KEEPING CURRENT

Picture: www.collegenetwork.com


Here is today's prompt: How did your initial teacher training prepare you? What would you like Teacher Ed programs to provide now?


Truthfully I am not sure how to answer the question. 

Disclaimer what I am saying may be happening so this is not an indictment on any program 

To me the number one thing that Teacher Ed programs need to be doing is staying current. I have learned more and continued to learn more from twitter blog posts and other online newsletter. That's where the real learning takes place and while basic pedagogy is important, the students teachers are encountering today are different from the students of the past and therefore the training they receive needs to be different. 

It always bothered me ( even though I am guilty of it ) that at conferences and professional development sessions we "Teach"  or Present in a way that goes against what we preach. We tend to lecture and have very little "student" participation. 

Therefore Teacher Ed programs need to model the behaviors, techniques, and skills we want to see in the classroom. 

So these programs need to be differentiated as well as student centered with student participation and involvement. They also need to include creativity, innovation and critical thinking. 

Finally the assessments given need to be practical and real based on real examples. Project  or Problem based learning would be great to incorporate into these programs. 

Bottom Line  is many of us are learning and growing through social media and current trends presented  through Edcamps, newsletter and other conferences. So why reinvent the wheel and our Teacher Ed programs need to follow these trends and ideas.