"Contextual Teaching and Learning" in Preservice Teacher Education Curriculum in the United States : The developmental Project at University of Georgia

This article discusses the educational meaning of "contextual teaching and learning (CTL)" in preservice teacher education through examining the developmental project of CTL at University of Georgia (UGA). For the purpose of this article, the author shows the development of CTL in preservice teacher education in the United States and analyzes the CTL project and its classes at UGA from the author's original point of view, then discusses the role and educational meaning of CTL in preservice teacher education. After publishing "A Nation at Risk" in 1983, there were many policies and argues about the improvement of teachers' stature or abilities in the United States. By this political background and advanced practices of CTL, practices of CTL in preservice teacher education in the United States began with funded programs from me federal Department of Education in 1997. The project at UGA were one of the programs. This project at UGA developed and implemented the preservice teacher education model in which students 1) would complete courses, seminars, and other experiences in professional education and content areas that integrate contextual teaching and learning concept into curriculum and instruction; 2) use experiences in community, workplace, and school contexts to inform teaching and learning; and 3) prepared to use contextual teaching and learning. To practice this model, UGA created the original theoretical framework of the CTL project, did faculty development, and created and revised the classes of the preservice teacher education at the university. The author insists that this CTL in preservice teacher education at UGA project is "learning CTL through CTL." This statement means: 1) "we can learn CTL only through CTL; "and 2) to learn the ways of varied problem-solving in multiple contexts through CTL is very important for CTL that postulates teachers should consider various cognitive styles of students in the process of teaching and learning. So, the author reinterprets the statement of "learning CTL through CTL" in terms of discussions of "community of practice" based on situated learning theory adopted to the theoretical framework of the UGA CTL project. As a result, the author expresses that the statement means to create the community of practice of CTL at UGA and to keep students members of the community. As a conclusion, the author states that the educational meaning of CTL in preservice teacher education is to construct the model of "learning CTL through CTL with faculty and students together" in preservice teacher education as well as consistently innovating preservice teacher education and practice at schools. In this model, CTL is not only a teaching method but also a learning object as well as an object of inquiring by faculty and students. At last, the author discusses on possibilities of CTL in preservice teacher education.