Mission Statement
The goal of the School of Education is to prepare self-directed, reflective, scholarly professionals dedicated to the highest standards for themselves and those they serve.
The philosophy of the School of Education is closely related to the Mission of the College and can be described as Humanistic Dialectical Constructivism. Humanism as developed in the work of Rogers (1969), Freiberg (1994), Maslow (1970), and Combs (1984), is a philosophy that emphasizes the importance of the individual's emotions and feelings, attitudes, values, and interpersonal skills including open communication and the value of every student. This translates into an environment where students feel safe and secure, and where they are valued and feel that they belong.
There are many models of constructivism grounded in the research of Piaget, Vygotsky, Bruner, and the Gestalt psychologist Bartlett as well as the philosophy of John Dewey. They all emphasize the active role of the learner in building understanding and making sense of information. However, the view most closely aligned with the philosophy of the Education Programs at Manhattan College is dialectical constructivism - which is the view that locates the source of knowledge in the interaction between learners and the environment. It is the branch of constructivism that suggests that knowledge grows through the interactions of internal (cognitive) and external (environmental and social) factors. Vygotsky's description of cognitive development through the internalization and use of cultural tools such as language is an example of dialectical constructivism. In this model, knowledge reflects the outside world as filtered through and influenced by culture, language, beliefs, interactions with others, direct teaching, and modeling. As in any constructivist approach the education programs support (Woolfolk 1998, page 356)
- complex, challenging learning environments and authentic tasks;
- social negotiation and shared responsibility as a part of learning;
- multiple representations of content;
- understanding that knowledge is constructed; and
- student-centered instruction (Driscol, 1994); Marshall, 1992 in Woolfolk, page 347).
