Distance Learning Applied to Public Education History Requirement
Running head: DISTANCE LEARNING APPLIED TO THE PUBLIC EDUCATION
HISTORY REQUIREMENT FOR SOUTH CAROLINA TEACHER RECERTIFICATION 1
Distance Learning Applied To Public Education History Requirement for South Carolina Teacher Recertification
Edward L. Hilton
Southern University of Illinois, Edwardsville
Submitted in Partial Fulfillment of the Requirements for
IT 540
December 13, 2012
DISTANCE LEARNING APPLIED TO THE PUBLIC EDUCATION 2
Table of Contents
DISTANCE LEARNING APPLIED TO THE PUBLIC EDUCATION 3
Executive Summary
This proposal is based upon a study conducted by the College of Charleston that examined the occurrence of South Carolina education history in curriculum of South Carolina colleges and universities with degree-awarding education programs. The study identified zero occurrence of South Carolina public school history in curriculum of South Carolina colleges and universities granting education degrees.
The South Carolina Department of Education response is to develop an educational research workshop focusing on the history of South Carolina public education. Problems identified implementing the workshop is funding, participant geographic diversity, teacher resources, and learning strategies.
The proposed solution is implementing the workshop by the use of distance learning utilizing current resources at the South Carolina State Department of education eLearning website. Numerous problems in implementation identified were funding, participant geographic diversity, teacher resources, time, facilities, and teaching methodology. The selection of a webbased course will be shown to resolve the identified issues. Learning strategies will be incorporated including professional learning development, student-student intervention and peer review to. Unlike most teacher-student strategies, this course is designed to be more student oriented with the students participating in the evaluation process and determining their peer scores.
Keywords : history, teacher development, certification, distance learning, peer interaction
DISTANCE LEARNING APPLIED TO THE PUBLIC EDUCATION 4
Distance Learning Applied To Public Education History Requirement for South Carolina Teacher Recertification
Introduction
Who was Christopher Memminger? What is a “normal” school? What agency sponsored the first form of education in South Carolina? Ask this of any South Carolina public school teacher and you will get the same blank stare found in most classrooms. With the age of technological advances there is a loss of culture in education. Teachers today are busy with curriculum and day to day activities putting out academic fires but none take the time to step back and ponder how the educational system arrived to where it is today, especially in their own state. The exposure in undergraduate and graduate intuitions was of educational development in the United States but not in their own backyards. The use of history can strengthen ties to the culture of teaching. Culture of teaching has been overlooked in teachers and educator professional development. The question is, “How to implement the history of the South Carolina public school to educators?”
Background and Significance
The requirement for a teaching a course in the history of public education in the state of
South Carolina is the result of a research project generated by the College of Charleston. The
College of Charleston School of Education, Health, and Human Performance performed a study pertained to the utilization South Carolina public school history in college and university education programs. This study was conducted at the South Carolina colleges and universities identified with education degree programs. Course curriculum and descriptions were analyzed.
The finding was that South Carolina colleges and universities offered basic education courses pertaining to the history of education of the United States with little or no focus on the
DISTANCE LEARNING APPLIED TO THE PUBLIC EDUCATION 5 development of education in the state of South Carolina. See Table 1 for the education history courses offered at the South Carolina colleges and universities.
University/College
College of Charleston
University of South
Carolina
Anderson University
Education history course offered
EDFS 201 Foundations of Education
EDFN 592 - Historical Foundations of
American Educational Thought.
EDU III Foundations of Education
Charleston Southern
University
Converse College
EDUC 201 - Principles and Philosophy of Education
EDU 360: Introduction to Education.
Table 1: Education History Courses in South Carolina Colleges
The conclusion was that South Carolina Public School teachers are not exposed to the educational history of South Carolina and lack knowledge of their educational heritage. The results were addressed to the South Carolina Board of Education who approved the establishment of an educational research workshop centered on the history of public education in
South Carolina. The significance of this issue is the “integration of required research and problem solving skills into the teacher training curriculum will help develop the necessary critical thinking skills in prospective teachers.” (O’Hanlon, 1988, p.48). Instructional objectives developed by the College of Charleston Department of Teacher Education were identified as:
1.
Identify and discuss key events in South Carolina public school history
2.
Explain the role of religion in development of the South Carolina educational system
3.
Compare the effects of the Revolutionary and Civil Wars to the South Carolina educational system.
4.
Compare and contrast educational philosophies in the South Carolina public school history.
DISTANCE LEARNING APPLIED TO THE PUBLIC EDUCATION 6
5.
Interpret and summarize scholarly articles pertaining to South Carolina public school history.
The South Carolina Board of Education believes learning the educational heritage of South
Carolina by research and interaction with other educational institutions and teachers will aid in the professional development of South Carolina public school teachers. However, implementation of the “workshop” is not problem-free.
Statement of the Problems
The South Carolina Board of Education identified the following constraints in the implementation of the workshop.
1.
Funding. With cuts in education budgets, dollars are scarce for facilities, teacher travel, and course materials. The workshop must make do with available resources. No travel funds will be available for in-residence workshops or development of additional educational facilities.
2.
Participant geographic diversity. The South Carolina public school systems consist of
46,980 teachers. (Education Week, 2012). These pre-K, kindergarten, elementary and secondary school teachers are assigned to school districts geographically located in South
Carolina counties. Some counties have one school district while others may have several.
See Appendix 1 for breakdown of South Carolina Counties and School Districts. The workshop must be available to all teachers with minimal travel expense.
3.
Teacher resources. Resources for curriculum are limited. There are no modern written texts based on South Carolina public school education.
4.
Time. Time must be allotted outside of the classroom for course participation.
DISTANCE LEARNING APPLIED TO THE PUBLIC EDUCATION 7
5.
Facilities. Due to funding, standard workshops cannot be administered in existing facilities.
6.
Teaching methodology. Teaching strategies must be identified. Hea-Jin Lee (2005) stated “Like other teaching and learning processes, professional development cannot be handled by an isolated strategy. Each program uses a variety of strategies in various combinations.” (pp. 39-40)
Solution to the problem: The best solution to these problems is a series of learning strategies that will address each issue. In residence programs will not be successful because they require a facility to house the instructor and students which is not fiscally possible. Even so, it would be difficult to determine a central location that all students throughout the state could attend. Video teleconferencing is another option but not every student would have access the equipment required. Plus this would require a schedule that may not be possible for teachers to adhere to.
The time honored tradition of correspondence courses or the present day computer based training does not promote the interaction desired of students.
The proposed solution is designed around the constraints identified by the South Carolina
Department of Education. At the same time, teaching strategies are incorporated. Brown and
Green (2003) believe “traditional one-size-fits-all professional development workshops are giving way to a new, more teacher-centered, self-directed model of teacher learning. Through the
Internet, teachers have access to high quality on-line professional development opportunities beyond what the local school or district is able to offer.” (p. 148) This solution will center on the teachers as student and allow them to essentially “run” the class. The primary role of the teacher is “that of a facilitator; one who manages the setting and assists students in developing an
DISTANCE LEARNING APPLIED TO THE PUBLIC EDUCATION 8 understanding of the material or subject at hand.” (Makinster, Barab, and Keating, 2001, pp. 3-4)
Each of the identified constraints will be used to build the model for this “workshop”.
1.
Funding. The workshop will utilize distance learning via the South Carolina State
Department Education eLearning website. This eliminates funding requirements for travel to attend the workshop. The course will be designed for a standard Internet browser with no additional software requirements for personal computers other than internet access and email . Moodle site utilization minimizes cost as does utilizing the eLearning SC PD developmental staff.
2.
Participant geographic diversity. “On-line courses can provide convenient access to professional development for teachers who do not have access to traditional learning opportunities based on geographic remoteness or time (possibly both).” (Brown and
Green, 2003, p.149) But geographic diversity can be beneficial in providing a more conducive learning environment through social interaction. Research by Jung, Choi,
Lim, and Leem (2002), “concluded that social interaction is related more to learning outcomes than to learner satisfaction. . . .even for adult learners, social interaction with their instructors and collaborative interaction with peers are important to enhance their learning and increase their participation in online discussions.” (p. 160) In addition,
Brown and Green (2003) noted that “distant and asynchronous interactions may allow students who stay quiet in traditional classrooms to speak out and be heard” and this opportunity “may particularly benefit minorities and women” (147) Introverted students in a classroom may become extroverted on-line. On-line courses may encourage social interaction. Since the premise behind this course is for the students to interact and teach each other via interaction, distance learning by website meets these criteria. In addition,
DISTANCE LEARNING APPLIED TO THE PUBLIC EDUCATION 9 another factor is class size. Brown and Green (2003) feel that a class size of fifteen to twenty-five students is ideal for on-line learning to foster meaningful interactions among all of the participants. (p. 150)
3.
Teacher resources. There are no published texts pertaining to this subject. The workshop texts will consist of “History of Higher Education In South Carolina, With A Sketch of the Free School System” by Colyer Meriwether and “The Establishment of the Public
School System of South Carolina” by Henry T. Thompson. This will be supplemented by journal articles such as “The South Carolina Education Bill of 1770” by J. H.
Easterby, and The Education of Negroes in South Carolina by Frank A. DeCosta.
Further journal articles are being sought by the School of Education at the College of
Charleston. All publications will be cleared for copyright and be posted for access by the students. These articles are found on-line and once cleared of copyright issues, are presented at no cost. Students are required to seek journal articles to review as part of their coursework and can be added to the workshop “library” for usage of current and future students.
4.
Time. “Successful programs have been made to provide time and facilities for professional development, often in the evenings or weekends.” (Moore and Kearsley,
2012, p. 171) The course will not have mandatory sessions but the participants can participate by posting at their convenience. “On-line courses (especially those run asynchronously) can allow teachers to fit coursework into their schedules. Because the coursework is not live, teachers can answer discussion questions, turn in assignments, and finish readings at a time that is convenient.” (Brown and Green, 2003, p. 149) This allows the teacher flexibility in achieving their coursework.
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10
5.
Facilities. The workshop will utilize distance learning at the South Carolina State
Department Education eLearning website. “History of South Carolina Public Education
Workshop” will be added to the Renewal Course catalog at http://elearningscpd.com/?page_id=132 . Since the facilities are “virtual” there are no funding costs. Also the issue of geographic diversity is resolved by making it webbased.
6.
Teaching methodology. “Professional development takes various formats, such as curriculum development committees, professional study groups, workshops, networks, seminars, conferences, coaching, mentoring, in-service programs, professional portfolios, formal college or university courses, research activities, and professional learning communities.” (Pancucci, 2007, p. 286) This course is a component of professional development in that it is utilized in teacher recertification. Strategies selected are the project based learning model and student-student intervention. a.
Project based learning model. Table 2 contains the design principles Barab and
Duffy (2000) utilized for problem/project-based learning environments
(Makinster, Barab, and Keating, 2001, p.3) and utilized in the design of the workshop.
Design Principles
Engaging Problems
Descriptions
Students should be introduced to problems that engage the community and challenge the student.
Learning by Doing Students must engage in active practices, not spend the majority of their time listening to the experiences
DISTANCE LEARNING APPLIED TO THE PUBLIC EDUCATION
11 of others.
Student Ownership Students must assume ownership of the problem and the development of a solution.
The work should be collaborative and social. Collaborative Work
Reflection The opportunity for reflection both during and after completion of the work must be central.
Teacher as Guide The teacher's role is one of a learning and problem solving expert, rather than a content expert.
Table 2: Design Principles for Problem/Project-Based Learning Environments b.
The “workshop” goal is to produce an academic paper based on a topic related to
South Carolina public school history. “The first component is a driving question that organizes a long term, authentic investigation or design project.”
(Makinster, Barab, and Keating, 2001, p. 3) During the workshop, the student will identify a research topic upon which they will generate a research paper which can be interpreted as a “driving question”. Throughout the course, Barab,
Hay, Barnett, & Keating believe “students engage in inquiry-based activities in support of the driving question”. (Makinster, Barab, and Keating, 2001, p. 3)
This is the interaction between them in critiquing journal article reviews. An added benefit identified by Brown and Duguid,(1991) and Savery and Duffy,
(1996) is “one of the central issues in learning in this type of environment it that learning involves becoming a practitioner, not simply learning about practice”
(Makinster, Barab, and Keating, 2001, p.3) The driving question is the research topic for the final paper. “The second critical component in a project-based
DISTANCE LEARNING APPLIED TO THE PUBLIC EDUCATION
12 learning model is the production of tangible, meaningful and authentic artifacts as the end products of the learning activity. (Makinster, Barab, and Keating,
2001, p.3) For this course, the artifacts are identified journal reviews and the final paper. c.
Peer Review. Zarate (1998) in “Cyberspace, Scholarship, and Survey Courses: A
Prototype for Teaching” emphasized the use of peer review which is incorporated in this model. Peer review of documents aided in learning as one student stated in Zarate’s (1998) article, “To post a response to position papers one had to thoroughly understand the subject matter to give a quality response, therefore it forced you to read and research more." (p. 62). In addition, working on the peer reviews which I translate into journal reviews “required them to articulate, defend, and synthesize their different perspectives-an important component of learning.” (Zarate, 1998, 62) A review of literature discussing Scholarship of
Teaching and Learning show that peer-review is at the focal point of the scholarly process (Trigwell, Martin et al., 2000; Kreber, 2002; Taylor Huber &
Hutchings, 2005). (Roxa, Olsson, Martensson) Peer review is utilized in the course not only in peer reviewing journal reviews but also in reviewing the final project papers. It is the class that determines a student’s outcome of the course. d.
Wiki. A wiki or counterpart with a commercial provider to all be established in order for the student to contribute to the development of the course. Students will be required to access a Wiki or like site to provide or update information pertaining to their school district. This also provides the student, the opportunity to upload any academic findings they may have uncovered related to their school
DISTANCE LEARNING APPLIED TO THE PUBLIC EDUCATION
13 district. This wiki or like site will “develop a ‘book of course teaching’ offering the potential for the sharing and development of resources”. (Macdonald and
Black, 2010, p.75) e.
Professional Development. The curriculum for History of Public School
Education in South Carolina has been approved by the South Carolina
Department of Education’s Office of Teacher Certification to count as renewal credits toward certificate renewal in the state of South Carolina. Table 3 is a
Project Goals summary of the professional development program that includes the role of systematic aids for project goals and projected outcomes. Through on-line discussions, and written documents, such as journals and books, the project staff predicts the effects of the workshop.
Projected Observed Outcomes Provided Systematic
Aids
Increase the participants knowledge of history of public text and journal school education in South
Reflections on chapter assignments
Carolina
The participants provided evidence of scholarly research skills by providing a paper written concerning an issue involved with the history of public education in
South Carolina
Table 3: Professional Development Program
Conclusion: As Hea-Jin Lee (2005) stated earlier “Like other teaching and learning processes, professional development cannot be handled by an isolated strategy. Each program uses a variety of strategies in various combinations.” (pp. 39-40) In this application, the choice of
DISTANCE LEARNING APPLIED TO THE PUBLIC EDUCATION
14 distance learning utilizing peer review and student-student interaction is the viable. The solution fits fiscal constraints by incorporating the course into the existing Moodle site for the Office of eLearning, which is utilized by the South Carolina Virtual School Program and eLearningSC PD.
As today’s teachers have internet access this course enables maximum participation and via Moodle allows students to interact with each other in the learning process. Since timing is flexible, students can accomplish their learning around their schedules. Placing reference materials on-line provides access to normally unattainable study and research materials. Project preparation promotes creativity as the students learn about the history of public school education in South Carolina.
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References
Brown, A., & Green, T. (2003). Showing Up to Class in Pajamas (or Less!): The Fantasies and
Realities of On-Line Professional Development Courses for Teachers. Clearing House,
76(3) , 148-51.
Education Week (2012). Derived from http://www.edweek.org/topics/states/south_carolina/ index.html on 9 December 2012.
Jung, I., Choi, S., Lim, C., & Leem, J. (2002). Effects of Different Types of Interaction on
Learning Achievement, Satisfaction and Participation in Web-Based Instruction.
Innovations In Education And Teaching International, 39(2), 153-62.
Lee, H. (2005). Developing a Professional Development Program Model Based on Teacher’s
Needs. Professional Educator, 27 (1-2), 39-49.
Macdonald, J., & Black, A. (2010). Disciplinary Knowledge Practices in Distance Education:
Testing a New Methodology for Teaching Enhancement in History. Arts And Humanities
In Higher Education: An International Journal Of Theory, Research And Practice, 9(1) ,
69-86.
MaKinster, J. G., Barab, S. A., & Keating, T. M. (2001). Design and Implementation of an On- line Professional Development Community: A Project-Based Learning Approach in a
Graduate Seminar. Electronic Journal Of Science Education, 5(3).
Retrieved 9 Dec 12 from http://ejse.southwestern.edu/article/view/7659/5426
Moore, Michael G., Kearsley, Greg. (2012) Distance Education: A Systems View of Online
Learning.
Belmont, CA: Wadsworth Cengage Learning
O’Hanlon, N. (1988). The Role of Library Research Instruction in Developing Teacher’s
Problem Solving Skills, Journal of Teacher Education , 39(6), 44-49.
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Pancucci, S. (2007). Train-the-Trainer: The Bricks in the Professional Learning Community
Scaffold of Professional Development. International Journal of Social Sciences, 2(1) ,
286-293.
Roxa, T., Olsson, T. & Martensson, K. (2007) Scholarship of Teaching and Learning as a Strategy for Institutional Change, in Enhancing Higher Education, Theory and
Scholarship, Proceedings of the 30th HERDSA Annual Conference, Adelaide, 8-11 July
2007: pp 487.
Zarate, E. (1998). Cyberspace, Scholarship, and Survey Courses: A Prototype for Teaching
World History. History Teacher , 32(1), 57-65.
Barnwell
Barnwell
Beaufort
Berkeley
Calhoun
Charleston
Cherokee
Chester
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Appendix A
South Carolina Counties and School Districts
School District County
Abbeville Abbeville County
Aiken County Aiken
Allendale Allendale County
Anderson School District One Anderson
Anderson Anderson School District Two
Anderson School District Three Anderson
Anderson Anderson School District Four
Anderson School District Five Anderson
Bamberg Bamberg 1
Bamberg 2 Bamberg
Barnwell Barnwell 19, Blackville-Hilda Public Schools
Williston School District, Barnwell County 29
Barnwell School District 45
Beaufort County
Berkeley County
Calhoun County
Charleston County
Cherokee County
Chester County
Florence
Florence
Florence
Florence
Florence
Georgetown
Greenville
Greenwood
Greenwood
Greenwood
DISTANCE LEARNING APPLIED TO THE PUBLIC EDUCATION
18
Chesterfield Chesterfield County
Clarendon
Clarendon
Clarendon School District One
Clarendon School District Two
Clarendon
Colleton
Darlington
Clarendon School District Three
Colleton School District
Darlington County
Dillon
Dillon
Dorchester
Dorchester
Edgefield
Fairfield
Dillon School District 3
Dillon 4
Dorchester 2
Dorchester 4
Edgefield County School District
School District Of Fairfield County
Florence School District One
Florence School District Two
Florence School District Three
Florence School District Four
Florence School District Five
Georgetown County School District
School District of Greenville County
Greenwood School District 50
Greenwood 51 School District
Greenwood County School District 52
DISTANCE LEARNING APPLIED TO THE PUBLIC EDUCATION
19
Hampton Hampton County School District 1
Hampton
Horry
Hampton County School District 2
Horry County Schools
Jasper
Kershaw
Lancaster
Jasper County School District
Kershaw County School District
Lancaster County School District
Laurens
Laurens
Lee
Lexington
Lexington
Lexington
Laurens County School District No. 55
Laurens County School District 56
Lee County School District
Lexington County School District One
Lexington District Two
Lexington County School District Three
Lexington
Lexington/Richland
Marion
Marlboro
McCormick
Newberry
Oconee
Orangeburg
Orangeburg
Orangeburg
Lexington School District Four
School District Five of Lexington and Richland County
Marion County School District
Marlboro County
McCormick County School District
School District of Newberry County
School District of Oconee County
Orangeburg County Consolidated School District Three
Orangeburg Consolidated School District Four
Orangeburg Consolidated School District Five
Union
Williamsburg
York
York
York
York
DISTANCE LEARNING APPLIED TO THE PUBLIC EDUCATION
20
Pickens County School District of Pickens County
Richland
Richland
Richland County School District One
Richland School District Two
Saluda
Spartanburg
Spartanburg
Saluda School District One
District One Schools Spartanburg County
Spartanburg 2
Spartanburg
Spartanburg
Spartanburg
Spartanburg
Spartanburg
Sumter
Spartanburg School District 3
Spartanburg County School District Four
Spartanburg Five
Spartanburg County School District Six
Spartanburg District No. 7
Sumter
Union County
Williamsburg County School District
York School District One
Clover School District No. Two of York County
Rock Hill School District Three of York County
Fort Mill School District
