For many years the Chicago Institute has pioneered in the design of programs that apply psychoanalytic concepts to the problems facing workers in the fields of mental health and education. The Teacher Education Program was established by the Institute in 1965 at the request of a group of eighteen principals and teachers from three inner-city elementary schools. They were self-questioning professionals, puzzled and frustrated as much by their personal feelings and reactions as by those expressed in the words and actions of students and parents. The central thread running through their questions was how to understand and cope with the emotions bombarding them, from within and without, in ways that would make teaching and learning a more mutually rewarding experience. The concerns enunciated by this founding group dictated the program's goals, methods, and initial curriculum.
The Teacher Education Program began as a part-time program of interdisciplinary graduate study that brought a new dimension to professional training and opened up new vistas for career development. The program recognized that society demanded a broader and more intensive application of traditional educational approaches, as well as the reexamination of the tasks and responsibilities assigned to members of the school team, both educators and clinicians. The program concentrated on the largely neglected areas of human emotions and interactions, and the part they play in shaping the process of teaching and learning. Courses would interweave theory and practice in problem-focused seminars that drew upon the current experience of the participants. While study was not confined to children who presented the most serious school problems, but rather included the entire spectrum of normal and handicapped children, a systematic effort was made to spot vulnerable children and potential school failures.
As the program evolved, it changed in several ways. Its student body and faculty grew in size and diversity; the curriculum gained in scope and depth; it became an accredited training facility; and its involvement with the community in and around Chicago became ever more wide-ranging. Graduates now include professionals representing many areas of education and allied fields. The program has served more than a thousand professionals working in a variety of settings: inner city and suburbs, public and private schools, social adjustment centers, clinics, hospitals, and treatment institutions. The faculty represent a variety of disciplines.
In 1991 the Teacher Education Program became academically affiliated with DePaul University's School of Education, resulting in a masters degree program in human development and learning. Through this affiliation, educators, administrators, and mental health and medical professionals are prepared to assume leadership positions in educational settings and to provide professional services to organizations committed to developing human potential and dealing with pressing human concerns.
The human development and learning curriculum is designed to provide students a comprehensive understanding of diagnosis and intervention strategies. The clinical component of the curriculum integrates theory and practice through planned observations, personal experience, and supervised internships in a variety of settings. Through formal course work, the theoretical component of the curriculum addresses biopsychosocial and cultural factors as they relate to problems in school and in learning.
Carol Sonnenschein, M.A., and Kay Field, M.A., are Director and Director Emeritus of the Human Development Learning Program.