Teaching for Student Learning

Kevin Ryan, Ph.D., Stanford University, is professor emeritus of education at Boston University School of Education. He is also the founding director of the Center for Character and Social Responsibility. A former high school English teacher, Dr. Ryan was a tenured faculty member at the University of Chicago and The Ohio State University before moving to Boston University. In 1970, Dr. Ryan was granted an Alfred North Whitehead Fellowship at Harvard University; he taught at the University of Lisbon in 1982, and was a member of the Pontifical Academy of Social Sciences from 2003-2013. Dr. Ryan has received the Boston University Scholar-Teacher Award, the National Award of Distinction by the University of Pennsylvania Graduate School of Education and the Paideia Society's Award for Educational Excellence. Dr. Ryan has written and edited 22 books and more than 100 articles on teacher and character education. He is also co-author of "Teaching For Student Learning: Becoming a Master Teacher" and the editor of "Kaleidoscope: Contemporary and Classic Readings in Education." James M. Cooper is professor emeritus with the Curry School of Education at the University of Virginia, where he served as Commonwealth Professor of Education (1984-2004) and dean (1984-1994). While dean of the Curry School of Education, Dr. Cooper led the initiative to restructure the teacher education program, moving to an innovative five-year program that integrates the study of arts and sciences, professional education and field experiences. In addition to his teaching experience, Dr. Cooper has authored, co-authored or edited more than 60 book chapters, journal articles, monographs and books, including "Teaching For Student Learning: Becoming a Master Teacher" and "Kaleidoscope: Contemporary and Classic Readings in Education." He also co-authored and served as editor for "Classroom Teaching Skills." In addition, Dr. Cooper is a series editor of the Educator's Guide Series (Cengage). His books and articles address teacher education, supervision of teachers, case studies in teacher education and technology and teacher education. Dr. Cooper has also received many honors, including a Fulbright-Hays Award for Lecturing in Portugal and recognition as one of the nation's Distinguished Teacher Educators from the Association of Teacher Educators. Susan Tauer began her teaching career in the Peace Corps as an English-as-a-foreign-language (EFL) teacher in Cote d'Ivoire, West Africa. She taught in the Ivorian schools for five years and was a teacher-trainer for EFL teachers for two years. She then joined the faculty of the International Community School of Abidjan, where she taught a multi-grade sheltered English class and self-contained elementary class for eight years. Upon her return to the United States in 1991, Dr. Tauer began teaching at the college level, working with pre-service teachers. She has taught undergraduate courses in foundations of education, elementary math and science methods, and graduate courses in philosophy of education, teacher supervision and research methods. Dr. Tauer received her bachelor's degree from Colby College, and her master's degree and doctorate from Boston University. Cory Callahan, Ph.D., Auburn University, is an associate professor in the College of Education at the University of Alabama. Dr. Callahan taught secondary students for 14 years, practicing the craft of social studies instruction the way he promoted it in presentations, workshops and scholarly writing. He earned his doctorate and became a teacher educator to advance a research program that includes educative curriculum materials, problem-based historical inquiry, aesthetic texts and international education. Dr. Callahan has encouraged a more dynamic relationship between research and practice through opportunities afforded him by a National Technology Leadership Initiative Fellows Award, a Jacobs Educator Award, a Gilder Lehrman's Alabama History Teacher of the Year Award and a Literati Award from Emerald Publishing. He is also a Japan Fulbright Memorial Fund Fellow and recently completed a Fulbright US Scholar project with the University of Prishtine in Kosovo.