The question of what knowledge, attitudes, behaviours and skills teachers
should possess is the subject of much debate in many cultures, like
India. Generally, Diploma in Teacher Training curricula can be broken
down into these blocks:
• Foundational knowledge and skills—usually this area is about
education-related aspects of philosophy of education, history of
education, educational psychology, and sociology of education.
• Content-area and methods knowledge—often also includes ways of
teaching and assessing a specific subject, in which case this area may
overlap with the first ("foundational") area. There is increasing debate
about this aspect; because it is no longer possible to know in advance
what kind of knowledge and skill pupils will need when they enter adult
life, it becomes harder to know what kinds of knowledge and skill
teachers should have. Increasingly, emphasis is placed upon
'transversal' or 'horizontal' skills (such as 'learning to learn' or
'social competences', which cut across traditional subject boundaries,
and therefore call into question traditional ways of designing the
Teacher Education curriculum (and traditional school curricula and ways
of working in the classroom).
• Practice at classroom teaching or at some other form of educational
practice. Practice can take the form of field observations, student
teaching, or an internship
Supervised Field Experiences
Field observations—include observation and limited participation within a
classroom under the supervision of the classroom teacher
Student teaching—includes a number of weeks teaching in an assigned
classroom under the supervision of the classroom teacher and a
supervisor (e.g. from the university)
Internship-teaching candidate is supervised within his or her own classroom
This conventional organization has sometimes also been criticized,
however, as artificial and unrepresentative of how teachers actually
experience their work. Problems of practice frequently (perhaps usually)
concern foundational issues, curriculum, and practical knowledge
simultaneously, and separating them during teacher education may
therefore not be helpful.
Teaching involves the use of a wide body of knowledge about the subject
being taught, and another set of knowledge about the most effective ways
to teach that subject to different kinds of learner; it therefore
requires teachers to undertake a complex set of tasks every minute. Many
teachers experience their first years in the profession as stressful.
The proportion of teachers who either do not enter the profession after
completing initial training, or who leave the profession after their
first teaching post, is high.
A distinction is sometimes made between inducting a teacher into a new
school (explaining the school's vision, procedures etc.), and inducting a
new teacher into the teaching profession (providing the support
necessary to help the beginning teacher develop a professional identity,
and to further develop the basic competences that were acquired in
college.)
A number of countries and states have put in place comprehensive systems
of support to help beginning teachers during their first years in the
profession.
Elements of such a program can include:
Mentoring: the allocation to each beginning teacher of an experienced teacher, specifically trained as a mentor.
A peer network: for mutual support but also for peer learning.
Input from educational experts (e.g. to help the beginning teacher
relate what she learned in college with classroom reality). Support for
the process of self-reflection that all teachers engage in (e.g. through
the keeping of a journal).
No initial course of teacher education can be sufficient to prepare a
teacher for a career of 30 or 40 years. Continuous Professional
Development (CPD) is the process by which teachers (like other
professionals) reflect upon their competences, maintain them up to date,
and develop them further.
The extent to which education authorities support this process varies,
as does the effectiveness of the different approaches. A growing
research base suggests that to be most effective, CPD activities should:
• Be spread over time
• Be collaborative
• Use active learning
• Be delivered to groups of teachers
• Include periods of practice, coaching, and follow-up
• Promote reflective practice
• Encourage experimentation, and
• Respond to teachers’ needs.
For more details- Contact- IIPS(9212441844,9990053412)
http://www.nurseryteachertraining.co.in/
If you have love for the little ones, and love teaching them, then
Nursery teaching or playgroup teaching is certainly a great career for
you. However you have to be trained in the respective field before you
get hands on to teaching young minds.
