There is no debate that the twenty-first century classroom is a complex social construct. Classroom educators have been charged with the task to create, reform, eliminate, restructure, and reassess their approach to teaching, particularly in the urban classroom. These efforts to shape the American classroom teacher into an agent for social change reflect broader efforts to shape American society, in general, and American schools particularly. Some of the profound effects of teaching reflect decisions that on the surface were not about education at all but about larger social issues affecting students: immigration, poverty, health concerns, racial and gender identity, and social justice initiatives. As a means of exploring transformative teaching and learning in the classroom, we created a new model for the education doctorate that utilizes a single question throughout the program: How can experienced educators gain the knowledge, skills, and dispositions necessary to address one of the nation’s greatest and most challenging problems - closing achievement gaps among struggling learners and mitigate factors that impede the learning of underserved populations?

Authors:
Patricia Walsh Coates, Kutztown University of Pennsylvania, United States

About the Presenter(s)
Dr Patricia Walsh Coates is a University Assistant Professor/Lecturer at Kutztown University of Pennsylvania in United States

See this presentation on the full schedule – Saturday Schedule

Bookmark