Photo by: Paul Martens
John J. Patrick
Professor of Education; Director, Social Studies
Development Center; Director, ERIC Clearinghouse for Social Studies/Social
Science Education, School of Education, University Graduate School,
IU Bloomington
| "(Patrick is) one of the foremost
scholars of citizenship education in the new democracies that
emerged from the collapse of the Soviet Union." |
| —Joseph W.
Davis of the American Federation of Teachers Educational Foundation |
|
Students in Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania can thank Indiana University's
John J. Patrick for a stronger, more democratic education system.
So can educators in countries ranging from Turkmenistan to Taiwan.
Through his work in international programs associated with civic
education and democracy, Patrick has touched the lives of thousands
of students and educators around the globe.
Patrick, a professor of education at IUB, is director of the Social
Studies Development Center and director of ERIC Clearinghouse for
Social Studies/Social Science Education. He is also director of
the IU component of Civitas, a worldwide consortium of civic educators
that has undertaken projects including curriculum development, research,
the implementation of instructional materials and the education
of teachers in countries including Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania.
Patrick is an internationally recognized authority on American political
values, political institutions and the founders of the American
republic. He has used this expertise to help educational reformers
build democratic education systems in the formerly communist countries
of Eastern and Central Europe and the former Soviet Union.
Latvian Minister of Education Janis Gaigals commended Patrick's
work in that country, saying that the content now offers greater
focus on the social sciences and modern teaching methods that promote
free, responsible and creative personality development.
As a result of Patrick's work in Poland, commented one colleague,
2 million Polish students study civic education with a global focus,
more than 200,000 Polish teachers include civic education as a major
part of their instructional responsibilities, civic education is
a core subject for the "matura" exams required for university
entrance and pre-service teacher education in civic education has
been introduced at the university level.
Others praise his approach, citing him for his sensitivity, generosity
of spirit, patience, toughness and ability to "know the soul
of a teacher," a quality, his fans say, that helps him communicate
especially well with his audience.
A widely published author and well-traveled seminar leader and lecturer,
Patrick has logged miles to destinations as diverse as Sarajevo
and Buenos Aires. He has received visitors from around the globe
in Bloomington, including those from Surinam, Lebanon and Moldova.
He has written on such topics as the Northwest Ordinance of 1787
and ideas and practices for teaching civics in Latvia.
Patrick's membership in professional organizations includes
serving on the Citizenship Education Committee of the Indiana State
Bar Association and holding an advisory position with the IU Center
on Congress, founded and directed by former U.S. Rep. Lee Hamilton.
Among his numerous awards and distinctions is a gold medal from
the International Film and Television Festival for a six-program
video series on the U.S. Constitution. He also has been recognized
numerous times by the United States Information Agency through grants
or appointment to advisory panels, and he has served as a consultant
in civic education to countries in Central and Eastern Europe.
Patrick's international focus is indeed so extensive that his
peers liken him to an ambassador for IU, spreading "the good
name of Indiana University to the four corners of the earth."
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