DOCUMENT RESUME ED 085 006 HE 004 900 TITLE the Teacher's
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DOCUMENT RESUME ED 085 006 HE 004 900 TITLE The Teacher's Perspective. Selections From Reports by The Teachers of The Thirteen-College Curriculum Program 1968-69. INSTITUTION Institute for Services to Education, Washington, D.C. PUB DATE Mar 70 NOTE 196p. EDRS PRICE MF-$0.65 HC-$6.58 DESCRIPTORS Curriculum Development; *Educational Programs; *Evaluation; *Higher Education; *Negro Institutions; *Teacher Attitudes; Teacher Developed Materials; Teachers IDENTIFIERS Institute for Services to Education; ISE; TCCP; *Thirteen College Curriculum Program ABSTRACT The purpose of this document is to show how the teachers in the Thirteen-College Curriculum Program (TCCP) perceive what they are doing and how things are working out. The teachers in these reports present their own views on the values of t.le TCCP based on their own experiences. In some cases there seems to be general agreement concerning the value of a particular endeavor or aspect of the program, althou0-1 a few teachers may disagree. The selections are grouped by the following fields: ideas and their expression; quantitative and analytical thinking; social institutions; biology and the physical sciences; humanities and philosophy; new questions, doubts, and hopes; and effect of the project on teachers. Within each field the selections are grouped under headings consisting of certain basic types: themes and approaches; surveys of the year; anecdotes; comparisons; reviews of books and films; general impressions and appraisals. Two sections of general comments are included at the end. (Author/PG) FILMED FROM BEST AVAILABLE COPY THE TEAcHER'S PERSPECTIVE SELECTIONS FROM REPORTS BY THE TEACHERS OF THE THIRTEEN-COLLEGE CURRICULUM PROGRAM 1968-69 March 1970 Institute for Services to Education 1527 New Hampshire Avenue, N.W. Washington, D. C. 20036 U,S. DEPARTMENT EDUCATION OF HEALTH, & WELFARE NATIONALINSTITUTE OF THIS DOCUMENTEDUCATION DUCED HAS BEEN THE PERSONEXACTLY ASRECEIVEDREPRO A TING IT OR ORGANIZATION FROM POINTS OF ORIGIN STATED DO VIEW OR OPINIONS SENT OFFICIALNOT NECESSARILY EDUCATION NATIONAL REPRE POSITION INSTITUTE OR POLICY OF Prefaco Let me begin with the necessary apologies. A report by a teacher is a personal mztter, but so is a selection from reports by an editor. One hundred znd twenty-four teachers wrote reports ranging in length from two to fifty pages and totaling to a pile over thirteen inches high. Making. selections required choosing topics, choosing reports, chopping up and excerpting reports, and occasionally editing copy. I apologize for where I have shown poor judgement. I also apologize for not consulting the authors whose works were selected to make sure they were not used incorrectly. If there are some serious com plaints, please let me have them. My apologies finally for the many typos in this document. I thank Elias Blake, Jr. and John T. Parmeter for giving me the benefit of their views when necessary. The purpose of these selections is to document how the tea hers perceive what they are doing and how thingsare working out. It is one thing to write beautiful curriculum units, another to determin,?. what is actually happening in classrooms. The teachers in these re- ports present their own views on the value ;of the Thirteen-College Curriculum Program based on their own experiences. ?n some cases there seems to be general agreement concerning the value of a par- ticular endeavor or aspect of the program, although a few teachers may disagree. In other cases, there appears as yet to be no agree- ment. The immediate audience for these selections is the group of teachers, counselors, and directors that constitute the program and the Boston and Washington staffs of the Institute for Services to Education. We hope the, say, mathematics teachers will not only read the reports by other mathematics teachers, but also the reports by the teachers of the other subjects. The present work is an ac- count of the project as a whole. We also hope that each of the foui- teen programs (a foutteenth college joined the program after it was named) will build itsown record of efforts, mistakes, and achieve- ;.:ents using the reports by its own teachers. More broadly, the audience for these selections (and for local collections) includes interested members of the regular programs of the participating colleges-- the presidents, deans, departmental chairmen, and teachers. The audience also includes the goverrimettal agencies and private foundations supporting the project. Ultimately, we hope through commercial publication the audience will include teachers and educational authorities at other colleges and inter =s rested members of the general public. The selections i.re grourfl by fi.eld. Two sections of general comments are inciuced at ,nd. Here arc thc? fields ct.1 th final ii sections. Idwts anc Their F4xpression Quantitative and Analytical Thinking Social Institutions Biology E,.nd the Physical Sciences Humaniti(!s and Philosophy New Questions, Doubts, Hopes Effect Project on Teachers Within each field the selections are grouped under headings con6iisting of key sentences taken from the-reports thems.elves. These. groupings are of.c.,:rtain basic types and may be helpful if I in- dicate here some of these types. (For tIca key sentences serving as headings, see "Contents".) Themes and Approaches. A consideration of what is important, what is worth knowing in a given subject, what lies behind the selec- tion of topics and activities. An examination of what is distinctive about the new work. Surveys of the year. A description by one teacher of the work for a year -- the units, the themes, the activities employed. 1n praisal of the cumulative effect. Anecdotes. How particular units, topics, pieces of equipment, activities worked (D-J.t in particular classrooms. Accounts of investi- gations or creative work undertaken by students. Samples of student work. Comparisons. A juxtaposition of the experiences of different teachers with the same unit or activity -- for how many did it work and why? for how many did it flop and why? Reviews of books and films. Al. analysis of how students reacted to materials. What they found readable, difficult, interesting, boring, hard but worth the effort, not worth the effort. General impressions and appraisals. What the project has meant to the teacher. New things it has made possible. Problems still to be tackled -- gradL.7, greater parLic:ipa'c.ion of the students in de- siya of A :.Autio,)2..y s ne(.,.6sary in is - ?art Jf con- ventional wisdom that trio peoplecan look at thessar event. and per- ceive it quite differently. Whatyou see depends upon a number of things -- what youc.,re looking for, your standards, ycur. temperment (as in the joke about the optimistseeing the doughnut and the pes- simist seeing the hole).In studying the reports, the reader faces a double task. He mustgrasp what the teacher_is saying but: he must also gain a sense of the teacher'sexpectations, standards, and tcm- perment, so that he can set the teacher'sreport in perspective. Additional selections from the teachers'reports have appeared in Journey into Discovery:"A Teacher on Teaching," Stephen Wilmore "A Biology Teacheronthe.Chick Project," Elizabeth Clark; "A Math Teacher on Discovering the Binomial Theorem,"Roger C. Ingraham. Joseph Turner Evaluation Institute for Services to Education iv Contents Preface Joseph Turner (IDEAS AND THEIR EXPRESSION) 1 UnlikE: the conventional approach, Willie T. Williams the thematic approach explores the Thadious Davis selected themes through the various Louise D. Stokes literary genre.... 6 First impressions were that the Willie T. Williams son was put out of his mother's house because he was a shiftless and disrespectful teenager. 12 Especially was I surprised that Iely Burkehead "Antigone" would have such popu- Thadious M. Davis larity with the sLudents. Louise D. Stokes 16 I started off with the "Responsi- Louise D. Stokes bility" theme, followed by "Chdice" last year and "Love" this year. 24 Chamber Theater proved an excellent Iely Burkehead practice for maintaining interest, Asalean Springfield for understanding point of view Erma G. Dozier and for understanding characteri- Francis Austin zation. Thadious M. Davis Missouri Torrence Dorothy Lee Jon Woodson Inez R. Morris Ruth A. Perry Mary L. Blackstock Louise D. Stokes Mark W. Booth B. Dilla Buckner (QUANTITATIVE AND ANALYTICAL THINKING) 31 To abstract a mathematical struc- Johnsie Posey ture from a real situation is far Bernis Barnes more important than just under- Calvin B. Browne standing the concept involved. Carolyn O. Chesson 35 "Guess my rule" is one of the best Roger Ingraham games. It led to the concept of do- maib, range, and function very nicely. 40 The topic most acclaimed success- Carl Whitman ful by students was the study and Bernis Barnes use of the time-sharing computer Margaret Artis terminals. Calvin B. Browne 43 After several attempts students Calvin B. Browne were able to theorize as to how Johnsie .Posey far they should be able to sus- Carl Whitman pend the top ruler. Carolyn O. Chesson 51 Students in a decentralized class- John Ernst room are better able to learn what Roger Ingraham they want and need to learn. Bernis Barnes Carolyn O. Chesson Janie C. Jordan William Groves (SOCIAL INSTITUTIONS) 61 Modernization.... Political Insti- Elmira B. Wicker tutions....The Poor: Alienttioix.... Minorities and their status: the Negro 68 Only the perennial triumvirate of Paul McBroom class discussions: sex/race/reli- gion, seems to work with easy. vi 72 Since Civil and Human Rights were Elmira B. Wicker issues in the political campaigns, Alice Archer the students held a mock court in Carolyn Cline which students played the roles of Joseph Bennett defense and prosecuting attorney Edward F. Rice representing students who had their Anne R. Phillips cases in court. Mary S. Brown 80 "The Autobiography of Malcolm X" Paul McBroom has stirred more out-of-class dis- Edward F.