Problems and Issues in Teacher Education

By khan

Keywords; Problems in Teacher Education, Issues in Teacher Education, Poor Quality of Teaching in teacher  institutions, Compulsory Teaching practice in teaching  institutions, Absence of Supervision, Monitoring, Institutional Performance Evaluation, Training of Teaching Faculty

Problems and Issues in Teacher Education

Short Duration of Courses

The duration of teacher preparation courses is very short in comparison to other countries in the world. There has been a constant observation of the educators that the duration of primary school teaching certificate (PTC) and Certificate in Teaching (CT) is very low compare to other developing countries in the world.

The B.Ed. course which was one year program, now the duration of this program is extended to four years after completion of 12 year education B.Ed. honor and ADE two years after 12 years of education.

 Poor Quality of Teaching

Lecture and dictation method of teaching is used in the PTC, CT and B.Ed., Teaching

Techniques like problem solving, group work and activity approach are lectured about. Nor

These Techniques are practiced by the trainers. Although almost all the institutions visited by the

Consultants had science laboratories, the almirahs with locked apparatus and the work

Tables covered in dust.

The fundamental and most recommended approach to teaching in the elementary

Classrooms is the “Activity Approach” which ensures “child-centered” teaching-learning

And active participation of pupils in the teaching-learning process. The ESL, Science and

Mathematics courses offered in the U.S. to Pakistan teacher educators also stressed the

Activity approach and the course participants were provided the opportunity to visit activity

Oriented classrooms.

The activity-based approach

The trainee school teachers should be trained in activity-based teaching. The trainee teachers should observe activity-based teaching in in school as assistant with an experience teacher before starting teaching practice.

Teaching Practice

Teaching practice is a compulsory component in all teacher education institutions; B.Ed., B.S.Ed. the majority of institutions have “attached practicing schools” for trainees particularly in the B.Ed. colleges.

They used Government schools as practicing schools. The supervision of teaching

Practice and guidance is often brief due to the large number of student and checking their

Lesson plan notebooks by the supervisor, most of the course time is spent on theory, less on practice.

The majority trainers’ teacher used lectures method without exception. As soon as the supervisor enter in the class trainee teacher will change his lesson to activity base or start involve student in teaching learning process by asking question from students. If the supervisors carefully check the lesson plan notebooks, he will find shortcomings in their lesson plans. It clearly indicated that:

·         The student teachers do not know how to write lesson plan

·          They are weak in subject content

·      The questions they pose are all “simple recall questions”. Nothing beyond. They have no idea how to write low-level or high level questions.

·         Most of their lessons were just lectures and the students were passive listeners

·         For the most of the time there were no learning activities in the lesson plans and no students’ involvement in teaching learning process. Only in the subject of science a few activity  base experiment were included in lesson plan which was mostly a demonstration method where students  were as observers

·         The assessment questions at the end of the lesson were very simple and easy recall questions related to the textbook material.

·         Peer observation of a trainee’s lesson by fellow trainees, recording comments on the lesson in a lesson observation notebook and later discussion on the comments with the trainee is an effective technique but trainee teachers do not share their views with the   training teachers.

·         The real problem for trainees  teachers in the distance education system where they have minimum  chance of teaching practice in some in schools

·          Distance  education trainees  teachers provide written later  from private  schools  headmaster which they obtained  by bribe or approach

Absence of Supervision, Monitoring and Performance

Appraisal of Trainers

In distance education or private the school/college principal deems it appropriate to sit and observe the class of a teacher trainer. There is no guidance system of a freshly appointed teacher trainer in these schools...

·         There is no system of Performance Appraisal of the trainee teacher or educators

·          They have no job description.

.No Feedback Mechanism, No Quality Control

·         There is no concept of “quality control” the schools system

·         The short duration of courses

·          lecture style delivery in class room

·          Short and unsupervised teaching practice

·          The absence of supervision and the monitoring

These are the combination of tragic factors that are the reason for producing low quality of professionally certified teachers. No one in the teacher education system seems to worry about the quality of their product.

Institutional Performance Evaluation

·         no inspection visits from the Controllers of the institutions or their authorized teams

·          No annual progress reports of the institutions

Linkages between Institutions

There are no linkages between the Heads of Institutions for the purpose of discussing academics. There are no academic linkages between the Provincial Bureaus or the Provincial PITES.

Training of Teaching Faculty

The need of a Modern curriculum for the trainee teachers, and the methods for teacher training institutions e.g.

·         Activity and constructivist approach in teacher training

·         With educational psychology the teacher know how handle children and how to teach according to the students mental level.

·         Measurement and evaluation of student achievement

·         The use of Computers, Internet, Multimedia in class room

·         Computer Assisted Instruction (CAI)

·         Use of Modern technology of Teaching; Cassette recorders-players, Television, Video Cassettes, Computers.

·         Implementing the Activity/Discovery Approach in the Teacher Training Classrooms

Physical Facilities and Equipment

·         Schools without buildings

·         need repairs of buildings and renovation

·         need new classroom furniture in all training institutions, Light movable furniture for activities

·         need Science labs, equipment and workshop tools

·         need of audio visual aids and low-cost teaching materials

·         Internet connectivity in computer  labs

·         Libraries needs new recent publications related to education

·         Educational magazines need to be made available for trainee teacher