Students Role in National Development
1
Preparing Teachers as Agents of Change
The Wheaton College Teacher Education Program Conceptual Framework
The Department of Education (the unit charged with teacher preparation) at
Wheaton College envisions the teacher as an agent of change. This conceptualization of teaching has a spiritual and historical foundation as well as a theoretical framework. The role of teacher as an agent of change is tied closely to the college’s mission, “to produce whole and effective Christians to serve Christ and His Kingdom” (Wheaton College
Catalog, 2002, p. 4). This mission, which calls Wheaton students to integrate their faith with learning and living, reflects the view that all are to be faithful servants of Christ in whatever form of service their vocations lead them. For those who are called to service in our state’s, nation’s, and world’s public and private schools, this mission charges the candidates to devote their lives wholly to Christ by faithfully teaching all of His children to the best of their abilities while continually working to improve conditions in the schools. Jonathan Blanchard, Wheaton College’s first president and a strident abolitionist, believed strongly in preparing Christian young men and women to fight injustice and improve life for those in need. Under Blanchard’s leadership, Wheaton College was the first four-year college in Illinois to graduate an African American and to enroll women on an equal basis with men (Maas, 1996). As an advocate for social reform, Blanchard’s activist role and nineteenth century ideals still guide the Wheaton teacher education program as it develops educators for an increasingly diverse nation.
The unit’s current conceptual framework was originally developed in 1993. The first effort involved the collective efforts of the faculty members in the Education
Department and several teachers and principals in the local public and private schools.
These initial consultative efforts evolved into a regular advisory group
Preparing Teachers as Agents of Change
The Wheaton College Teacher Education Program Conceptual Framework
The Department of Education (the unit charged with teacher preparation) at
Wheaton College envisions the teacher as an agent of change. This conceptualization of teaching has a spiritual and historical foundation as well as a theoretical framework. The role of teacher as an agent of change is tied closely to the college’s mission, “to produce whole and effective Christians to serve Christ and His Kingdom” (Wheaton College
Catalog, 2002, p. 4). This mission, which calls Wheaton students to integrate their faith with learning and living, reflects the view that all are to be faithful servants of Christ in whatever form of service their vocations lead them. For those who are called to service in our state’s, nation’s, and world’s public and private schools, this mission charges the candidates to devote their lives wholly to Christ by faithfully teaching all of His children to the best of their abilities while continually working to improve conditions in the schools. Jonathan Blanchard, Wheaton College’s first president and a strident abolitionist, believed strongly in preparing Christian young men and women to fight injustice and improve life for those in need. Under Blanchard’s leadership, Wheaton College was the first four-year college in Illinois to graduate an African American and to enroll women on an equal basis with men (Maas, 1996). As an advocate for social reform, Blanchard’s activist role and nineteenth century ideals still guide the Wheaton teacher education program as it develops educators for an increasingly diverse nation.
The unit’s current conceptual framework was originally developed in 1993. The first effort involved the collective efforts of the faculty members in the Education
Department and several teachers and principals in the local public and private schools.
These initial consultative efforts evolved into a regular advisory group
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