Is your school PDS material?

Teaching Pre K-8, Feb 1996 by Cook, Jimmie

One of the more intriguing educational constructs discussed at schools and universities today is the Professional Development School (PDS). It's a departure from the past in that it demands a full partnership between a public school and a college of education. There are no professors "telling how" and no classroom teachers taking notes or waiting breathlessly for words of wisdom to flow from the ivory tower. It's a concept that recognizes the incredible value of classroom teachers in training pre-service teachers.

A potential for change. A PDS requires that a college of education and one or two schools agree to work together -a refreshing departure from the way most colleges mistreated public schools in the past. In the past, we faculty at colleges of education would, with your consent of course, assign student teachers to work with your faculty; we would even send whole classes to observe or work with your students.

It was decidedly one-sided: We sent our students to you and you worked with them on top of the already formidable demands you had to meet. It worked well for us; we had very little responsibility.

The PDS, on the other hand, demands that you receive as much as you give. For example, a college professor who may be teaching one or two methods courses -- perhaps reading and children's literature -- will be assigned to your fourth grade class (or whatever grade you teach). The students in the professor's two classes would spend at least one-third of the semester in your fourth grade classroom working with the youngsters who are assigned to them to enhance their reading skills or introduce them to the joys of children's literature. The college professor would also be present at the elementary school to supervise his or her students and monitor the progress of the tutor/tutee relationships.

While the college professor is in your fourth grade classroom, you would leave your elementary school and travel to the university campus to teach a methods class in social studies (for which you would receive extra compensation). In turn, you'll bring your college students to your class of fourth graders so that the older students can assist your fourth graders with their geography skills. Meanwhile, in the third, fifth and sixth grade rooms at your elementary school, a similar thing is happening: there are four student teachers being supervised by college personnel. The college faculty members will observe the student teachers, help them in their planning and offer suggestions for improvement.

Open communication. At least one afternoon a month, the college faculty, their students and the in-service teachers sit down for a meeting that will last an hour or more. During that time, the in-service teachers express any concerns they may have about the program and make suggestions for further tutorials of their students. The college faculty may offer to teach a series of lessons in their field of expertise on any morning or afternoon they happen to be visiting the school for any teacher who would like to have them.

While this meeting occurs, the faculty liaison from the college meets with a committee of elementary school teachers representing the various grade levels to plan the next semester's requirements. They will also agree upon the number of student teachers who will participate in the program, the people who will be cooperating teachers, and the particular classes that may be chosen to host the student teachers.

Scheduled for the next day is a visit of 16 college students who will spend two mornings a week in the elementary school during the coming semester. These students are doing independent studies or non-scheduled classes; the university and the public school agree that these students will be better served if they spend their mornings working with small groups of children.

During the next week, three college faculty and four classroom teachers will journey to San Diego for the annual National Council of Teachers of English conference. They are jointly presenting research results of a year-long program on teaching writing to third graders.

Becoming a PDS. You'll probably agree that this is a wonderful way to train future teachers. It offers a unique opportunity to college and public school faculties to interact as peers and truly learn from each other. So, how does your school become a PDS?

First, contact a university in your area and suggest the idea. Not everyone will be interested, but if they are, you must be prepared to demonstrate that you offer opportunities other public schools might not. No, it isn't equipment or a nicely groomed building that will attract them to your school; rather, they'll be drawn to you based on your professionalism.

For example, one school I'm currently involved with (Houston Elementary School in Spartanburg, SC) has a principal and faculty that believe they are some of the finest teachers in the country. They very well may be. My faculty and I are invited to this school to observe, teach and share ideas with colleagues.