Partnership Building Building a Partnership with a Rural School District Serving Native American Children

Main Goals school improvement teacher education, and veteran teacher development

Specific Goals problems of teaching & learning intercultural and interethnic learning needs Pre-service teacher field experience Professional Development Schools (PDSs) to prepare culturally competent teachers recruitment of underrepresented groups into teacher education

Seven Project Phases To date, 3 phases out of 7 completed

Phase 1 Negotiating the working relationships –December 2000: Fact-finding visits to Grand Ronde & Warm Springs Reserves –January (2001): Visit of Pacific U. School of Education Dean (Willard) Director of Service Learning (Ellen), Daniel & Seth to Grand Ronde. –February (2001): Same team to Warm Springs

Phase 2 Widening the web –February 2001: A conversation with Willamina School District Problem Identification & Priority Setting Exercises –March 2001: Workshops based on group discussions

Phase 2 (contd.) –April 2001: Priority setting exercises –Fundamental & specific suggestions to deal with priorities

Phase 3 May 2001: Strategies

Phase 4 Funding Sources –August 2001: Grant Writing proposals

Phase 5: Definition of Action Projects Deciding on action projects Ongoing participation in school improvement and teacher development

Phase 6 Professional Development Schools (PDSs).

PDS Site Staff PDS Site Students in the Classroom Cluster Field Experience University Students Ed. Theories & Pedagogical Methods University Faculty PDS on-site facilitator Professional Development School (PDS) Model

PDS (contd.) –An integrated professional development and school reform process. –Concurrent process of pre-service teacher education, veteran teacher development and school improvement.

Phase 6 (contd.) Emphasis on collaboration –Activities required at all levels to cope with learning and teaching, from the public school to the school of education classroom. –shared decision-making within schools and between schools and universities, and collaborative research among teachers, students and teacher educators.

PDS Overarching Goals The PDS model will: improvement of pre-service and novice teachers. on-going professional growth of veteran teachers. ongoing exchange of pedagogical knowledge and skills. help share knowledge, plan as a team and reflect collectively.

Phase 7: Collective Education Activities (Transformational Learning Model Collaborative research A Center for: – disseminating information about pedagogy and technology –Grasping content and professional elements and conditions of learning and teaching Exchange of ideas between school teachers, researchers, administrators, students and university faculty

Transformational Learning Model Transformational Learning--New frames of teacher learning that professionalize and enhance the learning of pre-service teachers, veteran teachers and teacher educators: Learning by teaching Learning by doing Learning by collaborating

Transformational Learning  University students, Public school staff, and University faculty will each acquire additional knowledge and new understandings of pedagogy.  Cluster students and public school teachers collaborate to enhance pupil learning and improve teaching practices of students, teachers and college faculty.

Implications for SOE/Pacific University  Reallocation of existing resources and new resources are obtained e.g., University supports priority hiring of PDS site staff as adjunct faculty Cost share for transportation, etc. to PDS sites.

 Policies require students to participate in teacher education learning communities/clusters. enable cohort groups of students to be established. recognize participation of area public school staff as valuable in-service professional development partners in teacher education and encourage further their involvement in PDS initiatives.

Policies that support university faculty teaching field-based courses Flexibility within systems geared toward traditional teacher preparation

Learning Communities/PDS Work and Scholarship Learning communities are participatory action research from which data can be obtained as new knowledge capable of being disseminated through publication.