Expectations+for+Professors

NELA Professors teach graduate level courses in programs that prepare educational leaders. Our teaching philosophy stems from Constructivism, an epistemology that values developmentally appropriate, facilitator-supported learning. Constructivists posit that humans learn or construct meaning from current knowledge structures. They value the uniqueness of individual students and require students to be actively involved in the learning process (Von Glasersfeld, 1989; Wertsch 1997). In the constructivist classroom, the instructor and the learners are equally involved in learning from each other (Holt & Willard-Holt, 2000). Learners construct knowledge in social environments (Vygotsky) and over time develop new cognitive structures or schemas (Piaget).

In our courses, we adopt a constructivist approach and utilize a “liberatory pedagogy” (Freire, 1970, 1998; Giroux, 1997, 1996, 1988; Illich, 1971, 1974; Shor & Freire, 1987). Liberatory pedagogy differs from traditional methodologies in that in liberatory education, the teacher(s) gradually withdraws as the sole director of learning and passes authority on to the students. Students then emerge as co-directors of the curriculum, contributing their own experiences, knowledge, and expertise. We believe this is particularly critical in working with adult students who are experienced educators – they each add a valuable and unique perspective that is essential to quality graduate level learning.

Since we believe that experiential learning is best, any lectures are brief. The majority of class time is spent in discussions, small group collaborative work, and student led discussions and presentations (peer teaching). Many of the issues addressed in class are controversial or do not have a “correct” answer. Therefore, we dedicate a significant portion of class time to group discussion and dialogue. This approach allows students to examine their own perspectives and subject their beliefs and positions to public scrutiny. Further, it helps to meet the needs of students with various styles of learning and types of intelligences. Since all education is political and teachers generally develop courses around their convictions, a liberatory approach helps diminish the amount of passive transference of knowledge and empowers students to be actively involved in their own development as lifelong learners.
 * 1) An “open door” policy; Fellows are encouraged to contact professors with questions, thoughts, and feedback throughout the course
 * 2) Agendas with outcomes, activities, and times prior to each class; these may be emailed to Fellows or posted on the Moodle
 * 3) Rubrics outlining the expectations for all major assignments and course grades (when letter grades are expected)
 * 4) Summative feedback at the end of each semester during an individual meeting; the feedback takes into account all coursework, projects, observations of Fellows, and comments from mentor & coach
 * 5) Timely feedback* on assignments, including:
 * Phases 3, 4 and 5 of the Internship Project
 * Developmental Projects
 * Formative Assessment Day activities
 * High School Turnaround Project
 * DLP Presentations
 * Wiki Digital Portfolio
 * Final Internship Project presentation

*Note: When feedback will not be provided, Fellows will be notified in advance.

<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Freire, P. (1970). Pedagogy of the oppressed. Continuum: New York. <span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Freire, P. (1998). Pedagogy of freedom: Ethics, democracy, and civic courage. Rowman & Littlefield Publishers: Lanham. <span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Giroux, H. A. (1996). Counternarratives: Cultural studies and critical pedagogies in postmodern spaces. Routledge, New York. <span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Giroux, H. A. (1997). Pedagogy and the politics of hope: Theory, culture, and schooling: A critical reader. Westview Press: Boulder, CO. <span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Giroux, H. A. (1988). Teachers as intellectuals: Toward a critical pedagogy of learning. Bergin & Garvey: Granby, MA. <span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Illich, I. (1971). Deschooling society. New York, Harper & Row. <span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Illich, I. (1974). Energy and equity. New York: Harper & Row. <span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Rowan, B. Miskel, C.G. (1999). Institutional theory and the study of educational organizations. In J. Murphy and K. Seashore Louis (Eds.). Handbook of research of educational administration. Jossey-Bass: San Francisco. 359-383. <span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Shor, I. & Freire, P. (1987). A pedagogy for liberation: Dialogues on transforming education. Bergin & Garvey Publishers: South Hadley, MA. <span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">von Glasersfeld, E. (1989) Abstraction, representation, and reflection. In L. P. Steffe (Ed.).Epistemological foundations of mathematical experience. New York: Springer. <span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Wertsch, J.V (1997). Vygotsky and the formation of the mind. MA: Cambridge Press.
 * <span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">References **