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Greg Michie: Teaching education students the importance of culture before curriculum

By Matt Kurnick

"Illinois State has provided me the opportunities to be connected to schools and a community where college students are studying to become teachers. I'm glad there's a renewed commitment here to focusing on urban and high needs areas." — Greg Michie on Illinois State's commitment to equity in education

(April 7, 2008) Some teacher educators might suggest that a lesson's content is the most important thing to learn before teaching a classroom full of students. Greg Michie, assistant professor of Curriculum and Instruction and liaison in the Professional Development School (PDS) program in Chicago, would passionately suggest otherwise.

Michie's emphasis on getting to know the students, their community, and their culture is a process that would help students to learn in any school, especially those schools that have more diverse populations.

"Because there are a lot of large urban schools kids can tend to feel more anonymous," Michie said. "There, a lot of times the culture of the school may not be reflective of the students' home culture. Students can feel alienated and disconnected with school. One thing we really have to be about particularly in urban education is valuing and validating who our students are and where they're coming from, and making space for that in the classroom. I think teachers can both build a curriculum around students' questions and interests while including the basics and not watering it down. I know we can, I see teachers do it."

This ultimate goal of relating students' culture to curriculum boils down to what Michie considers the most important issue in education today, equity. The Chicago PDS provides a foundation to achieve such goals. "Chicago PDS goes back to what I think is the key issue in education, equity," Michie said. "If we really believe we say what we believe, all kids deserve a quality education, no matter whom they are or where they're from. If we really believe that, we have to do some things to stand behind our beliefs."

Illinois State has provided Michie the opportunity to validate and apply his beliefs. Michie, a former Chicago Public School (CPS) teacher, has suffused himself with the culture in Little Village, a predominantly Hispanic community in Chicago, where he spends most of his time. As an instructor Michie's life experiences also provide foundational knowledge that he is able to offer his teacher education students.

"I really didn't and still don't want to become that person or instructor who is disconnected," Michie recalled. "So the things that Illinois State has provided me that I really appreciate are the opportunities to be connected to schools and a community where college students are studying to become teachers.

"College students studying to become teachers question, and rightly so, 'does this professor really know what it's like to be in a classroom, or is he teaching based on something coming from a book?' I think those are fair questions. As somebody who did it they have questions I can answer based on my own experiences as well as research. I talk about things I did whether they're things that worked or didn't work. The answers then come from someone who's not an expert, but from someone who's done it, someone who knows what it's like to want to create a classroom that works for kids in an urban environment, who wasn't always successful at it, who really had to work hard at it."

The hard work Michie refers to from his days as a CPS teacher has carried over into his work with the PDS program. The program provides invaluable experience for teacher education students. Although Michie would like to see most of his students stay in Chicago to start their careers, he knows the experience they gain through the full-year program makes them as prepared as possible for teaching in any environment.

"Education students learn exponentially more when they're in a classroom," Michie said. "To be able to take part in the internship that lasts from before the first day of school, almost to the end of the year is almost unparalleled in terms of teacher preparation programs. It's not just the quantity of time, but the quality of what's going on. So far I'm really happy about the fact that we have more than half of our teachers [new graduates from the program] in CPS and doing a good job; that is what has been most rewarding. To me that's when the impact of the PDS program is most strongly felt."

Michie is not only proud of the number of students he has seen through the PDS program and into schools, but the quality of those teachers has been extremely high. The relationships the PDS students have cultivated with the communities they learned to teach in has come through to shine when it comes time for their students to learn.

"By getting to know their students as well as they can and having contact with the families, to be out in the community, they become better teachers," Michie said. "A better understanding of where their students are coming from helps relate to them on an interpersonal level. More importantly it gives them more opportunity to make connections between curriculum and the kids lives. The more they know about them, who they are and where they're coming from, the better they can do that. That's when learning happens."

But producing quality teachers is only the first step of the work towards complete equity in the education system. Illinois State has acknowledged that and with Michie's continued work the effort to improve urban education will be ongoing.

"One thing we can do at Illinois State is send our students to schools that need good teachers. Send our students to neighborhoods where they can make the biggest impact, where good teaching is really going to make a difference," Michie said. "Of course it makes a difference everywhere, but I think if we're really concerned about equity issues, we have to keep an eye on where we're sending our teachers. I'm glad there's a renewed commitment at Illinois State on really focusing on urban and high needs areas."

Like Michie, who landed at Illinois State because of the desire to stay connected to the students he teaches, the teacher education students in the PDS program get an opportunity to connect with the community in which they teach. Michie's need for this education outside the classroom has undeniably proven to translate to superior teaching inside the classroom.