About Us - Program Philosophy
Dr. Jerry Casciani
Department Chair
The purpose of the teacher education program at SUNY Cortland is to prepare teachers who will make a difference. The Physical Education Teacher Preparation Program at SUNY Cortland is linked with this conceptual framework through a central commitment to a liberal education with a strong pedagogical emphasis. Building on a shared vision of teacher education, a strong emphasis is placed on liberal education, including the themes of personal responsibility, social justice and global understanding. This coherence and shared vision for teacher education at SUNY Cortland is maintained through departmental membership on the Teacher Education Council (TEC). The professional areas of emphasis include mastery and integration of an essential knowledge and skill base, an emphasis on problem solving and independent, life-long learning as well as self-actualization and learning experiences that lead to the empowerment of an emerging professional.
The teacher certification program in physical education at SUNY Cortland reflects three major value orientations including disciplinary mastery, learning process and self-actualization (Jewett, Bain and Ennis, 1995). Disciplinary mastery places a premium on mastery of subject matter and what knowledge is most worthwhile. Learning process features learning how to learn and solve problems. Self-actualization features student self-direction in reaching toward and understanding their potential.
The disciplinary mastery value orientation is utilized to help students acquire a current and essential knowledge base in the subdiscipline core, professional education courses and the activity core. The building of this knowledge base from each of these elements is central to the development of professional physical educators who are equipped to meet the needs of their students. Mastery and integration of this essential knowledge will help our graduates prepare the students they will teach to meet the New York State Learning Standards and the NASPE Learning Standards for Physical Education, thus achieving competency and proficiency in select activities for graduation. Our teacher preparation program is committed to the development of knowledgeable, skillful professionals who plan for scope and sequence for learning motor skill progressions that are developmentally appropriate and meet the needs of a diverse population. Physical fitness is endorsed in all its forms for a healthy lifestyle throughout life. Students practice using a variety of teaching styles and work toward mastery of a variety of teaching skills within a seam of 100 hours of field experience prior to student teaching. Through this sequence of authentic experiences, our students actively participate in communicating and modeling the essential elements of instruction needed to create safe, positive and productive learning environments.
Learning how to learn and problem solving are critical to the development of disciplinary mastery in physical education. Therefore, this program prepares students to continue to develop professionally by helping students access information through advanced technological applications while maintaining the ability to analyze, process, communicate and demonstrate physical education theory. Students gain the ability to examine new and pertinent information through the program’s theoretical and activity-based core and reflect upon their progress through continual assessment. Learning how to learn supports the program’s goals of assisting future educators in maintaining their skills, accessing educational resources and becoming contributing members of their profession.
Self-actualization is an ongoing component of this program to help students reach their maximum potential. Students are required to participate in authentic field, clinical, laboratory and outdoor adventure experiences. Essential to these experiences is the ability to: a) communicate knowledge, b) develop interpersonal skills, and c) self-reflect leading to the empowerment of an emergent professional.