Hi, Herb. I'm no expert on teacher education but I have absorbed quite a
bit from an excellent teacher educator whose advice strikes me as
unusually pedagogically wise most of the time. He's a student of George
Hillocks, who is no friend to many in ATEG because he (with my colleague
Michael Smith) co-authored a (now infamous) meta-analysis of research on
traditional grammar instruction that concluded it has no positive effect
on students' writing. Hillocks is in Chicago and HIS work with teacher
educators in urban/ inner city settings impresses me MUCH. I should add
here that my thoughts about education are based on my interests in
schooling in very rural and very urban settings -- & may -- perhaps -- be
less relevant to suburban school teaching.
A student-centered approach is one that subordinates concern for content
to concern for the students' learning it. Content is important only
insofar as it enhances students' abilities to learn more of it.
Reflective practice, students' reflexivity -- these are the buzz words
within NCTE and they do characterize the teaching of many (not all) of
the teachers I know who are successful. For an overview of (in my view)
excellent principles for teacher education check out the TAPPP website at
Univ. of Georgia:
The Teaching As Principled Practice
Project (TAPPP) Home Page:
0000,0000,fefehttp://www.coe.uga.edu/~smago/TAPPP/TAPPP.htm
Whether or not you share them, I think they offer a
fair guide for how to cast an NCTE proposal.
Judy
At 03:01 PM 11/28/00 -0500, you wrote:
>I haven't been active in NCTE, and I'm relatively new to the ATEG
>list, which may explain why I'm wondering about Judy's assessment
>that "One thing that NCTE adherents agree on is that students'
>lives should take center place in a curriculum,
>so finding a way into grammar that is relevant to STUDENTS'
>social realities might be one way to bring grammar 'back.'" I've
>seen statements like this as a matter of educational philosophy,
>but how does it translate into content and curriculum?
>
>Herb Stahlke
>
>Judy
>
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