pre-serviceteachersperceptionsof.docVIP

Pre-service Teachers Perceptions of Departmentalization of Elementary Schools Fuchang Liu Wichita State University  Abstract This paper discusses the advantages and disadvantages of departmentalization of elementary schools, with an emphasis on teaching mathematics, as perceived by preservice teachers who shared their opinions through online discussion. Advantages include teachers enthusiasm about and focused attention on the specialized area and students easier transition to junior high school. Disadvantages include not knowing students on a more personal level, loss of integration and connection across different subjects, added stress on young children when they have to move from classroom to classroom, and time wasted during such moves. Some middle ground, such as team teaching, was offered as a compromise between departmentalizing and not departmentalizing. Preservice Teachers Perceptions of Departmentalization of Elementary Schools U. S. students are consistently outperformed by students from other industrialized nations, and more noticeably by students from East Asian countries, in mathematics and science (see Leinwand Ginsburg, 2007; L. Ma, 1999; Wang Lin, 2005). Discussion on reforming the American educational system has always been going on. Many recent efforts have been devoted to new ways of reforming American education, such as school choice (including vouchers, charter schools, and privatization), school accountability, and the No Child Left Behind Act signed into law in 2001. However, most large-scale reforms are dependent upon federal and state legislation for necessary support. Furthermore, implementation often takes time, and yet their success has not been convincingly documented (Roselli, 2005). In examining some hotly debated issues centering around American education reform, Friedman (2004) presented quotations that describe the mediocrity of American public education for the past century, such as Our standard for h