COLLEGE OF EDUCATION CONCEPTUAL FRAMEWORK

Throughout their experiences in the UM College of Education, it is anticipated that students will recognize the central intent of the teacher preparation program. It is this intent -- from Education 301 until the completion of the program -- that will help to give classroom experiences and field experiences unity and harmony, helping students to sense a continuing growth in knowledge, skill, and self-confidence. The practice of professional education is based on tested theories and practices and the College Conceptual Framework reflects the most significant aspects of both. The faculty of the College feels that the following Conceptual Framework Statement gives the teacher education program conceptual integrity and the student a sense of program purpose.

The College of Education accepts as its primary responsibility the preparation of professionals for the schools, and believes that these professionals are characterized both by their responsibility for making decisions in the classroom domain and by their increasing ability to make wise and informed decisions -- based on sound knowledge and practical experience. The central theme of the Teacher Education Program at the University of Montevallo is Teacher as Developing Professional.

The philosophical assumptions of the program are as follows:

1.  Educators are professionals.  The preparation of professionals requires candidates not only to master available knowledge, but also act decisively on that knowledge.  Informed decisions making, then is the essence of professionalism.  Educators are required to make decisions daily, and there is a strong relationship between the quality of their decision making and their professional effectiveness.

2.  The essence of professionalism is decision making.  Research stresses the importance of decision making skills needed by today’s teachers.  Today’s education professional’s should analyze personal, student and curricular contexts in their schools, decide on way to instruct, lead or guide that are appropriate to the context of their schools and justify method based on informed decision making.

3.  Educators gradually develop in their ability to use knowledge, skills and dispositions in the world of practice.  The program must enhance candidates’ abilities to use knowledge, skills and dispositions in particular contexts, and to make increasingly informed decision about putting theory into practice.  Consequently, education programs are sequenced to provide clinical experiences that evolve from basic to complex.

4.   The direction of professional development can be described with the use of the novice-expert model. Candidates are expected to progress gradually toward more mature judgments by the completion of their education programs.  However, the College recognizes that this growth toward more informed decision making occurs in stages and will continue after the completion of their teacher education program

5.  Professional decision making, and therefore professional growth, occurs in the contexts of five major areas. Teachers combine knowledge of self, knowledge of diverse learners and communities, knowledge of instructional technology and other delivery systems, knowledge of curriculum and subject matter or specialty area and knowledge of pedagogy and professional practice as they develop from a novice to an expert educator.  Each of these areas of growth is developed and enhanced through programs that are aligned with professional, state and institutional standards.