In this essay, the author argues for a reconsideration of the teachers college tradition within teacher ed curriculum. The author draws upon history and moral philosophy to make the case that the teaching profession has declined because teacher educators have neglected the philosophical tradition that the author maintains is the key to our future. The author’s thesis is that we must return to the teachers college tradition if we expect to flourish as a real profession and contribute to the civic health of our nation.
Get full access to this article
View all access options for this article.
References
1.
Clifford, G.J., & Guthrie, J.W. ( 1988). Ed school: A brief for professional education. Chicago: University of Chicago Press.
2.
Darling-Hammond, L. ( 2006). Powerful teacher education. San Francisco : Jossey-Bass.
3.
Fraser, J. ( 2007). Preparing America’s teachers: A history. New York: Teachers College Press.
Goodlad, J.I., Soder, R., & Sirotnik, K.A. (1990). Places where teachers are taught. San Francisco: Jossey-Bass .
6.
Kuhn, T. ( 1996). The structure of scientific revolutions (3rd ed.). Chicago: University of Chicago Press.
7.
Labaree, D.F. ( 2006). The trouble with ed schools. New Haven, CT: Yale University Press.
8.
Lucas, C.J. ( 1999). Teacher education in America: Reform agendas for the twenty-first century. New York: Palgrave Macmillan.
9.
MacIntyre, A. ( 1984). After virtue: A study in moral theory (2nd ed.). Notre Dame, IN: University of Notre Dame Press.
10.
MacIntyre, A. ( 2006). The end of education. Commonweal, 133(18), 10-14.
11.
May, W.F. ( 2001). Beleaguered rulers: The public obligation of the professional . Louisville, KY: Westminster John Knox.
12.
Null, J.W. ( 2007a). Curriculum for teachers: Four traditions within pedagogical philosophy. Educational Studies, 42(1), 43-63.
13.
Null, J.W. ( 2007b). William C. Bagley and the founding of essentialism: An untold story in American educational history. Teachers College Record, 109(4), 1013-1055.
14.
Null, J.W. ( 2008a). Is there a future for teacher ed curriculum? An answer from history and moral philosophy. American Educational History Journal, 35(1), 3-18.
15.
Null, J.W. ( 2008b). William Bagley versus Arthur Bestor: Why the standard story is not true. The Educational Forum, 72(3), 200-214.
16.
Null, J.W., & Bohan, C.H. ( 2005). Teacher education curriculum: What, how, and why. Curriculum and Teaching Dialogue, 7(Fall), 39-49.
17.
Null, J. W., & Ravitch, D. (Eds.). (2006). Forgotten heroes of American education: The great tradition of teaching teachers. Greenwich, CT: Information Age.
18.
Ogren, C.A. ( 2005). The American state normal school: "An instrument of great good." New York: Palgrave Macmillan .
19.
Rogers, D. ( 1961). Oswego: Fountainhead of teacher education. New York: Appleton-Century-Crofts.
20.
Rudolph, F. ( 1990). The American college and university: A history. Athens: University of Georgia Press.
21.
Sullivan, W.M. ( 1995). Work and integrity: The crisis and promise of professionalism in America. New York: HarperCollins .
22.
Sullivan, W.M., & Rosin, M.S. ( 2008). A new agenda for higher education: Shaping a life of the mind for practice. San Francisco: Jossey-Bass.
23.
Taylor, C. ( 1992). Sources of the self: The making of the modern identity . Cambridge, MA: Harvard University Press.
24.
Thelin, J.R. ( 2004). A history of American higher education. Baltimore, MD: Johns Hopkins University Press.
