Meaning,nature,objectives,scope of teacher Education by Reena

CONCEPT OF TEACHER EDUCATION Unit Structure : 1.0 Objectives 1.1 Introduction 1.2 Meaning and nature of teacher education 1.3 Need, scope and objectives of teacher education 1.4 Changing context of teacher education in the Indian scenario 1.5 Changing context of teacher education in the global scenario

 OBJECTIVES : After reading this unit, you will be able to : Explain the meaning of teacher education. Discuss the nature of teacher education. Enumerate the objectives of teacher education. Describe the scope of teacher education. Explain the changing context of teacher education in the Indian scenario. Analyze the changing context of teacher education in the global scenario 

 INTRODUCTION : An educational institution performs a significant function of providing learning experiences to lead their students from the darkness of ignorance to the light of knowledge. The key personnel in the institutions who play an important role to bring about this transformation are teachers. As stated by NCTE (1998) in Quality Concerns in Secondary Teacher Education, ―The teacher is the most important element in any educational program. It is the teacher who is mainly responsible for implementation of the educational process at any stage. This shows that it is imperative to invest in the preparation of teachers, so that the future of a nation is secure. The 2 importance of competent teachers to the nation‘s school system can in no way be overemphasized. The National Curriculum Framework 2005 places demands and expectations on the teacher, which need to be addressed by both initial and continuing teacher education.

 MEANING AND NATURE OF TEACHER EDUCATION : Meaning of Teacher Education : It is well known that the quality and extent of learner achievement are determined primarily by teacher competence, sensitivity and teacher motivation. The National Council for Teacher Education has defined teacher education as – A programme of education, research and training of persons to teach from pre-primary to higher education level. Teacher education is a programme that is related to the development of teacher proficiency and competence that would enable and empower the teacher to meet the requirements of the profession and face the challenges therein. According to Goods Dictionary of Education Teacher education means, ―all the formal and non-formal activities and experiences that help to qualify a person to assume responsibilities of a member of the educational profession or to discharge his responsibilities more effectively

Teaching skills would include providing training and practice in the different techniques, approaches and strategies that would help the 3 teachers to plan and impart instruction, provide appropriate reinforcement and conduct effective assessment. It includes effective classroom management skills, preparation and use of instructional materials and communication skills. Pedagogical theory includes the philosophical, sociological and psychological considerations that would enable the teachers to have a sound basis for practicing the teaching skills in the classroom. The theory is stage specific and is based on the needs and requirements that are characteristic of that stage. Professional skills include the techniques, strategies and approaches that would help teachers to grow in the profession and also work towards the growth of the profession. It includes soft skills, counseling skills, interpersonal skills, computer skills, information retrieving and management skills and above all life long learning skills. An amalgamation of teaching skills, pedagogical theory and professional skills would serve to create the right knowledge, attitude and skills in teachers, thus promoting holistic development. 

Nature of Teacher Education : 1) Teacher education is a continuous process and its pre-service and in-service components are complimentary to each other. According to the International Encyclopedia of Teaching and Teacher education (1987), ―Teacher education can be considered in three phases : Pre-service, Induction and In-service. The three phases are considered as parts of a continuous process. 

2) Teacher education is based on the theory that ―Teachers are made, not born in contrary to the assumption, ―Teachers are born, not made.‖ Since teaching is considered an art and a science, the teacher has to acquire not only knowledge, but also skills that are called ―tricks of the trade. 3) Teacher education is broad and comprehensive. Besides preservice and in-service programmes for teachers, it is meant to be involved in various community programmes and extension activities, viz adult education and non-formal education programmes, literacy and development activities of the society. 4) It is ever-evolving and dynamic. In order to prepare teachers who are competent to face the challenges of the dynamic society, Teacher education has to keep abreast of recent developments and trends.  5) The crux of the entire process of teacher education lies in its curriculum, design, structure, organization and transaction modes, as well as the extent of its appropriateness. 6) As in other professional education programmes the teacher education curriculum has a knowledge base which is sensitive to the needs of field applications and comprises meaningful, conceptual blending of theoretical understanding available in several cognate disciplines. However the knowledge base in teacher education does not comprise only an admixture of concepts and principles from other disciplines, but a distinct ‗gestalt‘ emerging from the ‗conceptual blending‘, making it sufficiently specified. 7) Teacher education has become differentiated into stage-specific programmes. This suggests that the knowledge base is adequately specialized and diversified across stages, which should be utilized for developing effective processes of preparing entrant teachers for the functions which a teacher is expected to perform at each stage. 8) It is a system that involves an interdependence of its Inputs, Processes and Outputs.

 NEED, SCOPE AND OBJECTIVES OF TEACHER EDUCATION : Need of teacher education : The American Commission on Teacher Education rightly observes, “The quality of a nation depends upon the quality of its citizens. The quality of its citizens depends not exclusively, but in critical measure upon the quality of their education, the quality of their education depends more than upon any single factor, upon the quality of their teacher.” In his Call for Action for American Education in the 21st Century in 1996, Clinton indicated that : ―Every community should have a talented and dedicated teacher in every classroom. We have enormous opportunity for ensuring teacher quality well into the 21st century if we recruit promising people into teaching and give them the highest quality preparation and training”. The need for teacher education is felt due to the following reasons; 1) It is common knowledge that the academic and professional standards of teachers constitute a critical component of the essential learning conditions for achieving the educational goals of a nation. The focus of teacher preparation had to shift from training to education if it had to make a positive influence on the quality of curriculum transaction in classrooms and thereby pupil learning and the larger social transformation. The aspects that need greater emphasis are; the length of academic preparation, the level and quality of subject matter knowledge, the repertoire of pedagogical skills that teachers possess to meet the needs of diverse learning situations, the degree of commitment to the profession, sensitivity to contemporary issues and problems and the level of motivation. This is not possible if teacher preparation focused only on training. Holistic teacher building is necessary and therefore teacher education needed more emphasis than mere training.  2) Educating all children well depends not only on ensuring that teachers have the necessary knowledge and skills to carry out their work, but also that they take responsibility for seeing that all children reach high levels of learning and that they act accordingly. 3) People come to teacher education with beliefs, values, commitments, personalities and moral codes from their upbringing and schooling which affect who they are as teachers and what they are able to learn in teacher education and in teaching. Helping teacher candidates examine critically their beliefs and values as they relate to teaching, learning and subject matter and form a vision of good teaching to guide and inspire their learning and their work is a central task of teacher education (Fieman-Nemser, 2001). 4) The National Academy of Education Committee‘s Report (Darling-Hammond and Bransford, 2005) wrote that : ―On a daily basis, teachers confront complex decisions that rely on many different kinds of knowledge and judgement and that can involve high stakes outcomes for students‘ future. To make good decisions, teachers must be aware of the many ways in which student learning can unfold in the context of development, learning differences, language and cultural influences, and individual temperaments, interests and approaches to learning. In addition to foundational knowledge about the areas of learning and performance listed in the above quotation, teachers need to know how to take the steps necessary to gather additional information that will allow them to make more grounded judgements about what is going on and what strategies may be helpful. More importantly, teachers need to keep what is best for the student at the centre of their decision making. 5) Teacher education like any other educational intervention, can only work on those professional commitments or dispositions that are susceptible to modification. While we can‘t remake someone‘s personality, we can reshape attitudes towards the other and develop a professional rather than a personal role orientation towards teaching as a practice. 6) The Ministry of Education document ―Challenge of Education : A Policy Perspective (1985) has mentioned, ―Teacher performance is the most crucial input in the field of education. 7 Whatever policies may be laid down, in the ultimate analysis these have to be implemented by teachers as much through their personal example as through teaching learning processes.‖ India has reached the threshold of the development of new technologies which are likely to revolutionise the classroom teaching. Unless capable and committed are teachers in service, the education system cannot become a suitable and potential instrument of national development. The teacher is required to acquire adequate knowledge, skills, interests and attitudes towards the teaching profession. The teacher‘s work has become more complicated and technical in view of the new theories of psychology, philosophy, sociology, modern media and materials. The teacher can be made proficient with well planned, imaginative pre-service and in-service training programmes.

Aspects of Teacher Education : Teacher education is concerned with the aspects such as, who (Teacher Educator), whom (Student teacher), what (Content) and how (Teaching Strategy). Teacher education is dependent upon the quality of teacher educators. The quality of pedagogical inputs in teacher education programmes and their effective utilization for the purpose of preparing prospective teachers depend largely on the professional competence of teacher educators and the ways in which it is utilized for strengthening the teacher education programme. Teacher education, thus, first deals with the preparation of effective teacher educators. Teacher education reaches out to the student teachers by providing the relevant knowledge, attitude and skills to function effectively in their teaching profession. It serves to equip the student teachers with the conceptual and theoretical framework within which they can understand the intricacies of the profession. It aims at creating the necessary attitude in student teachers towards the stakeholders of the profession, so that they approach the challenges posed by the environment in a very positive manner. It empowers the student teachers with the skills (teaching and soft skills) that would enable them to carry on the functions in the most efficient and 9 effective manner. Teacher education therefore pays attention to its content matter. 

 Objectives : Vision of teacher education : Teacher education has to become more sensitive to the emerging demands from the school system. For this, it has to prepare teachers for a dual role of; Encouraging, supportive and humane facilitator in teaching learning situations who enables learners (students) to discover their talents, to realize their physical and intellectual potentialities to the fullest, to develop character and desirable social and human values to function as responsible citizens; and, An active member of the group of persons who make conscious effort to contribute towards the process of renewal of school curriculum to maintain its relevance to the changing societal needs and personal needs of learners, keeping in view the experiences gained in the past and the concerns and imperatives that have emerged in the light of changing national development goals and educational priorities. These expectations suggest that teacher operates in a larger context and its dynamics as well as concerns impinge upon her functioning. That is to say, teacher has to be responsive and sensitive to the social contexts of education, the various disparities in the background of learners as well as in the macro national and global contexts, national concerns for achieving the goals of equity, parity, social justice as also excellence. To be able to realize such expectations, TE has to comprise such features as would enable the student teachers to Care for children, and who love to be with them; Understand children within social, cultural and political contexts; View learning as a search for meaning out of personal experience; Understand the way learning occurs, possible ways of creating conductive conditions for learning, differences among students in respect of the kind, pace and styles of learning.  View knowledge generation as a continuously evolving process of reflective learning. Be receptive and constantly learning. View learning as a search for meaning out of personal experience, and knowledge generation as a continuously evolving process of reflective learning. View knowledge not as an external reality embedded in textbooks, but as constructed in the shared context of teaching learning and personal experience. Own responsibility towards society, and work to build a better world. Appreciate the potential of productive work and hands-on experience as a pedagogic medium both inside and outside the classroom. Analyze the curricular framework, policy implications and texts. Have a sound knowledge base and basic proficiency in language. The objectives of teacher education would therefore be to, Provide opportunities to observe and engage with children, communicate with and relate to children Provide opportunities for self-learning, reflection, assimilation and articulation of new ideas; developing capacities for self directed learning and the ability to think, be self-critical and to work in groups. Provide opportunities for understanding self and others (including one‘s beliefs, assumptions and emotions); developing the ability for self analysis, self-evaluation, adaptability, flexibility, creativity and innovation. Provide opportunities to enhance understanding, knowledge and examine disciplinary knowledge and social realities, relate subject matter with the social milieu and develop critical thinking. Provide opportunities to develop professional skills in pedagogy, observation, documentation, analysis, drama, craft, story-telling and reflective inquiry. 

 CHANGING CONTEXT OF TEACHER EDUCATION IN THE INDIAN SCENARIO : The well-established tradition of teaching and learning in India has retained its inherent strength even under adverse circumstances. The post-independence period was characterized by major efforts being made to nurture and transform teacher education. The system of teacher preparation has come under considerable pressure as a result of the expansion and growth of school education, through efforts to universalize elementary education. Having inherited a foreign model of teacher preparation at the time of independence from Britain in 1946, major efforts have been made to adapt and up-date the teacher education curriculum to local needs, to make it more context based, responsive and dynamic with regard to best meeting the particular needs of India. The current system of teacher education is supported by a network of national, provincial 12 and district level resource institutions working together to enhance the quality and effectiveness of teacher preparation programs at the pre-service level and also through in-service programs for serving teachers throughout the country. Impact of National Policies : India has made considerable progress in school education since independence with reference to overall literacy, infrastructure and universal access and enrolment in schools. Two major developments in the recent years form the background to the present reform in teacher educationThe political recognition of Universalization of Elementary Education that led to the Right to Education Bill, 2008 and The National Curriculum Framework for school education, 2005. The Bill has been passed by the Parliament and the Right to Education Act has come into being making it mandatory for the state to provide free and compulsory education to almost 20 crore children in the 6-14 age group till class 8. The Act mandates a schedule for the functioning of schools which includes a teacherstudent ratio of 1:30 till a student population of 200 students at the primary stage. This would increase the demand for qualified elementary school teachers many times. The country has to address the need of supplying well qualified and professionally trained teachers in large numbers in the coming years. The lunch of the massive Sarva Shiksha Abhiyan in 2002 and the recent financial commitment and education cess to augment the Universal Elementary Education mission have underscored the need to adequately prepare teachers to address the growing demand for quality education. Developments in School education : School education has seen significant development over the decades since independence. According to Government estimates (Selected Educational Statistics- 2004-2005 – Ministry of Human Resource Development, New Delhi) while 82% of the 20 crore children of the 5-14 age group were in school as per enrolment figures, it is equally true that 50% of these children are dropping out before completing class 8 (MHRD Annual Report 2007-08). The situation on the ground is still ridden with difficulties. Regional, social, economic and gender disparities are posing new challenges. This reality increases the challenge that the prospective teacher will face in implementing the Right to Education Act. 13 The continued fragmentation of the school system poses the severest challenge to the national declaration of catering to the basic needs of all children in the 6-14 age group through the elementary education in an inclusive setting. However increasing privatization and differentiation of the schooling system have vitiated drastically the right to quality education for all children

 Changing Role of the Teacher : The current system of schooling poses tremendous burden on children. Educationists are of the view that the burden arises from treating knowledge as a ‗given‘, an external reality existing outside the learner and embedded in textbooks. Knowledge is essentially a human construct, a continuously evolving process of reflective learning. The NCF 2005, requires a teacher to be a facilitator of children‘s learning in a manner that the child is helped to construct his/her knowledge. Education is not a mechanical activity of information transmission and teachers are not information dispensers. Teachers have to increasingly play the role of crucial mediating agents through whom curriculum is transacted. Challenges in Teacher Education : Unprecedented expansion of teacher education institutions and programmes during the past few years characterizes the teacher education scenario of today. With increasing school enrolments and the launch of pan-Indian primary education development programmes like Operation Blackboard, District Primary Education Programme, Sarva Shiksha Abhiyan and Universalization of Elementary Education, there was a natural increase in the demand for teachers. Added to this, the backlog of untrained teachers in the system and the essential requirement of pre-service teacher certification for appointment as a teacher led to mounting pressure on existing institutional capacity. The demand far exceeding supply, market forces have taken over unprecedented rise in the number of teacher education institutions in most parts of the country. From 3489 courses in 3199 institutions and an intake of 2,74,072 in 2004, the numbers in December, 2008 swelled to 14,523 courses in 12,200 institutions with an intake of 10,73,661 at different levels. This expansion has taken a heavy toll on quality parameters like infrastructure, faculty learning resources and student profile. Teacher education as a whole needs urgent and comprehensive reform. There is a need to bring greater convergence 14 between professional preparation and continuing professional development of teachers at all stages of schooling in terms of level, duration and structure. Considering the complexity and significance of teaching as a professional practice, it is imperative that the entire enterprise of teacher education should be raised to a university level and that the duration and rigour of programmes should be appropriately enhanced. Research and Innovation : There is a need to increase research that documents practices reflectively and analytically- whether it is of programs or of individual classrooms – so that it can be included in the body of knowledge available for study to student teachers. University departments and research institutions need to undertake such research. In addition there is a need to innovate with different models of teacher education. Institutional capacity and capability to innovate and create are a pre-requisite for the pursuit of excellence. Hence in the present scenario a lot of impetus has been given to research. Many teacher educators are encouraged to take up either major or minor research projects. Inclusive Education : There are two kinds of exclusion prevalent in schools; one is the exclusion of the child with disabilities and the second is the social exclusion of children who come from socially and economically deprived backgrounds. There is a dire need to equip teachers to overcome their biases in these regards and positively handle these challenges. The Persons with Disabilities (PWD) Act of 2005 provides for free and compulsory education up to the age of 18 years for all children with disabilities. The education of socially and economically disadvantaged groups, especially the SCs, STs and minorities has remained a primary national concern of education for several years. The enrolment and retention of girls and therefore their participation has also remained behind those of boys. Teachers will have to be specially equipped if the social deprivation has to be overcome through education. Perspectives for equitable and sustainable development : In order to develop future citizens who promote equitable and sustainable development for all sections of society and respect for all, it is necessary that they be educated through perspectives of 15 gender equity, perspectives that develop values for peace, respect the rights of all, and that respect and value work. In the present ecological crisis promoted by extremely commercialized and competitive lifestyles, children need to be educated to change their consumption patterns and the way they look at natural resources. There is also a increasing violence and polarization both within children and between them, that is being caused by increasing stress in society. Education has a crucial role to play in promoting values of peace based on equal respect of self and others. The NCF 2005 and subsequent development of syllabi and materials is attempting to do this as well. 

 It is important for the development of concepts in children as well as the application of school knowledge in real life that the formal knowledge is linked with community knowledge. The NCF 2005 promotes the inclusion of locally relevant content in the curriculum as well as pedagogy. ICT in Schools and e-learning : With the onset and proliferation of Information and Communication Technology (ICT), there is a growing demand that it be included in school education. Teacher education has been structured to orient and sensitize the teacher to distinguish between developmentally appropriate and detrimental uses of ICT. It needs to also equip teachers with competence to use ICT for their own professional development.