student.
Rather, it is constructed by the learner from a combination of experience and reflection on
that experience.

• Education in the full sense is not simply a matter of academic achievement, but instead
  involves the development and integration of all aspects of the individual.
• Primary among the goals of education are the development of individuality,
  self-knowledge, and autonomy balanced by successful integration within the social and
  physical environment.
• Teacher preparation should be grounded in the same practices, principles, and purposes
  as the education teachers will eventually provide for their students.
• Teacher preparation should integrate personal and professional development, in the full
  sense of these terms.

These principles, applied to education in general and teacher education in particular, may be
characterized in terms of "expanding educational perspectives." For students, the phrase
connotes a broader view of education than is often found today. This view may take into
account:

• Emotional, moral, social, physical as well as intellectual development.
• The need for individuality and autonomy in thought and action.
• Development of critical and creative thinking skills as well as capacities for
  self-expression.
• Cultivation of perceptiveness, sensitivity, empathy, insight, and self-awareness.
• Educational experiences which cross disciplinary, ethnic, racial, and cultural barriers.
• Opportunities for problem solving and responsibility in real world situations.
• Occasions for thoughtful reflection on fundamental issues such as ethics and values.

For teachers, the phrase, "expanded perspectives," refers to teacher education in the full
sense of the term which is opposed to teacher training. Teacher training focuses on such
things as inculcating new approaches to subject matter content or specific teaching skills,
whereas teacher education typically foster teachers' abilities to develop their own
approaches based on their own experience and values. Means to thus empower teachers
include:

• Engagement in significant experiential learning.
• Opportunities to reflect on those learning experiences in personal and professional terms.
• Study of the conceptual and historical foundations in education.
• Involvement in the critical analysis of educational practices.
• Development of a philosophical approach to matters of education -- its goals, purposes
  and standards.

Such reflective experiences enable teachers to "open up" education -- to bridge the divides
between the humanities and the sciences, the cognitive and affective, the aesthetic and the
utilitarian aspects of education. This, in turn, enables teachers more fully to meet the needs
of all their students and so forms a necessary foundation for teacher-based educational
reform.

Human Resources | Special Interest Groups | Technology in Education

Url: http://www1.winthrop.edu/tepc/services/default.html Last Updated: 9/22/97 by Lisa Harris. For more information contact Seymour Simmons.