This examination of early efforts to use the case method of instruction in business and education at Harvard provides historical insights for those currently contemplating the use of cases in the education of teachers. Conceptual clarity about the purpose of case instruction and administrative and financial support for coordinated case writing by faculty are suggested as reasons why the method took hold in business but not in education.
Get full access to this article
View all access options for this article.
References
1.
Broudy, H., Tozer, S., & Trent, W. (1986). The Illinois project on professional knowledge in teacher education: A pilot study of core problems in teaching. (Technical report). Champaign: University of Illinois College of Education.
2.
Carter, K., & Unklesbay, R. (1989). Cases in teaching and law. Journal of Curriculum Studies, 21, 527-536.
3.
Christensen, C. (1987). Teaching and the case method. Boston, MA: Harvard Business School Publishing Division .
4.
Christensen, C., & Zaleznik, A. (1954). The case method and its administrative environment . In M. P. McNair (Ed.), The case method at the Harvard Business School (pp. 212-222). New York: McGraw-Hill.
5.
Commonwealth Center for the Education of Teachers (1991, June). The case method in teacher education. Paper presented at James Madison University, Harrisonburg, VA.
6.
Copeland, M. (1954). The genesis of the case method in business instruction . In M. P. McNair (Ed.), The case method at the Harvard Business School (pp. 25-33). New York: McGraw-Hill.
7.
Copeland, M. (1958). And mark an era: The story of the Harvard Business School. Boston: Little, Brown.
8.
Culbertson, J., Jacobson, P., & Reller, T. (1959). Administrative relationships: A case book. New York: Prentice-Hall.
9.
Donham, W. (1920-1921). Annual report of the President of Harvard University. Cambridge, MA: Office of the President, Harvard University.
10.
Donham, W. (1941-1942). Annual report of the President of Harvard University. Cambridge, MA: Office of the President, Harvard University.
11.
Feiman-Nemser, S. (1990). Teacher preparation: Structural and conceptual alternatives. In W. R. Houston, M. Haberman, & J. Sikula (Eds.), Handbook of research on teacher education (pp. 212-290). New York: Macmillan.
12.
Greenwood, G., & Parkay, F. (1989). Case studies for teacher decision making. New York: Random House.
13.
Hansen, A. (1987). Reflections of a casewriter: Writing teaching cases. In C. R. Christensen (Ed.), Teaching and the case method (pp. 264-270). Boston, MA: Harvard Business School Publishing Division.
14.
Harrington, H. (1990). The case as method: Some concerns and considerations . Unpublished manuscript, East Carolina University, Greenville, NC.
15.
Hutchings, P. (1991). The teaching initiative: Cases about college teaching and learning. Washington, DC: American Association of Higher Education.
16.
Kleinfeld, J. (1990). The case method in the preparation of teachers: Creating your own cases. Unpublished manuscript, University of Alaska, Fairbanks.
17.
Kleinfeld, J. (1991). Ethical issues and legal liability in writing cases about teaching. Unpublished manuscript, University of Alaska, Fairbanks.
18.
Kowalski, T., Weaver, R., & Henson, K. (1990). Case studies on teaching. White Plains, NY: Longman.
19.
Lang, C. (1986). Case method teaching in the community college: A guide for teaching and faculty development. Newton, MA : Education Development Center.
20.
Leenders, M., & Erskine, J. (1978). Case research: The case writing process (2nd ed.). London, Canada : The University of Western Ontario School of Business Administration .
21.
Lowell, A. (1907, January 9). [Personal correspondence to Professor Taussig.]Harvard University Archives, Cambridge, MA.
22.
Lyons, N. (1989). Teaching by the case method: One teacher's beginnings . On Teaching and Learning, 3, 28-35.
23.
Merseth, K. (1991a). The case for cases in teacher education. Washington, DC: American Association of Higher Education and the American Association of Colleges for Teacher Education.
24.
Merseth, K. (1991b, June). To write a case. Paper presented at James Madison University, Harrisonburg, VA.
25.
Merseth, K. (1991c). What the case method offers the teaching profession . Harvard Education Letter, 7(2), 6-7.
26.
Powell, A.G. (1980). The uncertain profession. Harvard and the search for educational authority. Cambridge, MA: Harvard University Press
27.
Richert, A. (1991). Case methods and teacher education : Using cases to teach teacher reflection. In R. Tabachnick & K. Zeichner (Eds.), Inquiry-oriented teacher education (pp. 130-150). London : Falmer.
28.
Shapiro, B. (1984). Hints for case teaching. Boston : Harvard Business School Publishing Division.
29.
Silverman, R., Welty, W., & Lyon, S. (in press). Case studies for teacher problem solving. New York: McGraw-Hill.
30.
Sykes, G. (1989). Learning to teach with cases. Colloquy, 2(2), 7-13.
31.
Towl, A. (1969). To study administration by cases. Boston: Harvard Business School Division of Research .
32.
Welty, W. (1989). Discussion method teaching. Change , 21(4), 40-49.
33.
Yin, R. ( 1989). Case study research: Design and methods. Newbury Park, CA: Sage.