The University Goes to School: An Inservice Training Design. Teacher Education Forum; Volume 4, Number 6.

If inservice education is to strongly affect teacher attitudes, it must be given higher priority and made part of the total package of curriculum improvement in schools. To achieve this higher priority, alternative modes for inservice education must be developed and both universities and school systems must find ways to work cooperatively to make inservice part of the regular school day and program. Such a model was developed cooperatively by John Carroll University and the Cleveland Heights-University Heights school district for the purpose of retraining veteran teachers to move from traditional elementary classrooms to new open space elementary schools. The first phase of this project consisted of a needs assessment conducted by the University. This was carried out for each teacher by University consultants, and the final contract, objectives, and schedule were negotiated. Based on this, the second phase consisted of three training days where teachers were released all day to work with consultants on interpersonal relations skills and classroom environment analysis and diagnosis. In the third phase clusters of three to four teachers met for an intensive planning day. Phase four was designated as the simulation experience where teachers and students tried out new environment and teaching learning styles in a simulated setting. Phase five consisted of a day away from the school on the University Campus where teachers and consultants formally evaluated the positive and negative aspects of simulation experience and set future goals. Phase six involved implementation of the program in the new setting based on work done in phase five. (JMF)