School of Behavioral Sciences and Education

Academic programs >> Education >> Conceptual Framework

Teacher Education Unit

Penn State Harrisburg’s Teacher Education Unit is dedicated to the development of lifelong reflective professionals committed to the learning of all students.

Core Elements (“CARS”)

Several interwoven concepts form the core elements of our College’s Teacher Education Program:

Constructivist philosophy of learning;
Constructivism is based on the concept that each learner must construct knowledge based on his/her prior experiences. Basic tenets of constructivism are that learning should be student-centered, interdisciplinary, and active. Assessment should be authentic and situated in the learning. Finally, learning experiences should conclude with reflective debriefings.
Authentic instructional experiences;
Authenticity refers to real-world contexts. To the extent possible, candidates develop content and pedagogical/professional knowledge as related to the real world. Authenticity also encompasses the diversity of the U.S. and its classrooms. Candidates are required to complete field experiences with rural, suburban and urban populations. In these classrooms, candidates encounter students with diverse racial, ethnic and/or religious backgrounds, students with special needs, students with gifts and talents, and students who are English language learners.
Reflective practice; and
Reflectivity is introspection on one’s attitudes, beliefs, and experiences as they relate to content, pedagogical and/or professional knowledge, skills, and dispositions. We believe reflection must occur at several points during the teaching process. At the planning stage, candidates and faculty must “reflect for action” as they consider their students’ needs in conjunction with the curriculum and the materials, resources and technologies that will best accomplish the learning goals. During face-to-face teaching, candidates and faculty “reflect in action” as they modify their plans to satisfy the learning needs of their students. Finally, they “reflect on action” as they consider the success of the teaching experience in facilitating the students’ mastery of the objectives.
Standards-based curriculum;
Candidates must demonstrate not only competence in pedagogical standards established by the profession, but also a working knowledge of content standards in the subject areas they will be teaching. The curriculum for the Teacher Education Unit is, therefore, standards-based. Course content and assessment procedures reflect both pedagogical and content standards as defined at the national and state levels, specifically by organizations such as the National Board for Professional Teaching Standards (NBPTS), the Interstate New Teachers Assessment and Support Consortium (INTASC), the National Council for Accreditation of Teacher Education (NCATE), the Pennsylvania Department of Education (PDE), and specialty professional associations (SPAs):