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 Philosophy of the Education Unit and Programs and Relationship of that Philosophy to the overall Mission of the University
North Georgia College & State University prepares teachers for tomorrow's classrooms. These are teachers who can develop the cognitive, affective, and psychomotor domains of students in an effective and inclusive manner, make informed choices and decisions, and assume leadership -- first in culturally and academically diverse classrooms and then within the professional community. The process which integrates these roles of
Facilitator, Decision-Maker, and Leader is a metacognitive one, in that teachers must be conscious of their thinking and problem-solving processes in order to integrate and monitor the interaction of these roles.
Metacognition is that ability which enables teachers to plan a course of action prior to beginning a task,
to monitor themselves while executing a plan, to alter or adjust a plan consciously, and finally
to evaluate the results after action has been taken.
Traditionally, the role of the teacher has included the facilitation of learning. The facilitator (teacher) is responsible for structuring the learning environment in such a way as to enable effective and efficient learning to occur. But a facilitator takes on a more expanded role as one who not only structures the learning environment but also empowers and guides students to become facilitators of their own learning through active participation. As a
Facilitator in the NGCSU teacher education program, students will increase their competencies in these four areas: Subject Matter Knowledge, Individual Differences of Students, Communications, including technology, and Classroom Management.
In addition, the teacher must have a knowledge base related to curriculum, methods, trends, issues, and assessment as well as a repertoire of workable principles by which appropriate curricular and classroom management decisions can be made. As a
Decision-Maker in the teacher education program, students will increase their competence in these four areas: Assessment, Planning, Problem-Solving, and Instructional Methods, Materials, and Resources.
Finally, in an educational setting where opportunities for "teacher empowerment" are increasing, teachers must be prepared to assume a variety of leadership roles during their career. This concept of leadership is multifaceted and part of the mission statement for the University , in that North Georgia graduates are expected to be prepared to undertake leadership roles in their profession and within their community. As a
Leader in the teacher education program, students will increase their competence in these four areas: Ethical Perspectives, Metacognition, Professional Leadership, and Research and Evaluation.
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