2. INTRODUCTION
The teacher is seen as (sole) key agent in successfully bringing about change in education,
but changing the teacher –teacher development is most neglected area in change policies
and plans.
Teaching is the single most important profession in the world that needs continuous
professional growth and grooming. It is a fact that Pakistan is one of those very few countries
where the system of education has constantly eroded since independence.
The situation at present is so worst that the government has officially declared our system
of education to be almost collapsing and is employing all possible ways and means on
emergency basis for the speedy uplift of our educational system.
3. Meaning and Nature 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 program 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.
Teacher Education = Teaching Skills + Pedagogical theory + Professional skills.
4. Teaching Skills
Teaching skills would include providing training and practice in the different
techniques, approaches and strategies that would help the 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.
5. Cont…
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
lifelong learning skills.
6. Nature of Teacher Education
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.
Teacher education is based on the theory that ―Teachers are made, not born
in contrary to the assumption, ―Teachers are born, not made.
Teacher education is broad and comprehensive. Besides pre-service and in-
service programs for teachers, it is meant to be involved in various
community programs and extension activities, viz adult education and non-
formal education programs, literacy and development activities of the
society.
It is ever-evolving and dynamic. In order to prepare teachers who are
competent to face the challenges of the dynamic society.
7. Cont…
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.
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.
Teacher education has become differentiated into stage-specific programs.
This suggests that the knowledge base is adequately specialized and
diversified across stages.
It is a system that involves an interdependence of its Inputs, Processes and
Outputs.
8. Need of Teacher Education
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.
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.
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.
9. Cont…
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 judgments and that can involve high
stakes outcomes for students’ future.
Teacher education like any other educational intervention, can only work on those
professional commitments or dispositions that are susceptible to modification.
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.
10. Scope of Teacher Education
Teacher education at different levels of education
Triangular basis of teacher education
Aspects of teacher education
11. Curriculum
The aim of the curriculum of teachers training institutes as well as Colleges of
Education is to impart all round comprehensive education for the prospective
teachers.
Their function is to integrate general and professional courses with a base of
subject-matter as well as the art of teaching.
In most of the institutions the duration of teacher training courses is three to
five years. Every teacher training programe includes following three basic
constituents;
General Education
Professional Education, and
Specialization in a particular field
12. Gaps in the Existing Structure and
Curriculum
Teacher education has been treated as mundane activities within the
education system instead of using it as a means to improving quality of
students learning in the schools.
A problem that these donor funded projects or programs pose is the length
and the frequency of the trainings that they provide to the teachers and head
teachers.
Unfortunately, teacher education in Pakistan has distanced itself from global
trends in thinking about reforms in teacher education.
13. A Proposed Framework for Teacher
Education
A systemic response is needed to address teacher education and teacher practice in
Pakistan. The framework for addressing issues of teacher education comprehensively
must have three concurrent dimensions:
Measures which address teachers competence, motivation and opportunity (Poston 2004)
Policy and institutional provisions across schools, district, provincial and national levels.
Supporting shifts in curriculum and practice (both pre and in-service).
14. Policy on Teacher Education
The policy on teacher education both pre and in-service needs to be long
term, embedded in a vision, set of criteria, strategies and operational
procedures which are inclusive, provide scope for elevating teachers status
and provision of authority for local level flexibility in decision making.
A systematic institutional provision must be made to include ‘Voices of
teachers’ in the policy making processes through a regular and formal social
dialogue forum at the provincial and national levels, providing space to
professional associations and experts.
A robust and credible database on teachers needs to be established within
EMIS at national and sub-national levels for information on pre-service and in-
service profiles, disaggregated by level, subject, gender and location.
15. Cont…
Research on teacher education programs (pre-and in-service), practice in the
classrooms and student achievements must regularly feed back into theory to
provide regular objective evidence for iterative policy refinement, reflection
and up gradation.
The policy must create space for addressing the status of teachers through
their professional standing, certification protocols as well as through benefits
and salary packages.
Incentive programs need to be instituted for teachers which are monetary and
nonmonetary in order to address the crisis of teacher placement in rural and
distant areas.
16. Academic Disciplines
The typical academic disciplines of secondary school teacher education are: -
Foreign language,
Mathematical sciences including mathematics
Physics and chemistry
Computer science/computer technology,
Biology (botany, zoology and genetics) and geography,
Social sciences including history and economics,
Religion and philosophy,
Home economics,
Textile handicrafts, technical handicrafts/technology,
Arts and music y - sports
17. Secondary School Teacher Education
In secondary school teacher education the component of didactics is focused
on issues how to teach school subjects to different learners.
In American educational literature a corresponding element is very often
called as pedagogical content knowledge. In the Finnish case these studies
can have very close relationship with learning research, academic discipline
studies and teaching methods.
A typical feature is a research orientation. Teachers are seen as active
professionals who have a right and obligation to develop their work.
The aim of teacher education is that teachers internalize an attitude of
pedagogical thinking.
18. Improving the Quality of Education
Defining quality is elusive but some parameters will need to be drawn. There
is an impending need to debate and agree on what constitutes quality at each
stage of education and the system overall.
Based on this, some standards will need to be defined and pursued through
development of policies, strategies and plans which target them.
