Because Teaching Matters

by Marleen C. Pugach (University of Wisconsin )

• ISBN13: 9780471068181
• ISBN10: 0471068187
• Format: Hardcover
• Copyright: 2005-11-01
• Publisher: WILEY

Summary

The concept of making choices as a teacher and taking responsibility for the consequences of those choices is a central theme of this book. It is organized around five professional commitments that, taken together, are essential if teaching is going to make a difference in the lives of students. This innovative organizing structure uses the five commitments to help readers think in a more informed way about issues that affect their initial concerns when making the decision to teach as well as their professional development as teachers.

Author Biography

Marleen C. Pugach is Professor of Teacher Education in the Department of Curriculum and Instruction at the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee. In 2005, she received the Distinguished Alumni Award from the College of Education at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign.

Table of Contents

Teaching: A Career That Makes a Difference	p. 1
Five Professional Commitments to Guide the Choices You Make	p. 2
Learning from Multiple Sources of Knowledge	p. 3
Using the Curriculum Responsibly	p. 5
Crossing Your Own Familiar Borders to Embrace Diversity	p. 6
Meeting the Needs of Individual Students in the Context of the Classroom and the School	p. 7
Contributing Actively to the Profession	p. 7
The Role of Reflection and Action in the Choices You Make	p. 8
The Rewards and Demands of Making a Commitment to Teaching	p. 8
The Rewards of Teaching	p. 9
A Case in Point: Influencing the Lives of Students-A Teacher's Gift	p. 10
The Demands of Teaching	p. 11
Meeting Standards for Good Beginning Teachers	p. 12
Teaching: Is It Really for You?	p. 14
Making a Choice about the Kind of Teacher You Want to Be	p. 15
Learning from Multiple Sources of Knowledge	p. 17
Putting What You Already Know about Teaching into Perspective	p. 19
Five Kinds of Experience That Create Prior Knowledge about Teaching	p. 20
Knowledge about Teaching from Your Own Experience of Schooling	p. 20
Autobiographical Knowledge about Teaching	p. 23
A Case in Point: Natalie's Story	p. 25
Knowledge about Teaching from Working in Schools	p. 26
A Case in Point: From Paraprofessional to Teacher	p. 28
Knowledge about Teaching from Images in the Media	p. 29
Historical Note: Catharine Beecher's Image of Teachers	p. 31
Digging Deeper: Is Teaching a Science or an Art?	p. 34
Knowledge from Your Own Beliefs about Teaching	p. 35
Philosophical Note: The Role of a Philosophy of Teaching	p. 37
Observation and Interviewing: "Making the Familiar Strange"	p. 38
Making the Familiar Strange through Formal Classroom Observation	p. 38
Making the Familiar Strange through Interviewing	p. 44
Final Pointers on Observation and Interviewing	p. 45
Why It Counts	p. 46
Learning to Teach: What Does It Mean?	p. 53
The Research Is In: Good Teaching Matters	p. 54
Who Governs Teacher Licensure?	p. 56
What Do Prospective Teachers Study?	p. 57
Subject Matter Content	p. 58
Foundations of Education	p. 59
Pedagogy	p. 60
Field Experience in P-12 Classrooms	p. 61
Connecting the Elements of Teacher Education	p. 62
Reforming the Preparation of Teachers: A National Commitment	p. 62
Historical Note: Normal Schools and the Early History of Teacher Education	p. 63
From Coursework to Standards: Increasing Rigor in Teacher Education	p. 66
The Purpose of Standards in Teacher Education	p. 66
The Role of Portfolios in Standards-Based Teacher Education	p. 67
A Case in Point: How Portfolios Demonstrate What Teachers Know and Can Do	p. 69
Good Teacher Education: A Shared Responsibility between Schools and Universities	p. 70
A Case in Point: Working in a Professional Development School	p. 71
The New Role of Testing in Preparing Beginning Teachers-Help or Hindrance?	p. 72
Philosophical Note: An Essentialist View of Teaching and Teacher Education	p. 73
Accreditation of Teacher Education Programs	p. 74
National Accreditation	p. 74
Accreditation and Standards: The Road to Greater Professionalization?	p. 75
Digging Deeper: Do Standards and Accreditation Really Ensure Good Beginning Teachers?	p. 76
Preparing Enough Teachers: Responding to Teacher Shortages	p. 77
Shortages-A Cyclical Event in Teaching	p. 77
Alternate Routes: A Solution to the Shortage?	p. 78
After Formal Teacher Education: What Comes Next?	p. 80
Induction-The First Stage of Your Career	p. 81
A Case in Point: Mentoring a First-Year Teacher in an Urban School	p. 82
Renewing Your Teaching License	p. 84
Why It Counts	p. 84
Using the Curriculum Responsibly	p. 91
Deciding What to Teach	p. 93
Curriculum: A Multidimensional Concept	p. 95
The Explicit Curriculum-What It Is and Is Not	p. 95
Curriculum as What Is Taught	p. 96
Curriculum as What Is Learned	p. 97
What Isn't Taught-The Null Curriculum	p. 99
Curriculum Dilemmas	p. 100
Developing the Curriculum: How Does It Work?	p. 100
How Are Academic Content Standards Created?	p. 101
What Do Academic Content Standards Look Like?	p. 101
What Do Curriculum Guides Look Like?	p. 104
A Case in Point: Developing a Teaching Unit	p. 109
National Influences on Curriculum Development	p. 111
Historical Note: The Influence of National Committees on Schooling and the Curriculum	p. 111
Curriculum-Teaching with a Purpose	p. 112
Philosophical Note: John Dewey and the Progressive View of Education	p. 113
Beyond a Technical Approach-Special Curriculum Identities for Individual Schools	p. 115
Digging Deeper: The Role of Basic Skills in the Curriculum	p. 117
Making Sense of Standards, Accountability, and the Purposes of Curriculum	p. 118
The Role of Textbooks in the Curriculum	p. 120
How Teachers Use Textbooks	p. 120
Textbooks, Standards, and the Curriculum	p. 124
The Textbook Industry in the United States	p. 124
Why It Counts	p. 126
More Than "What Is Taught": School as a Social Institution	p. 133
The Power of the Hidden Curriculum	p. 135
The Hidden Curriculum and the School as a Culture	p. 136
Benefits of the Hidden Curriculum	p. 138
Liabilities of the Hidden Curriculum	p. 139
A Case in Point: Current Events as the Hidden Curriculum	p. 141
The Hidden Curriculum as a Commentary on the Social Purposes of Schooling	p. 142
The Current Societal Context	p. 142
Historical Note: The Emergence of the Common School	p. 143
Population and the Schools	p. 145
Changing Family Structures	p. 145
Child Abuse and Neglect	p. 151
Violence and the Schools	p. 152
Digging Deeper: Will Smaller High Schools Meet Students' Needs?	p. 156
Teen Pregnancy	p. 157
Drug and Alcohol Abuse	p. 158
Addressing Social Dynamics by Changing the Regularities of Schooling	p. 159
Redefining the Environment	p. 160
A Case in Point: The Salome Urena Middle Academies (Intermediate School 218), New York City	p. 162
The Teacher's Role in Promoting Competence	p. 164
Philosophical Note: Meeting Individual Needs through a Humanistic Philosophy of Education	p. 164
A Brief Word about the Extracurriculum	p. 165
Why It Counts	p. 166
Crossing Your Own Familiar Borders to Embrace Diversity	p. 173
Teaching Students Whose Race, Class, Culture, or Language Differs from Your Own	p. 175
What Changing Demographics in the United States Mean for Teachers	p. 176
Understanding Diversity as an Asset, Not a Deficit	p. 179
A Case in Point: Deficit or Asset?	p. 180
How Knowing about Your Students' Lives Helps You Teach	p. 181
Using Funds of Knowledge as a Resource for Student Learning	p. 183
Devaluing Students in School: How Does It Happen?	p. 184
What Teachers Communicate through Their Expectations	p. 185
Historical Note: The Brown v. Board of Education Supreme Court Decision	p. 187
What Schools Communicate through Academic Tracking	p. 188
A Case in Point: A Rude Awakening about Tracking	p. 190
Addressing Diversity of Language in the Classroom	p. 191
Digging Deeper: What about Bilingual Education?	p. 195
Rethinking Teaching as a Culturally Responsive Profession	p. 197
Culturally Responsive Teaching	p. 197
Why "Celebrating Difference" Is not Enough	p. 197
Beyond Cultural Knowledge-Multiple Perspectives and Social Transformation	p. 200
Philosophical Note: Transforming Society through Social Reconstructionism	p. 201
Recognizing Privilege and Power	p. 202
"Not Seeing Color" as a Problematic Response to Diversity	p. 203
A Special Responsibility-Teaching in a Monocultural School	p. 204
Why It Counts	p. 205
Teaching Students with Disabilities	p. 213
A Broad Commitment to Equity for Students with Disabilities	p. 215
Historical Note: Burton Blatt's Campaign to Expose Institutions for Mentally Retarded Persons	p. 216
Federal Mandates for Equity	p. 218
A Case in Point: Daniel Greenwood	p. 220
From Birth to Work: Extending the Age Range of Students in School	p. 221
Philosophical Note: The Inclusion Movement	p. 222
Does Labeling Students with Disabilities Help or Hinder a Teacher's Work?	p. 225
What Disability Categories Do and Do Not Provide for Teachers	p. 226
How Disability Labels Can Lead to Inequities	p. 228
Simplifying the Categories	p. 229
The Teacher's Role	p. 231
Building Classroom Communities Where Students with Disabilities Belong	p. 231
Being Flexible and Accommodating for Students with Disabilities	p. 232
Collaboration Among Teachers: The Key to Success	p. 233
The Goal: A Classroom Environment that Diminishes Differences	p. 236
Digging Deeper: What Kind of Curriculum is Best for Students with Disabilities?	p. 236
How Technology Can Help You Teach Students with Disabilities	p. 238
Integrating Assistive Technology into the Classroom	p. 238
Universal Design as a Strategy for Inclusion	p. 239
A Final Point about Assistive Technology and Disabilities	p. 240
Disability: The Same as or Different from Other Diversities?	p. 240
What about Educating Gifted and Talented Students?	p. 242
Why It Counts	p. 242
Meeting the Needs of Individual Students in the Context of the Classroom and the School	p. 249
Organizing Good Schools and Good Classrooms	p. 251
What Makes a Good School? What Makes a Good Classroom?	p. 253
In Good Schools, Students Are Motivated, Challenged, and Engaged	p. 253
Good Schools and Classrooms Are Communities of Learners	p. 254
Good Schools Know How Well They, and Their Students, Are Doing	p. 256
Rethinking School Organization to Meet Students' Needs	p. 257
The Traditional Approach: Age-Graded Classrooms and Curriculum	p. 258
Multi-Age Classrooms	p. 259
Looping	p. 260
Historical Note: One-Room Schools	p. 261
Year-Round Schools	p. 262
Class Size Reduction at the Elementary Level	p. 263
Block Scheduling at the High School Level	p. 265
Digging Deeper: Introducing Innovations into Schools	p. 266
The Small High Schools Movement	p. 267
Philosophical Note: Organizing Schools and Classrooms for Democracy	p. 270
A Recap: Different Organizational Patterns, Different Social Settings	p. 272
Rethinking Structures at the Classroom Level to Meet Student Needs	p. 272
How Technology Helps Meet Student Needs	p. 273
A Case in Point: Transforming a Sixth Grade Classroom with Technology	p. 276
Meeting Student Needs through Peer Tutoring	p. 278
Meeting Student Needs through Cooperative Learning	p. 278
How Paraprofessionals Help Meet Student Needs	p. 279
Why It Counts	p. 281
How Governing and Financing Schools Influence Teachers' Work	p. 289
Putting Governance into Perspective	p. 290
The Influence of Local Control of Schools on a Teacher's Work	p. 291
The Role of the Superintendent of Schools	p. 292
The Relationship between the School Board and the Superintendent	p. 293
Local School Board Policymaking	p. 293
Decision Making at the Building Level	p. 296
The Role of the Principal	p. 296
Local School Governance through Shared Decision Making	p. 297
Teachers' Leadership Roles in Schools	p. 298
Negotiated Decisions: The Role of Teachers' Unions	p. 298
Historical Note: Governing the Nation's Earliest Schools	p. 300
How State Governance Influences a Teacher's Work	p. 301
The Influence of the Federal Government in Education	p. 302
Direct Federal Involvement in Education Programs through Legislation	p. 303
A Case in Point: Title IX in Action?	p. 306
Court Decisions and Education	p. 308
Philosophical Note: The Separation of Church and State and Public Education	p. 308
The Influence of Other External Groups on Education Decisions	p. 310
Financing Education: How Dollars Make their Way to Schools, Teachers, and Students	p. 311
Inequities in School Funding	p. 313
From the Federal Government, the State, and the Community to the School	p. 313
Changing Views of the Governance and Control of Schools	p. 315
Digging Deeper: Strengthening or Weakening Public Schools through Choice?	p. 316
Home Schooling: Where Does it Fit?	p. 318
Why It Counts	p. 320
Contributing Actively to the Profession	p. 327
From Job to Profession: A Work in Progress	p. 329
The Profession/Job Conflict	p. 330
Defining the Tension	p. 330
Enduring Myths about Teaching	p. 334
Beyond the Myths: Teaching as a Profession	p. 335
Teaching as a Collaborative and More Public Form of Work	p. 336
Opening the Classroom Doors for Observation and Feedback	p. 337
Philosophical Note: Collaboration and Autonomy for Teachers	p. 338
Collaboration: A Shared Resource for Professional Dialogue	p. 339
Historical Note: The Emergence of Teachers' Organizations in the United States	p. 339
Teacher Leadership	p. 341
Mentoring as Teacher Leadership	p. 342
Coaching as Teacher Leadership	p. 343
Peer Review of Teaching as Teacher Leadership	p. 343
Teacher Leadership and the New Teacher Unionism	p. 344
Teachers as Researchers	p. 344
How do Teachers Conduct Their Own Research?	p. 345
A Case in Point: Yolanda's Research on Teaching Writing in a Middle School Language Arts Class	p. 347
Why Is Teacher Research a Sign of Increased Professionalism?	p. 348
Recognizing Accomplished Teaching through the National Board for Professional Teaching Standards	p. 349
Digging Deeper: Differentiated Pay for Teachers?	p. 352
The Role of Networking in Professional Growth and Development	p. 353
Accountability and Control in the Profession of Teaching	p. 355
Time to Grow, Time to Lead	p. 356
Why It Counts	p. 357
Ethical and Legal Issues in the Work of Teaching	p. 365
Trust: The Basic Moral Obligation of Teachers	p. 367
The Multiple Dimensions of Trust	p. 368
Philosophical Note: Nel Noddings and the Ethic of Care	p. 370
Creating and Maintaining Trusting Relationships	p. 372
The Teacher as Advocate	p. 374
Ethical Considerations at the Teacher-to-Teacher Level	p. 376
A Case in Point: Unwanted Advice	p. 376
The School as an Ethical Community	p. 377
A Case in Point: In or Out of the Teachers' Lounge?	p. 377
Ethical Behavior, Codes of Ethics, and Standards of Professional Practice	p. 380
The Role of Codes of Ethics for Teachers	p. 380
The Ethics of Recommending Candidates for Teaching	p. 380
Historical Note: The Moral Context in Colonial Schools	p. 383
How Legal Issues Influence Teachers' Ethical Practice	p. 384
Students' Rights to Free Expression of Opinions	p. 385
Privacy and Confidentiality	p. 386
Reporting Child Abuse and Neglect	p. 387
Corporal Punishment	p. 387
Search and Seizure	p. 388
Religion in the Schools	p. 389
Digging Deeper: The Persistent Debate over Teaching Evolution	p. 390
Fair Use and Copyright Issues	p. 392
The Personal versus the Professional as an Ethical Issue for Teachers	p. 393
Personal Beliefs and Inclusivity in Public Schools	p. 393
Personal Beliefs and the Curriculum	p. 393
Why It Counts	p. 394
Becoming a Teacher: New Visions and Next Steps	p. 401
Reflecting on Your Views and Beliefs, Assessing Your Progress	p. 401
A Lifetime of Professional Growth and Development	p. 403
Reflection: An Enduring Habit	p. 403
Incorporating New Developments in Teaching and Learning	p. 404
School or Districtwide Professional Development	p. 406
Setting Short- and Long-Term Goals	p. 406
Becoming an Informed Professional	p. 407
Challenges on the Horizon in Education	p. 408
Global Education	p. 408
Foreign Language Education	p. 410
Resegregation of Schools	p. 411
The Future of Public Education	p. 412
Finding Your First Teaching Position: Smart Preparation Pays Off	p. 413
Take Your Preparation Seriously	p. 413
Make Your Portfolio Count	p. 414
Become an Informed Job Applicant	p. 415
Prepare for Your Job Interviews	p. 416
What Counts for You Now in Teaching?	p. 417
Glossary	p. 419
References	p. 423
Name Index	p. 435
Subject Index	p. 438
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