Professional partnerships in social education: A Challenging labyrinth for educators

Journal of Social Studies Research, Fall 1998 by Christensen, Lois McFadyen, Dennis, Mary Beth

Abstract

Participants in this study were involved in two elementary school/university partnerships which were focused on social studies education. This interpretive study reports inservice teachers' responses to questions regarding those matters that support or that interfere with successful partnershps between schools and universities,in this case Professional Development Schools (PDS). The componensin service teachers cited as necessary for successful collaborative efforts, the barriers to such success, and comments regarding the advantages of such partnerships were candidly related. Specic characteristics and participants' contributions at both elementary school sites are noted to complement the reflective discourse of partnerships.

At the beginning of this study social studies teachers were asked to comment about Professional Development Schools (PDS) and the partnership of public schools and the university. One teacher observed:

We need to have patience, because this is a new thing for us. That is the basic foundation for teaching...for a university educator or an elementary educator. You need patience with the children and patience with the whole process. This is new and some things are going to work and some things are not.

Another teacher further noted:

It is necessary to have a good attitude, a willingness to work together, making sacrifices where necessary and having mutual respect.

Introduction

Professional Development Schools

Professional Development Schools are entities focused upon and striving for renewal, while aimed toward inservice, preservice teachers, and university educators collaboratively building knowledge about more effective teaching and learning. The preeminent intention of PDS is to improve the quality of educational settings, and ultimately attaining higher achievement for students in the settings.

Opportunities for inservice teachers, school administrators, university personnel as well as preservice teachers are provided in educational settings that explicitly endeavor to nurture professionalism and collaboration. Underlying this educative atmosphere is a commitment to establish effective learning and sound pedagogical practice by elementary school and university personnel to enhance preservice teacher education. The Holmes Group (1990) has encouraged school and university partnerships to improve preservice teacher preparation.

Jointly, inservice teachers and university personnel facilitate teaching and learning opportunities for preservice teachers to forge authentic connections between the reality of the elementary classroom setting and the underlying theory taught in the university classroom.

At the heart of the professional development school model is a constructivist theoretical approach to learning. Black and Ammon (1992), Brooks and Brooks (1993) and Brown, Collins and Duguid (1989) support the prospect that when learners engage in the act of analyzing events within a contextual environment, they actively come to know. A constructivist process of learning provides various opportunities for learners to explore phenomena, make conjectures, and remodel thinking in order to revise their prior constructions of knowledge (O'Neil, 1992). Constructivist learning is based on a view that understandings are achieved through one's relevant, sensory life experience in context rather than from discrete facts passively received from another (Black & Ammon, 1992). Knowledge is constructed through a systematic cognitive process whereby sensory information is interpreted within and about a given situated context. Social and cultural mores support the construction of knowledge (Brown, Collins, & Duguid, 1989; Eisner, 1991). This theoretical approach is closely related to "digging below the surface" to uncover the enigmatic aspects within the lived experience of the classroom. Examining perceptions, interpretations, problem-solving and meaning-making in and about classroom contexts characterize the PDS ideology.

Professional Development Journeys Educational professional development is a uniquely personal journey for each constituent as they attempt to make sense out of a combination of factors influencing elementary teaching. These factors include preservice teacher preparation, the complexities of the school culture, past educational experiences, the body of literature and research about curriculum and instruction, and the expertise extended through collaborating with other professionals and other data sources. Glickman (1990) emphasized that the growth of teachers is an individual process. The starting place for professional development is where the teacher is in his/her development as a teacher. As "growing adults," they will continue to be learners as they are presented with opportunities to interact with other professionals in educational environments.

The literature suggests that there are many aspects which influence, both negatively and positively, the development of successful professional collaboration. Collaborative professional journeys with numerous participants are complex. The barriers and gateways invoke the image of navigating within a labyrinth. A labyrinth is an age-old geometrically balanced mystical tradition, a metaphor for growth and discovery. As an image for a journey, a labyrinth is a tool for integration and transformation as it leads participants to the center for reflection. Those who travel together in the labyrinth may find themselves near each other at times, or find that they are alone on the journey. Such is the transformative nature of a PDS alliance. There are three stages in walking amid a labyrinth: the going in, being in the center, and going out of it. When one enters the labyrinth, agendas which may hinder growth are encountered. In the center, participants reflect on the barriers and gateways of the journey, and upon exiting they are empowered to reenter professional life renewed.