Overview
Ferris State University
Ferris State University (FSU), named after
Woodbridge N. Ferris, an educational visionary, educates
students by preparing them to be lifelong learners and
supporting their career paths in a rapidly changing and diverse
world. FSU’s University Mission Statement is to be a
national leader in providing opportunities for innovative
teaching and learning in career-oriented, technological, and
professional education.
Three values are key to FSU’s
mission:
Career-oriented – FSU is
recognized for an applied approach to meeting the employment
needs of the country in selected careers and majors. The word
“career” applies to the lifelong learning needs of graduates,
including traditional liberal arts degrees as well as
“vocationally/ occupationally oriented” programs.
Student-learner focus – FSU’s
places the educational needs of students at the forefront of
decisions affecting academic programming. The University
seeks to help students learn, through hands-on applied
experiential and other learning opportunities planned and guided
by faculty committed first and foremost to students.
Opportunity – FSU maintains a
commitment to students to provide the opportunity for achieving
a college degree. Students who are sufficiently prepared benefit
from the education and services available at Ferris. A diverse
student population, faculty, and staff are essential to our
success in providing opportunity. In the words of Woodbridge
Ferris, “the opportunity is for those that are willing to work
hard”—it is not for everyone.
The academic
values listed below further identify beliefs and commitments
that under gird academic planning and decision-making, academic
programs and services, and the teaching-learning process at Ferris
State University.
FSU Academic Values:
Quality, student-centered education
characterized by:
- Active learning.
- Use of appropriate
instructional technology and information resources.
- Direct interaction between
faculty and students in classes, academic advising, and
extracurricular activities.
- Clear performance expectations
and outcomes, with sufficient flexibility to accommodate
individual differences in professional goals and interests.
- Instructional strategies and
support services to meet the needs of diverse learning styles
and student populations (e.g., gifted, international,
non-traditional, disadvantaged).
Collaborative relationships with business,
industry, professions, government, community, and other educational
and institutional partners.
Intellectual and professional growth and
development of students, faculty, and staff.
Social, cultural, and academic diversity.
Pursuit of knowledge for its own sake and
for its beneficial application to the individual, business and
industry, professions, community, and humanity.
Lifelong learning for personal and
professional growth.
Effort, integrity, collaboration, civility,
and open communication within the academic community.
School of
Education
FSU has been involved in the preparation
of teachers since its creation over 100 years ago. Master's
degree programs for teachers were fully authorized almost 20
years ago. Over the years, as its mission and programs have
evolved, the name of the professional education unit has
changed. The SOE enrolls approximately 1,200 students in its
professional programs.
Within the Mission
of the School of Education is the set of
Core Beliefs and Values held by its faculty, staff and
administrators, and hopefully, its students. Some of these core
beliefs and values speak to how we strive to behave in fulfilling
our professional role in the college; others are more relevant to
how we behave in dealing with each other, our students and our
professional colleagues in school and related agencies.
Our Conceptual
Framework-Knowledge Base
Practitioners often question the role that
research should have in school decision-making and policies. Several
knowledge base frameworks have been influential to the faculty in
creating the knowledge base for the School of Education. These are
The American Association of Colleges of Teacher Education (AACTE)'s
Knowledge Base for Beginning Teachers (Reynolds, 1989) and the
Association of Teacher Educators (ATE)'s Handbook of Research on
Teacher Education (Houston, 1990). The knowledge based used by the
School of Education is based on research in the cognitive theory,
developmental psychology, and social and behavioral learning.
Theoretical Perspective
The overarching theoretical perspective of
the SOE is grounded in cognitive, developmental, and socio-economic
conceptualizations of teaching and learning. This theoretical
perspective is guided by the following fundamental conceptual
frameworks.
- Curriculum should be integrated and
interdisciplinary in nature (Dewey, 1904).
- The classroom and curriculum should be
student-centered (Darling-Hammond, 1996)
- "Cognitive dissonance" (Piaget, 1970) and
"scaffolding" (Vygotsky, 1978) help students become engaged
learners directed toward independence.
- Learning is a dynamic, fluid, reflective
and ongoing process (Dewey, 1904, 1933; Getzels, 1979; Schon,
1983; Senge, 1990)
- Learning is a developmental process
(Bruner, 1961; Pigaet, 1970; Kohlberg, 1976; Erikson, 1959)
Teaching is a
socio-cultural-economic and political activity grounded in the class
and schooling, as well as other domains of knowledge related to the
development of educational professionals. We know that
accomplished teaching involves making difficult choices, exercising
careful judgment and honoring the complex nature of the educational
mission. Teachers employ technical knowledge and skill, yet
must be mindful of teaching's ethical dimensions. They must
acquire and employ a repertoire of instructional methods and
strategies, yet remain critical and reflective about their practice,
drawing lessons from experience. Teachers' professional
responsibilities focus on instructing the students in their
immediate care, while they participate as well in wider activities
within the school and in partnership with parents and the community.
Based upon the policy statement in 1989, What Teachers Should Know
and Be Able To Do, the National Board of Professional Teaching
Standards (NBPTS), the School of Education supports the five
propositions and believes that they serve as a guide to us in
strengthening the intiial and ongoing education of America's
teachers.
Teachers know the subject they teach and
how to teach those subjects to students. (Technology)
Teachers think systematically about their
practice and learn from experience. (Experiential)
Teachers are responsible for managing and
monitoring student learning. (Awareness)
Teachers are members of learning
communities. (Collaborative)
Teachers are committed to students and
their learning. (Holistic)
Therefore, this following framework is the
foundation of our program, which philosophically supports the
development of knowledgeable, strategic, reflective leaders in
the profession of education. Designed within the constructs of
our knowledge base are interwoven strands, which support the
research and values of our programs. The five strands of
TEACH include:
Technology
The introduction of computers, the internet and other technologies
into schools is occurring at the same time that decades of research
in the cognitive sciences has increased our understanding of how
people learn.As new technologies and delivery systems emerge and
become more readily available and less expensive, they will likely
serve as catalyst for ensuring that new approaches to teaching and
learning will gain a firm foothold in schools. Since new
paradigms have not yet fully emerged, it is currently up to teachers
to provide the models of technological exploration and
usage. Adhering to the National Standards for Technology in Teacher
Preparation developed by the International Society for Technology in
Education (ISTE), it is important that teachers acquire competencies
in basic computer/technology operations, in personal and
professional uses of technology, and in the application of
technology for instruction.
Experiential
Dewey (1938) proposed the need for education to turn away from
traditional, classroom-based education in which mind and world are
separated. Rather, he agruded, effective education should be
integrative, allowing the student the opportunity to find (and
construct) meaning in experiences that reflect life outside of
school. Kolb (1984) in Experiential Learning: Experience as the
Source of Learning and Development, was explicit in stating, "
learning is the process whereby knowledge is created through the
transformation of experience." As with Bruner's active learning, our
framework reflects the importance of experiential learning through
collaborative inquiry, problem-posing and problem solving, service
learning, practicum and field experiences.
Awareness
An effective professional education/teacher should possess a keen
understanding of each of the factors that influence individual
differences (Slavin) as well as those social elements which form the
foundation of diversity of society (Banks) in order to effectively
manage and monitor student learning. Awareness assumes knowledge and
appreciation of individual differences among learners as well as
sensitivity to how these differences impact the learning
process. Additionally, given that cultural diversity characterizes
society and that the cultural differences are reflected within
society, teacher preparation should be designed from a multicultural
perspective.
Collaborative
A great deal of research has been conducted relative to the concept
and instructional method of collaborative learning or grouping and
pairing of students for the purpose of student achievement. Dialogue
provides the basis for examining different perspectives so that
students become knowledgeable, strategic, self-determined, and
caring. This focus on the constructed and collective knowledge
changes the roles and ways of being students and teachers in the
classroom setting. Collaborative classrooms have four general
characteristics (Tinzmann, Jones, Fennimore, Bakker, Fine, and
Pierce, 1990):
- Shared knowledge among
teachers and students
- Shared authority among
teachers and students
- Teachers as mediators
- Heterogeneous groupings of
students
Education does not exist within a discrete
location but rather is now situated within a larger, more global
setting. Purposeful learning is no longer a solitary process
but involves interacting with others to investigate issues,
questions, and problems. Because teaching and learning is primarily
a social and developmental process, teachers should develop and
maintain relationship across all community aspects (e.g.,
schools and universities, businesses and public and private
agencies).
Holistic
Holistic education in the SOE is based on the works of Pestalozzi,
Thoreau, Emerson, Montessori, Steiner. The purpose of education is
to provide real-world experiences so that students can connect to
and make meaning of new knowledges. Holistic education
nurtures learning as an exploratory, life-long journey so that
students have multiple opportunities and ways to connect their
knowledge to their larger community and world.
Bruner, J.S.
(1969). The process of education. Cambridge, MA: Harvard University
Press.
Erikson, E.H. (1987). A way of looking at things: Selected papers
from 1930-1980. New York: Norton.
Dewey, J. (1938). Experience and education. New York: Macmillan.
Gardner, H. (1985). Frames of mind. New York: Basic Books.
Houston, W.R. (1990). Handbook of research on teacher education. A
project of the Association of Teacher Educators. New York:
Macmillan. ED 318 747.
Kolb, D. (1984). Experiential learning: Experience as the source of
learning and development. Englewood Cliff, NJ: Prentice-Hall.
Reynolds, M.C. (1989). Knowledge base for beginning teacher.
Oxford,: Pergamon Press. ED 312 247
M.B. Tinzmann, B.F. Jones, T.F. Fennimore, J. Bakker, C. Fine, and
J. Pierce (1990). What Is the Collaborative Classroom? NCREL, Oak
Brook.
Sharing the
Conceptual Framework with Faculty, Staff, and Students
The SOE recently redesigned the TEACH
logo so as to better familiarize and share the conceptual framework
with our faculty, staff, and students. This logo will be used
on the school's website, department stationery, brochures, syllabi,
etc.
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