Marlowe Berg

Developer and coordinator of the Model Education Center professional practice school.

Ph.D. University of Minnesota. Major-social studies education

Background

I was born and raised in Minneapolis, Minnesota. I received a teaching degree from the University of Minnesota. I taught in the elementary schools in Minnesota and Colorado. Somehow going to school had captured my interest so I returned to graduate school at the University of Minnesota to pursue an advanced degree. I was asked to teach an undergraduate course in social studies methods while I was finishing my master's degree. I found I enjoyed teaching adults so much that I continued on as a doctoral candidate and received a Ph.D. The warm climate of the southland beckoned upon graduation and I moved to San Diego. There are times in one's life where you make choices that you look back upon as being absolutely correct. Selecting San Diego as the place to pursue my profession as an educator was one of those right decisions.

Interests, Activities & Plans

I was trained as an educator in social studies, and have maintained my interest in and commitment to that field throughout my professional career. In addition to that content area focus I have developed an abiding interest in bridging the gap between theory and practice. The Model Education Center is a university-school partnership that I have coordinated since its inception. This collaborative has provided an opportunity to work in the arena where the transformation of knowledge to practice occurs.

I have also been very interested in the impact of reflective supervision on the teaching performance of preservice teachers. The clinical supervision model provided the structure for the development of the Partners in Supervision project that I co-directed. This program was designed to create a partnership between classroom teachers and supervisors in providing effective feedback to preservice teachers.

How the new teacher is inducted into the profession has also been an interest. I was the special consultant to Project TAP, a program which was designed to assist and support new teachers in the first years of their involvement in the classroom.

Program development has always been a major interest. How do people shape the programs that become the structures within which educational reform occurs? The process of change itself has been a focus of inquiry within this context.

The future? I expect it will continue to unfold as a series of events that focus on engaging teachers in becoming the best that they can be.

Other Interesting Things

I have returned to golf. My tennis racket has gone into retirement with my elbow, so the golf club has emerged as a hobby of choice once again. I love going to movies. I enjoy reading a wide range of novels. I travel whenever the opportunity presents itself. In my next life I want to continue with my interest in history by volunteering to work at "digs" in interesting parts of the world.

Last updated on Thursday, October 19, 1995.

This is a personal home page and does not represent the opinions of San Diego State University.

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