Save the Dates

Wednesday, October 15

Conceptual Framework Ralph C. Wilson, Jr. School of Education

Overview

The overarching theme for the unit, “Educator as Advocator,” is a distillation of our vision, mission, beliefs, goals, central philosophy and five related tenets.This overarching theme captures a central philosophy of social justice, the related tenets of diversity, achievement, compassion, knowledge, and service and a constructivist instructional approach to help define who we are and what we are about as faculty, staff and candidates in the unit. The theme, philosophy and tenets also provide a context for: (1) the work that we do in collaboration with the College community, P-12 schools and broader community; (2) our collective efforts to provide high-quality faculty, programs, services and experiences that prepare candidates to work effectively with all students; and (3) continuous improvement in programs, practice, scholarship and service.

Social Justice

Social Justice is the central philosophy on which the unit’s conceptual framework is based. This philosophy is deeply rooted in the Catholic tradition under which St. John Fisher College was originally founded, and served as the central focus of the life of our patron, Saint John Fisher. Consistent with this tradition, the unit seeks to provide our candidates, faculty and staff with insights of a more “just” world in which people treat one another civilly, humanitarianly, and honorably. To accomplish this noble purpose, our candidates must know how and be able to: (1) provide all learners with equitable access to knowledge about themselves and the world in which they live; (2) engage in caring and effective pedagogical practices that support the acquisition of new knowledge and skills; (3) help students become independent and lifelong learners, and active participants in a social and political democracy; and (4) advocate for the interests of the students that they serve. To these ends, the unit’s philosophy of social justice is characterized by five interlocking tenets: Diversity, Achievement, Compassion, Knowledge, and Service (DACKS).

Diversity

“Through an education rooted in the liberal arts, we prepare individuals for lives of intellectual, professional, and civic integrity, in which diversity and service to others are valued and practiced” (Excerpt from SJFC Mission Statement, 2004). Consistent with our mission, we believe good teaching is grounded in the lives of our students. As such, professional educators must respect their students; understand their cultures and the communities in which they live; believe in the innate curiosity and potential of all children; and strive to create experiences that connect this curiosity with that which is culturally relevant to them. Educators must be self-efficacious, believing that they can help all children learn regardless of differences among groups of people and individuals based on age, ethnicity, gender, geographical area, language, race, socio-economic status, physical and mental abilities, sexual orientation, spiritual practice, and other human differences. To accomplish this purpose, we must prepare educators who are willing to challenge societal inequities and practices that are unjust both within and outside of their classrooms.

Achievement

The concept of achievement in the context of social justice is reflected in the first belief statement that was adopted by the faculty and staff of the unit: “All students can and will learn when provided with the appropriate conditions, opportunities and resources” (SoE Belief Statements, 2003). Effective teaching involves the transformation of understanding based on the depth, quality, and flexibility of the content being taught and its applicability to the prior knowledge of the learner. We strive to prepare educators who are committed to creating classroom environments that invite students to achieve by teaching the critical skills and perspectives necessary to participate in a democratic society, and by designing experiences in which they can apply these skills to effectively engage students in learning new content.

Compassion

Father Hugh J. Haffey, the first president of St. John Fisher College stated: “I would single out the notion of ‘compassion’ as the necessary distinguishing and continuing feature of the great college: compassion on the part of administrators and teachers towards the students; compassion on the part of the students for each other” (1977). This theme has remained a constant at St. John Fisher College, however, within the context of the unit’s conceptual framework, we have expanded Father Haffey’s notion of “compassion” to include the way in which it is manifested in the lives of those who work within a school community. It is our challenge to open the hearts and minds of our candidates so that they may become compassionate teachers who have the capacity to recognize and not tolerate societal inequities.

Knowledge

The unit’s faculty strive to prepare educators who view knowledge as that which is acquired through dialogue between the teacher and the learner, between the text and the reader, and among those who form a community of learners. Consistent with this view, we believe our faculty, candidates and student learners must understand and be able to: build on prior knowledge and experience; identify and build on strengths; and apply their new knowledge in meaningful contexts. The unit embraces a constructivist approach where the acquisition of knowledge is seen as a socially constructed developmental process where learners derive meaning through intellectual and personal interactions, and have an opportunity to apply what they have learned in real world contexts (Bransford, J, Brown, A., & Cocking, R., 1999).

Service

The unit’s commitment to community service stems from the College’s mission to prepare individuals for lives of intellectual, professional, and civic integrity, in which diversity and service to others are valued and practiced. The PEU works to instill within our candidates, faculty and staff the importance of professional preparation as a vehicle to improve the quality of life for others through service. As a learning community, we embrace the shared value and commitment to the lifelong search for truth, a belief in the dignity of every individual, and an affirmation that service to others is a worthy expression of our humanity. We see our own future as intractably tied to the future of others, and by serving others; we are in essence serving ourselves. In essence, we believe that improving the quality of life for others, improves the quality of life for ourselves, and ultimately, for the society as a whole.

Instructional Approach: Inquiry, Informed Theory, Best Practice and Reflection

The unit believes that professional educators should develop content knowledge and pedagogical skills concurrently and in the most authentic settings possible. To accomplish this, the unit seeks to get its candidates out into the field early so that they can begin to:

(1) critically observe and experience the relationship between their coursework and the educational, social and cultural context in which student learning takes place;

(2) demonstrate their knowledge through inquiry, critical analysis and reflection; and

(3) synthesize theory with practice. “Training in inquiry also helps teachers learn how to look at the world from multiple perspectives, including those of students whose experiences are quite different from their own, and to use this knowledge in developing pedagogies that can reach diverse learners” (Darling-Hammond, 2000). To this end, the unit’s programs stress the importance of integrating theory and research with best practice, and contextualize teaching that draws upon representations from the students’ own experience and knowledge base.