Building a community of learners: Manhattan College Elementary Education Program

Teacher Education Quarterly, Winter 2003 by Evans, Judith, Nicholson, Karen

Developing a community of learners is important to any educational environment whether that setting is an individual classroom, a school, or a teacher education program (Peterson, 1992). Our purpose is to discuss the evolution of a community of learners within a recently created Elementary Education Program at Manhattan College, a small liberal arts college located in the Riverdale section of New York City. The first graduates completed the program in May 1999.

Manhattan College was founded in 1853 upon the Lasallian Catholic tradition of excellence in teaching, respect for individual dignity, and commitment to social justice inspired by the innovator of modern pedagogy, John Baptist de la Salle. Other elements of a Lasallian identity which are particularly relevant for the School of Education include the emphasis on the importance of good student-teacher and student-student relationships and commitment to the underprivileged. In light of this Lasallian tradition, "the mission of Manhattan College is to provide a contemporary personcentered educational experience characterized by high academic standards, reflection on values and principles, and preparation for a life-long career" (Manhattan College Catalog, 1999-00).

The philosophy of the School of Education is closely related to the Mission of the College and can be described as Humanistic Dialectical Constructivism. Humanism as developed in the work of Rogers (1969), Freiberg (1994), Maslow (1970), and Combs (1984), is a philosophy that emphasizes the importance ofthe individual's emotions and feelings, attitudes, values, and interpersonal skills including open communication and the value of every student. This translates into an environment where students feel safe and secure, and where they are valued and feel that they belong.

There are many models of constructivism grounded in the research of Piaget, Vygotsky, Bruner, and the Gestalt psychologist Bartlett as well as the philosophy of John Dewey. They all emphasize the active role of the learner in building understanding and making sense of information. However, the view most closely aligned with the philosophy of the Education Programs at Manhattan College is dialectical constructivism-which is the view that locates the source of knowledge in the interaction between learners and the environment. It is the branch of constructivism that suggests that knowledge grows through the interactions of internal (cognitive) and external (environmental and social) factors. Vygotsky's description of cognitive development through the internalization and use of cultural tools such as language is an example of dialectical constructivism. In this model, knowledge reflects the outside world as filtered through and influenced by culture, language, beliefs, interactions with others, direct teaching, and modeling. As in any constructivist approach the education programs support (Woolfolk 1998, page 356).

* complex, challenging learning environments and authentic tasks;

* social negotiation and shared responsibility as a part of learning;

* multiple representations of content;

* understanding that knowledge is constructed; and

* student-centered instruction (Driscol, 1994; Marshall, 1992 in Woolfolk, 347).

Context and Historical Background of the Program

Manhattan College is located in Community School District 10 which is the largest of the 32 community school districts in New York City. Community School District 10 schools are used extensively as sites for pre-student teaching and student teaching for the education program. The district serves over 41,000 students enrolled in 44 schools representing 108 countries. Thirty-four percent of the students are classified as Limited English Proficient (LEP), which is almost twice the rate of New York City. The ethnic makeup of the district is overwhelmingly Hispanic (66 percent), with 21 percent African American, 4 percent AsianAmerican and only 7 percent White. The district continues to undergo rapid changes due to the influx of immigrants (Community, 1999).

The Education Program at Manhattan College is 25 percent minority with the largest percentage (14 percent) being Hispanic. Many of our students come from homes where English is not the dominant language. Although Spanish is the most common foreign language among our students, other countries of origin include Ireland, Greece, Poland, Italy, Jordan, India, Haiti, Dominican Republic, Sri Lanka, Columbia, and Nigeria. Additionally, many of our students are first or second generation in this country. While our students are a mosaic in terms of the richness of their backgrounds and cultural diversity many share a common background, the Catholic School System. As has been frequently documented in the literature by sources including Lortie in Myers (1995), Arends (1998), and Joyce and Calhoun (1998), an individual's prior personal experience in schools is a primary factor shaping his/her view of what constitutes a positive classroom and effective teaching.