Conceptual Framework (Abridged)

 

Shared Vision for Diverse Disciplines

 

To be global leaders in the professional development of educators by creating diverse learning environments that underscore the symbiosis of research, teaching, life-long learning, community service, and leadership.

 

PEP Themes

 

PEP's vision has emerged from collaboration across disciplines through a meeting of minds, diverse academic perspectives, and cumulative professional expertise and experience. It encapsulates the diverse perspectives that forge our professional community and delineates our shared vision and goals that drive our practices at Stony Brook University. Our vision incorporates the knowledge and experience of our colleagues in P-12 schools, our alumni, and our teacher candidates across disciplines.

PEP´s vision is rooted in three major themes that inform and unify our programs:

 

            Professional Excellence and Growth

            Community and Diversity

            Leadership and Service

 

These are deeply embedded within our practices and provide the bases for our research, guide our reflective practices, and support our partnerships, both within the university and within the broader community.

 

PEP Mission

 

1. Provide discipline-based professional education of the highest quality for undergraduate and graduate teacher candidates and administrators.
2. Integrate research and theories of the disciplines with diverse field experience and create educators who will synergistically combine evolving expert knowledge with pedagogy that exceeds state, national, and professional standards.
3. Integrate diversity into the academic and clinical experiences to enhance the continuous cross fertilization of ideas.
4. Build and strengthen partnerships within the University and with the regional community.
5. Provide leadership and professional development for the educational community of the region and beyond.

 

Our mission is aligned with the mission of Stony Brook University and the State University of New York, with New York State standards for educators and programs, and with the standards of the National Council for Accreditation of Teacher Education (NCATE), and the respective Specialized Professional Associations (SPA).

 

PEP Philosophy and Goals

           

Our philosophy stems from our realization that the vision educators instill in their students emanates from their own educational experiences, and that this occurs at all levels. We believe that education is a continuing and ongoing process for everyone, and that educators must continue their own growth throughout their lives.

We believe that educational practice must be informed by research - an ongoing process, and that Stony Brook, as a research university, should contribute to the development of new ideas and dissemination of research (Research). We believe that educators at every level must be aware of their own selves and their actions and must have the capacity to reflect on their attitudes (Reflection). We believe that educators must be sensitive to the diversity of people, backgrounds and styles of learning, and must take a leadership role in helping each of their students to find her or his own path of learning (Partnership).

We see our three themes as the foundation upon which we have built and continue to build our pedagogical structure. Our main goal is to integrate and implement our three themes of Professional Excellence and Growth, Community and Diversity, and Leadership and Service, with our three pathways of Research, Reflection, and Partnership, and to imbue our teacher candidates with the ideals that these themes and pathways represent.

 

PEP Proficiencies for Teacher Candidates

 

1. Understand the central concepts, tools of inquiry, & structures of the discipline (Knowledge).
2. Understand & apply knowledge of human development & research in pedagogy to design diverse learning
   experiences that promote intellectual, social & personal development (Knowledge & Performance).
3. Understand & appreciate how students differ in their approaches to learning: are sensitive to diversity & can
   adapt learning experiences to diverse learners (Disposition).
4. Apply a variety of instructional strategies grounded in pedagogical content knowledge to creatively develop
   critical thinking, cognitive & performance skills, & intellectual curiosity for all learners
   (Performance).
5. Understand & apply knowledge of individual & group motivation & behavior to create a learning
   environment that encourages positive social interaction, active engagement in learning, &
   self motivation (Knowledge & Performance).
6. Understand & apply knowledge of effective verbal, nonverbal, & media communication strategies to foster
   active inquiry, collaboration, & supportive interaction in the classroom
   (Knowledge & Performance).
7. Plan & adjust learning experiences based upon knowledge of the discipline & its pedagogy, curriculum
   goals, the individual student, & community (Performance).
8. Understand & apply formal & informal modes of assessment to evaluate learners, monitor learner progress,
   & inform & improve instruction (Knowledge & Performance).
9. Actively seek opportunities to grow professionally, including engagement in reflective practice;
   continually evaluate the effects of their actions on others & are flexible in responses;
   open to constructive criticism; & intellectually curious (Disposition).
10. Foster collegial & communal partnerships to support student learning & well-being, both inside & outside
    the classroom (Disposition).