My Philosophy of Teacher Education
Jill Kerper Mora,
Ed.D.
Associate Professor of Teacher Education
San Diego State University
I believe that preparing teachers for the diverse population of students is the most exciting and challenging endeavor in teacher education today. My teaching, professional growth and service activities are directed toward preparing students for teaching in California schools with a high level of knowledge, skill and appreciation of the complexities of teaching with children and youth from many cultural and linguistic backgrounds.
In 1994, I was granted a joint appointment with the School of Teacher Education and the Imperial Valley Campus. In 1997, my fourth year with SDSU, I transferred from the Imperial Valley Campus to the San Diego Campus to accept an appointment in English Language Development with the School of Teacher Education. In Fall 2000, I was awarded tenure and promotion to Associate Professor.
Before coming to SDSU, I was involved in the education of culturally diverse populations in the public schools as a bilingual teacher, consultant, administrator and teacher educator. I served as a consultant with the Texas Education Agency; as a lecturer and Assistant Professor in bilingual and second-language teacher education at three universities and a private college in Texas. In Mexico, I worked as a school administrator for a private bilingual school and as Director of Realizaciones, S.A., the international education consulting firm I founded in San Miguel de Allende, Mexico.
My vision of teacher education in California is to prepare teachers for the twenty-first century to address the needs of the growing population of linguistically and culturally diverse students in our public and private schools. The social and economic well-being of our state depends on the skills of our educators. Teachers of second-language learners particularly need specialized training and skills in literacy instruction strategies. Our future teachers must be equipped with effective cross-cultural and second-language skills to reach every segment of the population. I will contribute to accomplishing this mission through teaching, research and service through the university and its partnerships with public schools.
In my professional activities, I strive to model and reflect an appreciation for diversity. My teaching methods are selected to provide meaningful learning experiences for all styles of learners. I implement activities in every class session that involve lectures, whole and small group discussion, structured group activities, simulations and role playing, and audiovisual materials. The objectives of teaching in multicultural and second-language education include both the cognitive and affective domains of learning. I not only impart knowledge, but strive to influence changes in attitudes and values through my courses.
I have taught many sections of ED 516 Foundations of Bilingual Education and PLC 914. Teaching in the Content Areas: ELD/SDAIE for the CLAD credential. The course number has changed to PLC 915 A/B but the content is the same. These two courses, PLC 915 and ED 516 are the core of the CLAD credential program because they give teacher candidates the knowledge and skills to select teaching methods and design effective lessons for teaching linguistically diverse learners. These courses also provide future teachers with knowledge of research in the areas of effective schooling practices for language minority students so that they are equipped to critically analyze the impact of public policies on programs and classrooms that serve bilingual learners.
In addition, I teach TE 930B Reading/Language Arts methods in the Chula Vista and Rosa Parks student teaching blocks. I currently teach TE 930 A/B Reading & Language Arts Methods at Rosa Parks. In the Fall 1999 semester also taught a graduate course TE 639 Language and Literacy for the Chula Vista Master's Program and a special topics course in ESL Strategies for the on-campus Master's Program in Reading, which is offered again this fall semester.
During the 1999-2000 academic year I taught a combined BCLAD and CLAD credential course in PLC 914 English Language Development/SDAIE, in the Rosa Parks Student Teaching Block. This course served to integrate theory and methods for linguistically diverse students for our teacher candidates in the professional development school collaborative at Rosa Parks Elementary School. I focus on preparing teachers for their role as "team players" in the instruction of students who are learning English and their academic subjects in various types of classroom settings. I want my students to leave my courses with a repertoire of strategies and skills in curriculum planning that will allow them to understand second-language acquisition and maximize the language and content learning opportunities for bilingual students.
Current Position
In August, 2001 I assumed the position of Interim Associate Director of the School of Teacher Education. The responsibilities of the position take me out of the classroom for the time being. However, I remain active and involved in teacher preparation and professional development through conferences, inservice presentations, guest lectures and collaborative projects with local school districts. I also continue to engage in advocacy for language minority students and educators who are committed to advancing their academic achievement and personal actualization as they strive to develop and fulfill their full human potential.
Jill Kerper Mora, Ed.D.
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This page was last updated on 07/26/02
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