 |
 |
Teaching |
|
|
||
|
|
||
|
|
Teaching,
systematic presentation of
facts, ideas, skills, and techniques to students. Although human beings have
survived and evolved as a species because of their capacity to share knowledge,
teaching as a profession did not emerge until relatively recently. The societies
of the ancient world that made substantial advances in knowledge and government,
however, were the ones in which specially designated people assumed
responsibility for the education of the young. History
The ancient Greeks, whose
love for learning is evident in their art, politics, and philosophy, were quick
to see the special value in educating children. Wealthy Greeks added teachers to
their households; these teachers were often slaves from conquered states. Later,
when the Roman Empire was at its height, its citizens also followed the practice
of having teacher-slaves, usually Greeks, attached to their households. By the Middle Ages, the
church had taken over the responsibility for teaching, which was carried on in
monasteries or in learning centers that gradually evolved into such great
universities as those of Paris and Bologna. In the 17th and 18th centuries,
renewed interest arose in the education of children, and knowledge about
teaching methods increased. The French cleric and educator St. John Baptist de
la Salle and later the Swiss educational reformer Johann Pestalozzi founded
model schools for young people but also trained other teachers in their theories
and methods. In North America, schools
were an important part of the development of the new continent. In 1647 the
colony of Massachusetts passed a law requiring towns of 50 or more families to
establish an elementary school and those with 100 or more families to establish
Latin grammar schools for secondary-level education. Even before this time,
Harvard College had been founded, and soon after, the College of William and
Mary was established. Thus, a commitment to education was, from the beginning, a
major characteristic of the U.S. Not until the 20th century, however, did
teachers begin to enjoy professional status. Teaching in
the U.S. Teachers in the U.S. numbered
about 3.4 million in 1989, but, an estimated 2.5 percent were not employed in
their chosen profession. The supply of and demand for positions fluctuates; in
the late 1970s, for example, approximately one job existed for every two trained
teachers in the nation. During the 1980s, however, serious teacher shortages
developed—particularly in science, mathematics, and foreign languages. These
shortages varied immensely depending on locale, but in general, large urban
school districts experienced the most severe shortages. Teaching has
traditionally been one of the lowest-paying jobs available to college graduates;
the starting salary for public school teachers averages $18,500. In the past, teaching was
characterized as drawing on human-caring skills rather than on a high degree of
research-based pedagogical expertise. The classroom teacher, especially on the
elementary and secondary school levels, was thought to need little formal
preparation. In the 1970s, this perception changed. The landmark report A
Nation at Risk, issued by the U.S. Department of Education in 1983, urged
more rigorous teacher preparation standards. Today's teachers must master a vast
array of specific strategies designed to promote and facilitate learning. As
knowledge expands and the need for a more highly educated workforce increases,
teaching is becoming more demanding and complex. A greater number of
technological teaching aids are generally available to the classroom teacher
today (see Programmed Instruction). Between 1983 and 1985, for example,
the number of computers in U.S. schools quadrupled. This increase, however, was
not evenly distributed. As of 1988, fewer than 10 percent of all public schools
had student-to-computer ratios sufficient to permit each student 30 minutes of
computer time per day. In 1989 the U.S. Office of Technology Assessment issued a
call for a national effort to ensure all primary and secondary students access
to computers. The modern teacher must deal
with many problems besides those involving technology and curriculum content.
The rise in poverty among U.S. children during the 1980s generated an array of
programs designed to address the needs of economically disadvantaged students.
Increased immigration—particularly from Southeast Asia and Latin America—created
the need for specialized strategies to assist students with limited English
proficiency. As the 1980s drew to a close, the public schools served a student
population more ethnically, racially, and linguistically diverse than at any
previous time in U.S. history. Many teachers also confronted overcrowded
classrooms, dilapidated physical facilities, students suffering from
malnutrition and other poverty-related problems, increased drug and alcohol
abuse among students, and reduced federal funding for education. Two powerful groups, the
National Education Association of the United States and the American Federation
of Teachers, represent the interests of teachers in the U.S. In their advocacy
of educational reform and their efforts to raise the wages and improve the
working conditions of teachers, these organizations have become more politically
active since the early 1960s. Teaching
in Other Nations The teaching profession
varies from country to country. In some nations, such as Ireland and Spain, the
Roman Catholic church is active in all aspects of education, including teacher
training. In Communist countries, on the other hand, teachers are considered
agents of the state. Lately, however, many nations have recognized the
connections between stable government, economic growth, and effective education.
As a result, education has become a major U.S. export; thousands of educators
throughout Europe and the Third World come to the U.S. to train as teachers and
to study the American educational system. Teaching, like medicine, has become an
international activity with practical and theoretical knowledge freely exchanged
across borders. By: Kevin Ryan "Teaching," Microsoft® Encarta® 96 Encyclopedia. © 1993-1995 Microsoft Corporation. All rights reserved. © Funk & Wagnalls Corporation. All rights reserved. | |
