Project Directors:
Keywords:
Traditional teacher training and staff development practices pose a barrier to widespread adoption of classroom design principles and teaching practices defined by classrooms that impart generic skills and attitudes. Training and staff development activities leave many teachers largely unprepared to experiment with mixing subject-specific and generic skills; designing situated learning activities; or taking on innovative, flexible teacher roles. As a result, new teachers and experienced teachers rarely acquire the skills and worksite experiences they need to design classrooms that offer the perspective of a modern and highly skilled workplace. The proposed project asks the question: What methods might practitioners use to assess and communicate about workplace skills? Building on previous work on learning and teaching generics skills for the workplace and our current study of skills and attitude requirements for work, the investigators propose a one-year follow-up development project to design and conduct a mini-sabbatical for high school teachers and teacher trainers. The proposed project involves redesigning our research tools for use by practitioners, conducting the mini-sabbatical, and evaluating the mini-sabbatical. The purpose of the project is twofold: first, teachers need practical tools to introduce workplace skills into the classroom; and second, deeper inquiry into vocational-academic integration and School-to-Work initiatives is needed as these reforms catch hold.
The primary product is a guide for practitioners and trainers. We will also
produce a report aimed toward researchers and policymakers. Other anticipated
dissemination activities include presentations at national meetings hosted by
AVA, NEA, AFT, AVERA, and AERA. In addition, we will introduce the materials
in NCRVE workshops held for our Urban Network schools and other groups.
To promote widespread dissemination of the project and to promote deeper
inquiry into curricular integration and School-to-Work initiatives, we have
contacted Mr. David Crippens, Senior Vice President of Educational Enterprises
at KCET, a Los Angeles-based public television station, to collaborate on a
documentary of the mini-sabbatical. He has indicated his interest, and we plan
to collaborate with him, primarily providing technical assistance.
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