REGIONAL SEMINAR FOR STATE LEADERS IN VOCATIONAL EDUCATION ON IN-SERVICE EDUCATION. CENTER SEMINAR AND CONFERENCE REPORT, NUMBER 3.

Overview & Synopsis

THIRTY-FIVE STATE LEADERS FROM 10 STATES WITH RESPONSIBILITIES FOR INSERVICE EDUCATION OF TEACHERS AND LEADERS IN OCCUPATIONAL EDUCATION ATTENDED A SEMINAR WHICH EXAMINED TWO DIMENSIONS OF IN-SERVICE EDUCATION -- THE TEACHER AS A CHANGE AGENT IN THE ONGOING PROCESS OF SOCIAL CHANGE, AND THE TEACHER AS AN INTEGRATING AGENT IN TERMS OF VALUES AND PHILOSOPHICAL CONCEPTS. IN HIS PAPER ON "VOCATIONAL EDUCATION AND SOCIAL CHANGE," FRED BATES DISCUSSED VOCATIONAL EDUCATION AS ONE PART OF A PROCESS TRANSMITTING THE CULTURE OF THE SOCIETY, THEREBY CONTRIBUTING A PART OF THE CULTURAL BLUEPRINT OR "PROGRAM" FOR BEHAVIOR IN THAT SOCIETY. TO BE EFFECTIVE, THIS "PROGRAM" MUST FIT INTO THE LARGER PROCESS OF PROGRAMING GOING ON IN SOCIETY AND MUST FIT THE KINDS OF DATA OR STIMULI PEOPLE WILL ENCOUNTER IN THE WORLD OF WORK. "CHANGING BELIEFS AND PRACTICES OF TEACHERS," BOB BROWN, DISCUSSED THE GULF THAT SEPARATES THE THEORY AND PRACTICE OF TEACHING. TO SOLVE THE THEORY-PRACTICE DILEMMA, TEACHER-EDUCATORS MUST INQUIRE INTO (1) THEORIES THAT EXPLAIN WHY PEOPLE BEHAVE AS THEY DO, AND (2) THE STRUCTURE AND ORGANIZATION OF BELIEF SYSTEMS OR FRAMES OF MIND. PARTICIPANTS IDENTIFIED 20 RESEARCH AND DEVELOPMENT NEEDS AND 20 UNSOLVED PROBLEMS IN VOCATIONAL EDUCATION. A SUMMARY OF STATE REPORTS ON INSERVICE EDUCATION PRACTICES IS PRESENTED. THE APPENDIX CONTAINS THE SEMINAR PROGRAM, "PERSONAL BELIEFS INVENTORY,""TEACHER PRACTICES INVENTORY," A LIST OF 76 PROBLEMS OF INSERVICE EDUCATION, AND A LIST OF 17 INSERVICE PROGRAMS WHICH HAVE BEEN EFFECTIVE. (EM)