Chapter One

1. Chapter One The American Teacher

2. Chapter One: The American Teacher • Overview of material presented in the book, with summaries of each chapter • Describes Focus Boxes that clarify ideas and themes “Journaling Activities” “Links to the Past” “Reflections” “Praxis Alerts” “Situations and Solutions” “Wisdom of Teachers”

3. Chapter Two: Classical and Educational Philosophy • Examines the philosophies that are important to teachers • Describes the relationship to the primary branches of classical philosophical thought

4. Chapter Three: Our Multicultural Classroom • Discusses the multicultural classroom: • Teachers can help overcome some of its parochial attitudes and move toward a more open and democratic society. • American teachers must be aware of other important subcultures that make up our multicultural classrooms.

5. Chapter Four: Just Outside the Classroom • Our profession is profiled. • Reasons we become teachers. • Ways to improve parent-teacher relations. • Important issues of teacher salaries and benefits.

6. Chapter Five: Classical and Global Roots of Education • The roots of education in a number of ancient civilizations. • The Western model of education. • The Dark Ages in Western society during which religious bigotry eclipsed secular education. • The slow revival of education during the Renaissance and Reformation. • The Age of Reason and Enlightenment when John Locke, Jean Jacque Rousseau and Johann Pestalozzi revolutionized our understanding of early education.

7. Chapter Six: American Educational History • New England’s Puritan schools. • The “common school” of the 1800s. • The “graded schools” that emerged in the late 1800s and early 1900s. • The “educational ladder” of primary, junior high schools and high schools.

8. Chapter Seven: America’s Diverse Society • Our country has always been a multicultural nation. • Today’s immigrants may appear different, but are part of the same historical pattern. • Asian and Hispanic (Spanish speaking) people have become the new immigration.

9. Chapter Eight: The School Curriculum • The core curriculum and multicultural education. • The Democratic and Authoritarian Curricular approaches and different forms of curriculum evaluation. • The explicit and implicit curriculum and extracurricular programs.

10. Chapter Nine: Instruction and Discipline • Instruction: The planning and delivery of instruction • primary domains of learning cognitive affective psychomotor • approaches to learning whole class instruction cooperative learning discovery learning • Instruction and Discipline • student discipline has changed over time • discipline is more democratic • preventative disciplinary methods based on effective communication

11. Chapter Ten: The Organization and Funding of Schools • Early American schools typically were controlled by local communities and funded through property taxes. • Control of schools gradually was assumed by the states, with shared funding through state tax revenues and local property taxes. • This state control was accompanied by greater accountability. • The growth of federal funding of specific educational programs, has shifted some control of the schools to the national level. (NCLB)

12. Chapter Eleven: Rights, Responsibilities and the Law • The law has changed American public schools over the years. • There has been a struggle with local and state level majorities to ensure the basic rights of minority individuals and groups. • A number of court rulings have involved school desegregation and minority access to schools.

13. Chapter Twelve: The Noble Profession • This chapter turns to the issue of professionalism in education. • Addresses the question of teacher accountability and rigorous certification standards. • Describes professional support networks.

14. The American Teacher Focus Boxes • Situations and Solutions present a common situation and a veteran teacher recommends creative solutions. • Wisdom of Teachers provide teaching tips, helpful hints and teaching strategies from some of America’s finest educators. • Praxis Alertsfocus on the three Praxis Exams that you may be required to pass for licensure. • Links to the Past offers insights of how teachers in the past dealt with their problems.

15. Additional Features • Lists of internet sites keyed to topics under consideration. • References, chapter summaries, and discussion questions for review. • Journaling activities, reflection opportunities and portfolio development, including INTASC activities.