Pre-service Training

In-service Training

Professional Organizations

Online Teacher Networks

Pre-service Teacher Education

·                    The education and training provided to student teachers before they have undertaken any teaching.           

·                    All stages of education and training that precede the teacher’s entry to his/her employment in a school or in an educational institution.

            Students who complete a bachelor's degree before returning to a university to complete the pre-service education programme are in a consecutive pre-service programme, while students who complete their pre-service training at the same time as their undergraduate degree are in a concurrent programme.

Theoretical Background

            The practical nature of pre-service education training programmes aligns with American philosopher John Dewey’s theory of experience. In his book “Experience and Education” Dewey prescribes that learning must be based upon the actual life experiences of an individual that are interactive, experimental, and purposive in nature.

             Donald Schon expanded upon Dewey’s model by focusing further upon the importance of reflective practice in the learning process. Schon was a proponent of using reflection in teacher education and other professions to guide learning through reflection on past experiences to guide future learning and practice.

Major focus in the pre-service education programme-

·                    The pre-service teacher is placed within a school setting (either elementary, or secondary)

·                    The pre-service teacher will be given opportunities to develop skills through observing their associate teacher (teacher educator), creating lesson plans, teaching lessons and experiential learning about classroom management.

·                    Pre-service programmes offer academic based courses, designed to expose teacher candidates to collaborative inquiry, current research, educational philosophy, theory, pedagogy and practical resources to provide a foundation for their work as educators. This, combined with the experience gained through the practical teaching, prepare the next generation of teachers for the challenges of the classroom.

Pre- service Training in India, Historical Background

            The significance of teacher education has been stressed by successive commissions and committees appointed by the Govt. of India from time to time. Isolation of training institutions for primary and secondary teachers from the mainstream of academic life of the universities was identified as a crucial problem. It was recommended to distinguish education from pedagogy and to recognize it as a social science or as an independent academic discipline.

Recommendations to improve the quality of Teacher Education

§  Re-orientation of subject knowledge

§  Vitalization of professional studies

§  Improvement in methods of teaching and evaluation

§  Development of special courses and programmes

§  Revision of curricula

 

2.2 In-service Teacher Education

            The definition of in-service is something that happens while someone is a full-time employee. In-service training is a process and a part of continuing education that helps the teachers to gain greater insight into teaching. In this training teachers become involved in order to broaden their knowledge, improve their skills and attitudes.

            It is essential for bridging the gap in pre-service education and for meeting the demands of the changing world.

Objectives

1.      To remove the inadequacies of pre-service education.

2.      To acquaint teachers with new international experiments in education

3.      To make them aware of the new developments in the educational field

4.      To motivate teachers and promote the spirit of inquiry and help to be a reflective teacher

5.      To renew knowledge, maintain and enhance efficiency

6.      To upgrade pedagogical skills

In-service Courses

a)      Refresher courses

b)     Summer courses

c)     Orientation programmes

d)     Workshops, seminars, symposia, panel discussions, conferences etc.

e)     Study visits, exchange programmes, project works, media based distance education

Agencies involved in In-service Education

            UGC, SCERT, NCERT, DIET, Council for Teacher Education, NGOs, etc.

1.      Programme of Mass Orientation of School Teachers (PMOST)

Implemented by NCERT in collaboration with various SCERT s, in 1986-90.

2.      Special Orientation Programme for Primary Teachers (SOPT)

3.      District Primary Education Programme (DPEP)

4.      Sarva Siksha Abhiyan (SSA) initiated in 2000. (20 days in-service programme to each teacher in a year on different programmes like pedagogy monitoring, evaluation, etc. 10% of total number of working days of an academic session should be spent in training of teachers for their professional development.)

5.      SRGs (State Resource Group) and DRGs  (District Resource Group) and BRCs (Block Resource Centre) were established to develop training packages and plan to cover the whole state.

6.      30 days of induction training for freshly recruited teachers

7.      60 days training for untrained teachers

 

Agencies of Teacher Education.

(a)    National Level

         University Grant Commission

         National Council of Education Research and Training (NCERT)

         National Council for Teacher Education (NCTE)

         India Council of Social Science and Research

         Tata Institute of Social Science and Research

         Centre of Advanced Studies in Educator (MSU)

(b)    State Level

         State Institutes of Education

         State Councils of Educational Research and Training (SCERT)

         Centres of Continuing Education Teachers

         State Boards of Teacher Education

         University Department of Education

 

2.3 Online Teacher Networks

            Online communities are transforming professional development for teachers.

From blogging and Twitter to online networks, the evolution of professional development and interactions for teachers in the social media age takes place drastically.

Merits

1. Helps to save from professional isolation. Especially in schools where teachers have find themselves in schools where innovation can be a dirty word, where any attempt to change is met with resistance, and even ridicule. In this environment, some teachers can eventually lose some of their motivation and willingness.

2. A whole new world of professional dialogue is open. Stimulating and challenging conversations with teachers from around the world is possible.

3. Huge amount of professional support is provided.

4. Gets chance to communicate the nuances of the development

5. Provides a sort of positive environment

6. It is a platform to blend conventional wisdom with emerging technologies

7. Helps for the mobilization of available resources relevant in the contemporary context

 

            Websites provide discussion forums. There are now other examples of sites providing a community approach, including the Guardian Teacher Network. These positively oriented online communities provide the genuine potential to affect real and meaningful change in classrooms. In order to learn from each other, one need to share and be prepared to be positively questioned and challenged by others in the community. It's through this rich form of interaction that successfully innovative real-world staff rooms are achieved.

            Online networks can provide us with the opportunity to interact with broader group professionals, if converted into communities.

 

Examples of Teacher Networks (international)

§  The Guardian

§  European Schoolnet

§  An On-Line Journal for Teacher Research

o   Networks offers a place for sharing reports of action research, in which teachers at all levels, kindergarten to postgraduate, are reflecting on classroom practice. Published online by the University of Wisconsin Digital Collections Center

§  New Teachers Online

o   Teachers Network seeks to improve student learning by helping teachers integrate web-based lessons into their instructional practice. Helps to Browse free lesson plans, Resources & Videos for Teachers, Educators etc.

§  NEA - Online Social Networking for Educators

§  ETEN- European Teacher Education Network.

§  The National Teachers Enhancement Network (NTEN) offers online, graduate-level science courses from a world-class public research university. NTEN was one of the first online professional development programmes of Extended University at Montana State University and was created with funding from the National Science Foundation.

 

2.3 TEACHER ORGANIZATIONS or professional organizations for teachers

            A professional association (also called a professional body, professional organization, or professional society) is usually a nonprofit organization seeking to further a particular profession, the interests of individuals engaged in that profession and the public interest.

·        A group of people in a learned occupation who are entrusted with maintaining control or oversight of the legitimate practice of the occupation.

·        A body acting to safeguard the public interest. 

·        Organizations which represent the interest of the professional practitioners that act to maintain their own privileged and powerful position as a controlling body. 

            Many professional bodies are involved in the development and monitoring of professional educational programmes, and the updating of skills. Many professional bodies also act as learned societies for the academic disciplines underlying their profession.

            In order to overcome the problems faced in the professional life and to enhance the status, the teachers assemble at a common platform and conceive a formal association named as the teachers’ organization.

            Teachers’ organizations are voluntary organizations. To promote effective learning and enable teachers to concentrate on their tasks, congenial working conditions, professional organization of teachers could play a critical role.

 

Academically Oriented Teachers Organizations        

Ø  Primarily concerned with curriculum improvement, leadership development, research and publication of materials needed by specialists in the field.

 

Objectives

1. To obtain associations of teachers into relations of mutual assistances and cooperation.

2. To obtain for them all the rights to which they are entitled.

3. To raise the standards of teaching profession by securing the conditions essential to the best professional service.

4. To promote the welfare of the children of the nation by providing progressively better educational opportunity.

5. To promote such a democratization of the schools as well enable them better to equip their pupils to take their places in the industrial, social and political life of the community.

6. To fight all forms of racism in education.

             

 

§     Role of teacher organization towards teacher accountability is a new emphasis on learning

§     The professional teacher organizations make provision of resource teachers, equipment and adequate space.

§     Guidance services for students

            The ill effects of unscientific view leads to lots of problems like decreased interest and concentration in studies and co-curricular activities, examination phobia, anxiety, panic and extremely depressed reactions. The professional teacher organizations will have to work globally to search for a technique of guidance.

Teacher Associations in India

1.      Indian Association of Teachers of Library and Information Science (IATLIS)- professional organization to further the cause of library education in India.

2.      English Language Teachers' Association of India (ELTAI), Chennai, India.

3.      Association of Mathematics Teachers of India

4.      National Science Teachers Association

5.      NABT National Association of Biology Teachers