97-11-03 College of Education Receives Federal Grant

OHIO STATE COLLEGE OF EDUCATION RECEIVES FEDERAL GRANT IN
PARTNERSHIP WITH BOWLING GREEN STATE UNIVERSITY

     COLUMBUS -- The Ohio State University College of Education,
in partnership with teacher education programs at Bowling Green
State University, has received an $850,547 federal grant for a
project to identify, study and disseminate teaching strategies
that will give a more “real world” feel to K-12 classrooms across
the country.

     The U.S. Department of Education grant is a joint initiative
of the Office of Vocational and Adult Education and the National
School-To-Work Office.  The award will fund a national teacher
education project developed jointly by Ohio State and Bowling
Green faculty titled “Preparing Teachers to Use Contextual
Teaching and Learning Strategies to Enhance Student Success In
and Beyond School.”

     The project team will study instruction that best helps
students apply their learning in ways that have meaning beyond
success in school.  The federal initiative is designed to close
the gap between traditional modes of teaching and more
participatory learning in which students are engaged in
meaningful problem solving and conceptual learning.

     Ohio State and Bowling Green offer the largest teacher
education programs in the state and are among the largest in the
nation.  Both have been actively involved in state-funded School-
to-Work initiatives, and both offer programs based on a
contextual teaching model in which students are engaged in
meaningful, “real world” problem solving.

     Gov. George V. Voinovich noted the project’s importance to
the state of Ohio.

     “Teacher education must be a critical component in Ohio’s
School-to-Work initiative,” Voinovich said.  “Students and
teachers must make better connections between the classroom and
the world of work to ensure Ohio’s success in today’s global
economy.”

     During the 18-month project, which began Sept. 30,
investigators from both universities will further define and
develop these strategies with faculty throughout the country.
Results of their findings will be disseminated nationally.

     Kenneth R. Howey, Ohio State professor of educational policy
and leadership, is director of the project.  Principal
investigators are Johanna DeStefano, professor in the School of
Teaching and Learning at Ohio State; Susan Sears, associate dean
of the College of Education at Ohio State; and Robert Berns,
professor and chair of business education at Bowling Green.
Sandra Pritz, research specialist in Ohio State’s College of
Education, is project manager.

     “As research in education moves forward,” Pritz said, “we’re
trying to use findings from that research to teach in ways that
will improve student learning.  That means constructing
educational experiences that are not only engaging to the
learner, but that allow the learner to adapt and apply in-school
learning to out-of-school problems and tasks.”

     According to Berns, the ultimate goal of the project is to
improve student success through contextual teaching and learning.

     “Recent research is promising,” he said.  “Students seem to
learn better when they see the connection between what they are
learning in school and real-life situations.”

     Examples of these teaching strategies at Ohio State include
the College of Education’s partnership with the Center of Science
and Industry to create intensive teacher education workshops
focusing on introducing city life to students.  Activities for
students include examining and then using public transportation,
interviewing downtown employees in Columbus and translating these
experiences into individual and team projects.  Another
initiative revolves around improving students’ understanding of
the complexities of electricity.

     Eight faculty from each university form the project team,
with most activities based at Ohio State.  Specific activities
supported by the grant include:

     -- a multi-stage conference at which experts will identify
characteristics for developing a framework of preservice teacher
education program in order to prepare teachers to use effective
teaching and learning strategies.

     -- Using the framework developed in the conference to 
identify colleges and universities across the country that are
implementing preservice teacher education program incorporating
these teaching and learning concepts.

     -- Visiting those colleges and universities and developing
case studies documenting the nature of their teacher education
programs, how they were implemented, and the barriers the
institutions faced in developing and implementing their programs.

     -- Disseminating the case study materials nationally to
reach a large number of teacher educators.

        USA Today has agreed to be a partner in the project and
to assist in distributing the information.  The data also will be
shared through the Holmes Partnership of graduate programs in
teacher education and the ERIC Clearinghouse System.

     Ohio State project team members are James Bishop, Barbara
Thomson and Marjorie Ward of the School of Teaching and Learning;
and Darcy Haag Granello, Susan Imel, Abbejean Kehler, Anthony
Olinzock and Sandra Stroot of the School of Physical Activity and
Educational Services.

                            #

Contact:  Sandra Pritz, The Ohio State University, (614) 688-8148
          Robert Berns, Bowling Green State University,
          (419) 372-2904


[Submitted by: Von Vargas  (vargas.12@osu.edu)
               
Mon, 3 Nov 1997 15:37:15 -0500 (EST)]
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