Division of Educational and Psychological Studies
Annie J. Daniel, Ph.D.
Assistant Professor of Education
Middle Level Education Specialist
CONCEPTUAL FRAMEWORK
Aligning
Principles
of
Learning
with
Culturally
Relevant
Pedagogy
—The
Guiding
Research
The
Division
of
Educational
and
Psychological
Studies
seeks
to
build
on
the
University’s
heritage
to
prepare
graduates
who
are
critical
thinkers
and
problem
solvers,
who
are
culturally
competent,
and
who
possess
a
high
level
of
social
responsibility.
To
achieve
this
purpose,
the
Division
of
Education
strives
to
facilitate
opportunities
for
students
to
become
adept
at
aligning
principles
of
learning
with
culturally
relevant
pedagogy.
Current
research
in
education
(Donovan,
Bransford,
&
Pelligrino,
1999)
suggests
that
“a
critical
feature
of
effective
teaching
is
that
it
elicits
from
students
their
pre-existing
understanding
of
the
subject
matter
to
be
taught
and
provides
opportunities
to
build
on
–
or
challenge
–
the
initial
understanding”
(Donovan,
et
al.,
p.
10).
This
premise
is
supported
in
three
core
principles
of
learning
that
explain
how
individuals
learn.
1)
Learners
enter
the
classroom
with
preconceptions
about
how
the
world
operates.
Initial
learning
experiences
that
are
engaging,
help
learners
to
grasp
and/or
retain
knowledge
introduced,
rather
than
revert
to
their
preconceptions.
2)
To
become
competent
in
an
area
of
inquiry,
learners
must
develop
a
deep
foundation
of
factual
knowledge,
embedded
in
the
context
of
own
personal
experiences
and
understandings,
and
organize
knowledge
gleaned
in
ways
that
allow
for
retrieval
and
transferal.
3)
Learners
become
more
independent
and
engage
in
more
sophisticated
learning
tasks
when
they
are
empowered
through
a
metacognitive
approach
to
define
their
own
learning
experiences
through
goal
setting
and
to
monitor
their
progress
toward
the
accomplishment
of
those
goals
(Donovan,
et
al.).
Culturally
relevant
pedagogy,
as
defined
by
Ladson-Billings
(1994),
empowers
learners
intellectually,
socially,
emotionally,
and
politically
by
accessing
cultural
referents
to
impart
knowledge,
skills,
and
attitudes.
As
such,
culturally
relevant
pedagogy
adheres
to
the
principles
of
learning
espoused
by
Donovan
and
Pelligrino
(1999)
in
that
it
advances
the
notion
of
authentic,
personal/cultural
knowledge
as
a
scaffold
for
powerful
learning.
Extant
literature
on
culturally
relevant
pedagogy
(Wlodkowski
&
Ginsbert,
1995;
Hooks,
1994;
King,
1994;
Ladson-Billings,
1994;
Villegas,
1992)
suggests
that
uprooting
obstacles
to
educational
and
social
justice
is
critical
to
the
provision
of
motivational,
relevant,
and
responsive
educational
offerings
in
a
pluralistic
society.
In
light
of
the
economic,
political,
and
socio-cultural
circumstances
impacting
education
locally
and
nationally,
education
for
the
current
and
future
success
of
the
masses
must
equip
learners
with
the
necessary
tools.
As
such,
effective
teaching
should
adhere
to
the
critical
aspects
of
culturally
relevant
pedagogy.
Learning
opportunities,
therefore,
should
provide
social
relations
·
which
are
humanely
equitable,
·
which
honor,
respect,
and
incorporate
students’
personal
values,
purposes,
and
home
cultures
as
“scaffolds”
for
constructing
new
knowledge;
and
·
which
prepare
learners
to
be
critically
aware
of
the
world
they
inhabit.
The Division of Educational and Psychological Studies honors, respects, and strives to develop the gifts and rich heritage of those whom it serves. To achieve this, the unit nurtures three aspects of the learner – the human spirit, the intellect, and leadership and service – which under grid all curricula and instruction at Dillard University. These concepts and their related processes prepare candidates to realize and embrace their cultural and social responsibility as they become adept at integrating what is known about how individuals learn with what is know about meeting the needs of diverse groups of learners. Hence, the Division prepares candidates for critical thinking and problem solving for their own powerful learning outcomes and, in turn, for powerful teaching, research, and service outcomes through the alignment of principles of learning with culturally relevant pedagogy.
Figure 1: Concept map for the Conceptual Framework of the Division of Educational and Psychological Studies
Mission
of
the
Division
of
Educational
and
Psychological
Studies
“These
people
dared
to
think
they
could
learn.”
(Dr.
Elfred
A.
Pinkard,
About
the
Oaks)
“By
the
year
2004
Dillard
University
will
be
equal
to
any
liberal
arts
institution
in
the
southern
United
States,
and
will
be
one
of
the
nation’s
preeminent
international
and
cultural
investments
for
education.”
(Dr.
Michael
Lomax,
Dillard
University
Strategic
Plan)
The
two
above-stated
quotes,
one
from
About
the
Oaks
and
the
other
from
the
Dillard
University
Strategic
Plan,
undergird
the
mission
and
purpose
of
the
Division
of
Educational
and
Psychological
Studies.
The
Division
of
Educational
and
Psychological
Studies,
as
an
integral
part
of
Dillard
University,
is
committed
to
the
university
goals
of
personal
development,
professional
and
vocational
competence,
and
social
responsibility.
As
such,
the
Division,
which
consists
of
the
Education
Department
and
the
Psychology
Department,
seeks
to
build
on
its
heritage
to
prepare
graduates
who
are
critical
thinkers
and
problem
solvers,
who
are
culturally
competent,
and
who
possess
a
high
level
of
social
responsibility.
To
achieve
this
purpose,
the
Division
of
Educational
and
Psychological
Studies
strives
to
prepare
graduates
who
are
adept
at
aligning
principles
of
learning
with
culturally
relevant
pedagogy.
Since
the
early
1940’s
when
Dillard
University
announced
that
education
would
become
a
separate
division
with
status
equal
to
that
of
other
divisions,
psychology
and
teacher
education
have
been
considered
necessary
and
important
to
addressing
the
needs
of
the
community.
The
Division
has
recognized
and
continues
to
recognize
its
responsibility
to
prepare
education
and
psychology
graduates
who
realize
and
embrace
their
cultural
and
social
responsibility.
The
curriculum
of
the
Division
of
Educational
and
Psychological
Studies
remains
centered
in
principles
of
learning
and
culturally
relevant
pedagogy.
We
believe
that
for
students
to
develop
to
become
good
teachers
and
psychologists,
they
must
understand
how
people
learn
and
cope
with
their
environments
in
the
context
of
culture.
The
Division
also
recognizes
that
the
high
tech
environment
of
the
twenty-first
century
requires
that
students
be
technologically
proficient,
possess
a
global
perspective
anchored
in
varied
authentic
experiences,
and
attain
competency
in
research
skills.
The
Psychology
Department
provides,
for
all
university
students,
the
foundational
principles
of
human
behavior,
learning,
and
motivation.
Education
majors,
in
particular,
are
groomed
through
their
psychology
coursework
to
develop
the
interpersonal
and
professional
knowledge,
skills,
and
dispositions
essential
for
effective
teaching.
The
Psychology
Department
offers
its
majors
a
solid
background
in
psychological
science
that
prepares
them
for
graduate
work
in
psychology
and
for
entrance
into
the
job
market.
In
addition
to
formal
coursework,
psychology
students
participate
in
clinical
and
research
activities
that
give
them
practical
experience
in
the
application
of
psychological
principles.
Thus,
students
graduate
with
the
ability
to
apply
their
understanding
of
psychological
knowledge
and
methods
to
real-world
problems
and
situations
through
intra
personal,
interpersonal,
social,
and
cultural
interactions.
Division
of
Educational
and
Psychological
Studies
Goals
The
Division
of
Education
is
an
integral
part
of
Dillard
University
and
is
committed
to
University
goals
of
personal
development,
professional
and
vocational
competence,
and
social
responsibility.
The
educational
process
at
Dillard
University
is
founded
on
the
philosophy
that
liberal
art
learning
fosters
the
greatest
possible
development
of
each
individual’s
creative
and
intellectual
abilities.
The
Division
seeks
to
work
together
with
the
highest
ideals
of
professional
excellence
and
personal
concern
to
model
those
educational
ideals
in
the
classroom.
The
goals
of
the
Division
of
Educational
and
Psychological
Studies
are
directly
tied
to
its
mission
and
purpose.
Goal 1: To educate students who are critical thinkers and problem-solvers
Subgoal
A:
To
provide
quality
instruction
in
liberal
arts
education
Subgoal
B:
To
enhance
the
curriculum
to
include
more
hands-on,
case
study,
and
problem-solving
activities
Goal 2: To prepare students who are adept at aligning principles of learning with culturally relevant pedagogy
Subgoal
A:
To
provide
students
a
thorough
understanding
of
how
people
learn
Subgoal
B:
To
provide
students
the
foundational
principles
of
human
behavior,
learning,
and
motivation
Subgoal
C:
To
equip
students
with
techniques
of
culturally
relevant
pedagogy
Subgoal
D:
To
expose
students
to
a
wide-range
of
local,
national,
state,
and
international
cultural
experiences
Goal 3: To prepare graduates who embrace their cultural and social responsibility to the community
Subgoal
A:
To
provide
students
field
and
clinical
experiences
that
will
enrich
their
connection
to
the
community
and
to
the
profession
Subgoal
B:
To
support
students’
involvement
in
community
service
Goal 4: To academically prepare students with a strong foundation for graduate school
Subgoal
A:
To
provide
students
with
opportunities
to
research,
visit,
and
apply
for
admission
to
graduate
school
Subgoal
B:
To
increase
the
number
of
students
who
enter
and
successfully
complete
graduate
school
Subgoal
C:
To
increase
students’
participation
in
research
conferences
Subgoal
D:
To
strengthen
student
awareness
of
and
linkages
with
the
Office
of
Career
Services
and
Educational
Enhancement
Goal 5: To develop a “technology rich” environment
Subgoal A: To make appropriate pedagogical use of information technology
Subgoal
B:
To
increase
faculty
and
student
understanding
and
use
of
technology
