The Implications and Issues of Lee S. Shulman’s Theory of Teacher Development

Discussion on Case Method

Abstract

 The purpose of this article is to reveal the frame of “case method” that Lee S. Shulman recognizes as a means of preparing professional teacher, and to evaluate its implications and issues.  Therefore, in this article, following questions will be answered after confirming the logic of eliciting case method from his theory of teacher knowledge.  The questions are (1) what is “case”, (2) what is “case method”, and (3) what implications and issues does case method have.

 Case means a prototype that doesn’t have uniqueness, with narrative and context.  Additionally, the case which commits to teacher development is the case of “failure” that consists of intention, chance, judgment, and reflection.  Apropos of case method, since 1996, it has meant not only reading and discussing a well-known case, but also writing about one’s own experience of practice.  This method is called “The Analysis-Construction-Commentary-Community Cycle”.  This is a way of learning that integrates knowledge acquisition with reflection through “written language”.

 The significance of Shulman’s frame of case method is to present a model of teacher education that encourage deep reflection by using not “oral language” but “written language”.  On the other hand, though case method contributes to deepening one’s knowledge, whether it leads onto immediate improvement of one’s performance remains an open question.