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| Frequently Asked |
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WHAT DO YOU MEAN BY TEACHING TO LEARN? |
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Collaborative and cooperative learning depends
upon peer teaching, and these are widespread, important
classroom strategies in America. In this approach,
students learn through teaching in addition to other
means. Ongoing
research [.pdf] supports
the practice. Peer teaching broadens and deepens
individual learning about the subject matter, promotes
achievement, and supports positive attitudinal growth
as well. Like their professional teachers, students
experience the enhanced interest and deepened meaning
that comes when one person teaches another. |
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WHY SHOULD LEARNING TO TEACH BE A
PART OF GENERAL EDUCATION? |
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Like literacy and numeracy, peer teaching enhances
achievement in all subject areas. It has become
an important learning tool. Furthermore, learning
to teach effectively is basic to good parenting
and productive community leadership. It is important
in all occupations where people interact with the
public and instruct others within the occupational
group. We think it is paradoxical (and wasteful) that our society
delays the systematic development of effective
teaching skills in people until they are adults
and confines that development to pre-service professional
teachers. |
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3.
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ARE YOU MAINLY INTERESTED IN RECRUITING
FUTURE PROFESSIONAL TEACHERS? |
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We are very interested in that, but in our Teaching
to Learn research projects we are focused on peer
teaching and the development of teaching abilities
in all students. We know that professional teachers
at various grade levels compare notes on their
students' progress in literacy, numeracy and more,
especially those who are ahead of or behind grade
level. As we work with teachers and learn more
about early teaching abilities, and as teaching
becomes a more systematic part of the learning-to-teach
process, we can expect similar conversations about
students' pedagogical growth. With that information,
professional educators can encourage and develop
an interest in professional teaching among those
who show outstanding teaching abilities and interest year after
year. This is what we do now with capable students in most subject areas.
We can do that in teaching, too. |
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4.
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SHOULD LEARNING TO TEACH, OR PEDAGOGY,
BE A SEPARATE SUBJECT IN SCHOOL, OR EVEN A MAJOR
TRACK FOR COLLEGE-BOUND STUDENTS? |
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The Hoenny Center does not currently take a position
on this. We think we need to learn more about the
early development of teachers before we can recommend
curricular content for this practice. Teaching
is already a career track in some high schools
and is available to students interested in going
to college as education majors. The number of Teaching
Academy or Cadet Teaching programs is small, compared with the number of American high schools, but
the number is increasing, especially in large city
high schools. In addition, there are elective courses
that are not dependent upon a career track in teaching. As
we learn more, we will develop new ways to nurture
and support students' teaching interest and skills
through middle and high school, primarily in the
context
of each academic subject. |
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5.
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WHAT KINDS OF THINGS WILL K-12 TEACHERS
DO AS YOUR PROFESSIONAL PARTNERS? |
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Hoenny Center Professional Partners are teachers
who have become aware of unique teaching abilities
in some of their students and are excited about
developing teaching abilities in all of their
students. Below are some possible types of involvement.
Each Professional Partner is not expected to engage
in all of them, but chooses the focus that fits
his or her time, experience, professional needs
and interests. In general, the Professional Partners:
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Systematically observe students
teaching other students |
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Share observations and insights about peer
teaching situations with each other, locally
and nationally |
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Build on-going support
within schools for students with special
teaching abilities and interest |
4) |
Develop materials and processes to improve
kids' teaching and to help new Professional
Partners |
5) |
Contribute to new research on peer teaching |
For more, see the Professional
Partners pages. |
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6.
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DURING THE PROJECT, WILL A LEARNING
SITUATION CHANGE FOR THE STUDENTS? |
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We think it changes little at first because Hoenny
Center Professional Partners are already their
teachers and projects capitalize on what their
students are already doing. When a teacher's project
begins, the Hawthorne Effect may, of course, result
in enhanced effort by some students. But audiotapes,
videotapes, or an occasional classroom visitor
seldom distract students for long. The teacher
and the building principal will always be part
of any Hoenny Center research planning that affects
their students. |
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7.
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WHAT IS THE FOCUS OF HOENNY CENTER
RESEARCH AND WHY IS IT NEW? |
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The focus of our analysis is the educational
situation that two students create when they enter
into a teaching-learning relationship, or peer-teaching
dyad. More specifically we study the motivations, strategies, and rewards of preK-12 students who engage in peer teaching. Interaction analysis,
teacher personality research, etc. were earlier
attempts to get at this issue with behavioral or
psychological measurements of various kinds. We
will take cognizance of that and other work, of
course; but we don't intend to repeat it unless
it is worth replicating.
We constantly examine the current
research [.pdf]
on peer teaching, and a report summarizing this research up to 2002 is available
on this web site.
First, we noticed that most of this research, and much of the research on constructivist
classrooms, focuses on various valuable outcomes, but generally ignores growth
in the teaching skills of students. We intend to make the teaching skills of
students central in our work. Second, much of prior research analyzes the behaviors
or school outcomes of individual peer teachers, or analyzes various whole-classroom
characteristics. We will focus on peer teaching dyads. Finally, almost all of
the research on teaching is on college students and professional teachers. We
will be looking at preK-12 students, and we will be building a theory of
pedagogical growth from the early school years through high school. This is what's new. |
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8.
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HOW DOES ONE PRONOUNCE "HOENNY" AND
WHO ARE THE HOENNYS? |
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"Hoenny" rhymes with "penny." Adolph
Hoenny was a prominent St. Louis attorney, and
his wife, Inga, a graduate of Nerinx Hall High
School and Webster College, was a mathematics and
business practice teacher at St. Elizabeth Academy
in St. Louis. To honor them, their family provided
funds for the founding of the Hoenny Center. |
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9.
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WHEN WAS THE HOENNY CENTER FOUNDED
AND WHO RUNS IT? |
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The Hoenny Center was founded on December
30, 2002. This is the leadership team:
| J. TERRY GATES, Ed.D. |
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President and CEO |
| MARY E. BICKEL, Ed.D. |
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Secretary/Treasurer and Program Coordinator |
Click here for
more about us. |
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