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Center of Pedagogy

About the Center of Pedagogy

What is the Center of Pedagogy?
Mission Statement
Portrait of a Teacher
Centers of Pedagogy Across the Nation
Contact Information

What is the Center of Pedagogy?

Montclair State University was the first university in the nation to create a formal structure in which faculty from arts and sciences, education and the public schools — what we call the Tripartite — are equally involved in the ongoing work of teacher education. Anyone who is involved in the education of educators is a member of the Center of Pedagogy. Policies and practices are established by collaborative groups with equal representation from all parts of the Tripartite.

The Center of Pedagogy coordinates all aspects of teacher education. Our work is informed by the belief that public education is critical to creating and sustaining a political and social democracy. We believe that schools, universities, and communities must engage in simultaneous and collaborative renewal in order to make our vision of education for social justice a reality.

Under the umbrella of the Center of Pedagogy you will find a number of programs and offices including the Montclair State University Network for Educational Renewal, Agenda for Education in a Democracy, Advocacy Center, Office of Admissions and Retention, Fieldwork Department, Urban Teaching Academy, Urban Teacher Residency Program, and ADP Center. The Center of Pedagogy also coordinates the Teacher Education Policy Committee, which is the oversight body for policy and curriculum for undergraduate and graduate certification programs.

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Mission Statement

The mission of the Center of Pedagogy is the continuing development of educators who promote students' critical thinking and learning and develop their competence to participate actively and productively in democratic communities. The Center's members recognize their roles and moral responsibilities in the enculturation of students into our emerging political and social democracy. The Center provides a vehicle for collaboration in an environment where all members can participate as equals. The Center of Pedagogy facilitates the ongoing simultaneous renewal of the education of educators and the educational programs of the University and the public schools. The Center encourages a wide range of scholarship, especially the scholarship of pedagogy and of application.

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Portrait of a Teacher

The centerpiece of all of our work is a document called the Portrait of a Teacher, shown below. Composed by faculty from the university and the schools, the Portrait is a set of statements that embody our vision of an educator. We use the portrait to inform admission into all of our programs, assessment of student teaching, and professional development for teachers. First developed in 1996, the Portrait has undergone several revisions. It was recently revised to align with our institutional standards. These standards were created in 2003, are reviewed and updated periodically, and align with the National Council for Accreditation of (NCATE) standards.

Download: Portrait of a Teacher (PDF)

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Centers of Pedagogy Across the Nation

More than a century ago, John Dewey envisioned departments of pedagogy as the focal point for all policies and practices in teacher education. In 1990, John Goodlad reintroduced the idea of a center of pedagogy and in 1995, the first one was established at Montclair State University. For an in-depth discussion of the concept, including standards for establishing and evaluating centers, a case study of the evolution of Montclair State University's Center of Pedagogy, and information on other similar structures, see Robert S. Patterson, Nicholas M. Michelli, and Arturo Pacheco, Centers of Pedagogy: New Structures for Educational Renewal, San Francisco: Jossey-Bass Publishers, 1999.

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