The School of Education STURDY
Model (Student-centered Teaching for Understanding,
with Reflection and Diversity for Youth)
This model is the foundation for the conceptual
framework of the NMHU School of
Education.
Teaching for Understanding
Teaching for understanding means taking
students as they arrive in our classroom,
building on knowledge, skills, and experience
to reach the desired understanding.
Teaching for understanding has been expanded
to include the notion of backwards
curriculum development. It is necessary to
identify the desired outcomes before developing
a curriculum (and in our case, syllabus
for a course). We ask ourselves, What evidence
would demonstrate that the student
has achieved the desired outcome? Given
that information, the instructor develops
a series of lessons, activities, and learning
experiences to reach those goals. A student
who has achieved true understanding can
explain, predict, apply or adapt, justify,
critique, judge, make connections, and avoid
common misconceptions.
Teaching for Reflection
Reflective teaching assumes an active role
for the instructor that of a reflective practitioner.
The reflective teacher focuses not
only on content, but on the interaction of the
learner with that content, on the teaching
environment and classroom culture, the
teacher’s own behavior and the student’s
reactions to it, and on the class in the larger
context of the school, community, etc. The
ultimate goal is continual renewal of the
teaching practice.
Teaching for Diversity
The faculty of the Teacher Preparation
Program at NMHU recognizes that in order
to prepare pre-service teachers for successful
and effective instruction in our nation’s
public schools, the issue of equity in education
should be addressed. A well-prepared
teacher should be able to deliver quality
instruction in any diverse setting. Preparation
for quality instruction begins with culturally
responsive teaching through a comprehensive
approach, rather than a particular
method to be added to other techniques.
The faculty also extend the traditional definition
of culture to a broader scope so as to
include a great number of characteristics in
an individual which may result in bias from
others. Such characteristics include, but
are not limited to, race, ethnicity, religion,
socioeconomic status, educational level,
sexual orientation, age, area of origin, varying
ability, gender, or language. The ultimate
goal of education for diversity is to provide
equity among students through the practice
of presenting and giving voice to diverse
perspectives in the classroom. |
