PCC News

Partners in Context & Community

September 25, 2001    Volume 1, Issue 1

v Welcome

v Director's Statement - "Hopes and Goals" ( by Bob Midden) 

v Student Profile ( by James J. Myers, Jr.)

v DiscoverCTL - "An Introduction" ( by Robert G. Berns) 

v Lunchbox Series

"The great aim of education is not knowledge, but action."

-Herbert Spencer

Welcome to the first issue of the PCC News.  

The purpose of this newsletter is to keep you informed of the happenings within the Partners in Context & Community Project.  Each issue will feature a letter from the Director, an update on DiscoverCTL, a PCC Student Profile, and much more!  

We hope you enjoy this issue and if you have any questions, comments and/or suggestions please contact Susan Smith by phone at 372-9443 or by e-mail at slsmith@bgnet.bgsu.edu.

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by Bob Midden, Project Director, Partners in Context & Community

The PCC students decided to begin the tradition of putting together a time capsule to be opened at the conclusion of their senior year.  The following is the statement from Dr. Midden that was included:

Here we are at the beginning of a new academic year, a new program and a new approach to preparing teachers. Our hope is that by giving students opportunities to learn by doing, that their learning will be more enjoyable and more successful. We hope that by having students spending time regularly working with students in schools that they will not only get a better sense of what it means to be a teacher, but they will learn to be even more effective teachers. We hope that they will learn not only the theory, but also the reality of teaching. We hope that they will be able to learn by actually making a difference, by helping us find even better ways to improve student achievement and success in K-12 schools.

Improving education is our best hope for improving the future and this improvement is greatly needed in the type of schools that we are targeting, high need urban schools. That the 15 students in our program share this vision is especially encouraging. All signs so far indicate that this is a great group of students. I have visions of these students becoming, not only some of the best teachers in the country, but also leaders in educational reform. These students are destined to not only excel here at BGSU, but to go on to help revolutionize education, first in their own schools, then in their own districts and ultimately everywhere that change is needed. For this is only the beginning. What these students are starting will forge the path and serve as an example for those who follow.

We are extremely impressed in the quality of students involved in our program to date. We look forward to watching them develop into capable and successful teachers. These students will have not only a good understanding of some of the most effective teaching methods, but they will also have strong practical knowledge of how to succeed in difficult urban classrooms, and they will have solid working knowledge of how to function effectively in those schools. They will be imaginative and adaptable, able to adjust to circumstances and make the most of their resources. But in addition to outstanding professional skills and abilities, they will also have a keen awareness of the importance of recognizing and finding creative and innovative ways to satisfy those needs.

These are our goals and these are our hopes. Judge the success of the program by how close it has come. If we do not succeed, it will not be for failure to aim high. If we fall short, let it not be for lack of effort or lack of faith. If we make our aim, let us find new challenges and carry on in the work of building a brighter future with equal opportunity for all citizens.

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by James J. Myers, Jr.

Freshman

I’m from Rocky River, Ohio, which is on the west side of Cleveland.  I went to Rocky River High School, where I was in Pride, Student Council, Captain of the Football team and President of the Spirit Club.

I’m a freshman this year and a new member of the PCC group.

PCC is a great new program for students interested in becoming teachers for middle childhood education.  It’s a brand new program this year and is already taking off.  I’m really looking forward to working with the kids at Franklin Elementary School in East Toledo.  I’m also excited about the fact that I get to drive the van to and from Franklin with all the other PCC students. 

I hope PCC becomes successful over the years and I encourage more students to join in the years to come.

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by Robert G. Berns, Professor, Division of Teaching and Learning

DiscoverCTL is a unique, new approach to learning–at a distance.  Although new courses and programs delivered over the Internet are emerging almost daily, this system is different.  It requires a different type of interactivity than the typical web-based course and requires users to follow a unique, step-by-step process to learn the various aspects of contextual teaching and learning.

But first, what is contextual teaching and learning (CTL)?  One way to think of it is in terms of what it is NOT.  It is NOT just lecturing to students.  It is NOT just grading students based upon quizzes and grades.  And, it is NOT asking students to learn information without seeing why those topics are important and how they can be used in one’s life.

Instead, CTL is a way of teaching and learning that brings meaning to the classroom.  It is engaging and motivating, while allowing students to be creative, to learn to solve problems (over) and think at a higher level; to learn to work in teams and to become more responsible for themselves and for their own learning, while better preparing themselves for their futures.

In later editions of this newsletter, I will speak to the various aspects of CTL and how DiscoverCTL can help you, education majors, pre-K-12 personnel, and university faculty, learn to use the latest teaching practices in your current or future classrooms.

Why?  Simply put, so that all of our students and us will be more satisfied and successful at home, at work, at play, and, indeed, in all aspects of our lives.

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PCC will be hosting a monthly “lunchbox series” at which various presenters will discuss their involvement with PCC.  Our first presentation (Sept. 26th), features Dawn Gordon’s discussion of the PCC Student's course work and their involvement in the East Toledo Public Schools. 

Milt Hakel will make the second presentation on the BGSU campus, October 31st.  He will be discussing e-portfolios, which the PCC Students will be working on.

If you would like to attend please RSVP to Susan Smith by phone 372-9443 or by e-mail at slsmith@bgnet.bgsu.edu. Hope to see you there!

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Partners in Context & Community
http://www.bgsu.edu/colleges/as/pcc
Bowling Green State University, Bowling Green, OH 43403
Copyright © 2001. Bowling Green State University.
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