William M. Timpson is a Professor in the School of Education at
Colorado State University. He served as the Director of their
Teaching and Learning Center for several years and currently is
the Doctoral Program Chair in Educational Leadership, Renewal, and
Change.
 Bill
is also a Fulbright Senior Specialist in Peace and Reconciliation
Studies, and as such, has traveled to Ireland and South Africa
studying peace efforts. In addition, he chairs the American
Education Research Association's Special Interest Group in Peace
Studies.
Bill is drawn to socially responsible ideas and strives to find
ways to incorporate or reflect them in classroom activities. With
a family legacy of social activism, coupled with arriving at the
University of Wisconsin, Madison to do his graduate work at the
time of campus unrest in the late '60s and early '70s, Bill comes
by this social concern honestly. In recent years, his focus has
been on social issues, such as sustainability, peace, and
diversity, and their impact on the lives of his students and their
work as future educators.
QUESTIONS:
~ There are
probably those who would say that issues such as peace,
sustainability, and diversity are highly charged political issues
and that politics have no place in the classroom. What would you
want to say about that position?
Along with our obligations to provide
current content in our fields of study, we must also recognize our
responsibilities to the health and well being of our communities,
both near and far. We are educating citizens and future leaders to
understand the challenges that face us all and develop the skills
to move us forward. The compelling issues of the day require
attention from our educational institutions--especially our
publicly supported schools, colleges and universities--and
everyone must play a part. Likewise, politics are at core the
collective responsibility of everyone. Deferring to elected or
appointed officials is essentially abdication of every citizen’s
responsibility. Our decisions will always be better and more
creative when we include more and diverse input. Differences of
opinion can be catalysts toward deeper understanding.
~ Would you
talk a little about how you came to focus on social issues in
education?
Having taught in the inner city of
Cleveland I came to see the costs when segments of our society are
underserved and ignored. Their problems ultimately cost everyone
as the demands on welfare increase, the need for more police and
prisons escalate, etc. Everyone benefits when we address the
issues of those who are marginalized. We understand more about
meeting everyone else’s needs. Violence only aggravate the
tensions we face, absorbing precious resources, wasting lives.
When wars prove unnecessary, based on faulty data and beliefs,
then everyone pays a huge price and the costs of reconciliation
are immense. We must invest more in the study of peace or we will
be doomed to perpetuate the mistakes of the past. Likewise, waste
and overconsumption push us toward peril as the carrying capacity
of the earth is tested. Too often, war, violence, poverty, misery
and disease are the results when our policies and practices are
fundamentally unsustainable.
~ How do
your students respond in the classroom? Do they see social issues
as being relevant to their education and lives?
Students are the next generation and
they are often angry about the problems that they will inherit.
Sadly, our classroom practices overemphasize memorization of what
the older generation deems important and often shortchange the
kinds of lively interactions on meaningful issues that promote
deeper learning, critical and creative thinking. We can, and
should, educate students to handle the tough issues we all face.
~ It seems
that a few years ago, teaching enhancement centers were popping up
on campuses everywhere. My sense is that they were well-received,
but that as funding tightened, many centers have disappeared or
been de-funded. Knowing that you strongly support such efforts,
would you talk about that support and the value of the centers to
campuses?
In their eagerness to accumulate more
“bragging rights,” colleges and universities overvalue
publications and grants. Because quality instruction and deeper
learning are more difficult to measure, we undervalue the ongoing
professional development that we need. Tighter budgets mean even
more competition for external funds. The grant “tail” wags the
“dog” of quality instruction. When Centers that support teaching
and learning thrive we also see a rebirth of collegiality among
instructors.
~ Finally,
your new edition of Concepts and Choices for Teaching will
soon be available. I happen to know that it discusses a wide range
of educational theory. Would you tell us about what is new in it?
We have updated the second edition
with more and different examples across different fields of study.
We have also added a focus on writing throughout. Finally, we have
added references to the compelling issues of the day that we have
been researching, from diversity to sustainability, peace and
reconciliation.
~Thank you,
Bill, for sharing with
us. If anyone has particular questions for Bill, please send them
to
customerservice@atwoodpublishing.com
and we will forward them to him.
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