Teaching and Learning
F05, F06, F07 
Elizabeth Burris, Bryan Duff, Gene Rudzewicz
Sigmund Freud once described teaching as “impossible.” This impossible profession will be explored by examining questions such as: What is teaching? What is learning? What is the purpose of education? What roles do teachers and students play in this process? Through reading a wide variety of works by educational theorists, we will develop a historical perspective on movements and approaches to education (including progressivism, behaviorism, constructivism, and traditional liberal education) while learning to unpack assumptions and analyze arguments. Ultimately, through analytical reading and writing, students will articulate their own visions of who they want to be as teachers.What is teaching? What is learning? What is the purpose of education? What roles do teachers and students play in these processes? Such essential questions help shape the exploration that we do in this class. We read a wide variety of works by educational theorists; we develop a historical perspective on movements and approaches to education (including progressivism, behaviorism, constructivism, and traditional liberal education); we unpack assumptions and analyze arguments. Ultimately, through analytical reading and writing, we examine our own vision of who we want to be as teachers.

This course is required for students of the Center for Creative Teaching (CCT) program and is open to all Bennington College students interested in thinking about education.