New directions for teaching, learning, and assessment

Abstract

The preparation of teachers has traditionally focused on understanding curriculum subjects and acquiring methods for presenting direct instruction. In this scheme, educators are regarded as experts who convey information students need to know. A corresponding set of expectations for students obligates them to pay attention to teachers, take notes, read textbooks, complete assignments, and memorize pertinent material for testing. This portrayal of schooling is no longer sufficient because technology tools enable students to acquire additional learning beyond their experience in the classroom (Hughes, 2004). Another motivation to enlarge the scope of instruction is the employer expectation that graduates will possess teamwork skills and creative abilities necessary to cope with continuous change (Florida and Goodnight, 2005; Fosnot, 2005). © 2007 Springer Science+Business Media B.V.