Keywords;
Characteristics
of Curriculum Framework, Characteristics
of teacher education, Teacher Education for Primary Stage, Teacher Education for Elementary Stage, Teacher
Education for Secondary Stage, Function of the College of Education, Academic
versus professional education, Scope of Research in Teacher Education
Curriculum
and stages of Teacher Education Program
Teacher education is a vital
component of the educational system of Pakistan. It is well connected with
society and the culture of the nation. The goals of the nation and the socioeconomic problems and the growth of knowledge. These are the components
that effect the education system and bring changes in the operating of
education system and provide the perspective within which teacher education
programmes need to be viewed
When Pakistan attained
freedom, the then existing educational system was accepted for time being, for
the purpose of the continuity of education system with the aim to replace it with time and
bring appropriate changes when needed.
During the last five decades
certain efforts have been made to indigenize the system. The gaps, however, are
still wide and visible. The imperatives for building the bridges may be as
follows:
To build a national system
of teacher education based on Pakistani cultural and philosophy, its unity and
diversity synchronizing with change and continuity.
To facilitate the
realization of the constitutional goals and emergence of the new social order.
To prepare professionally
competent teachers to perform their roles effectively as per needs of the
society.
To upgrade the standard of
teacher education, enhance the professional and social status of teachers and
develop amongst them a sense of commitment.
These are the few major concerns
which call for an immediate action. A comprehensive, dynamic and responsive
system of teacher education is needed to evolve the current education system to
a better position
General
objectives
The general objectives of
teacher education derived from the perspective, concerns and issues of
education, teacher education and the perceived profile of the teacher, could
include the following:
To promote capabilities for
inculcating national values and goals as enshrined in the Constitution of
Pakistan.
§ To
enable teachers to act as agents of modernization and social change.
§ To
sensitize teachers towards the promotion of social consistency, international
understanding and protection of human rights and rights of the child.
§ To
transform student-teachers into competent and committed professionals willing
to perform the identified tasks.
§ To
develop competencies and skills needed for becoming an effective teacher.
§ To
sensitize teachers and teacher educators about emerging issues, such as
environment, ecology, population, gender equality, legal literacy, etc...
§ To
empower teachers to cultivate rational thinking and scientific temper among
students.
§ To
develop critical awareness about the social realities.
§ To
develop managerial and organizational skills.
Characteristics
of Curriculum Framework
The perceived
characteristics of the foresee curriculum framework would include the
following:
·
Reflects on the Pakistani heritage, acts as
an instrument in the realization of national goals and fulfills aspirations of
people.
·
Responds to the latest developments in the
field of education...
·
Establishes integration of theory and
practice of education.
·
Provides multiple educational experiences to
teachers.
·
Enables teachers to experiment with new
ideas.
·
Sets achievable goals for various stages of
teacher education.
·
provides for use of communication technology
Teacher
Education for Primary Stage
Specific Objectives: The
formulation of curriculum framework for this stage (class I to V) has been
guided by general and specific objectives of teacher education. The specific
objectives of primary teacher education may include the following:
·
To develop understanding of the psychological
and sociological foundations relevant to the primary stage.
·
To enable teachers to manage appropriate
resources for organizing learning experiences of children.
·
To acquaint them with methods and techniques
of caring for children with special needs.
·
To enable them to acquire necessary skills so
as to develop curiosity, imagination and creativity.
·
To develop in them the capacity to understand
and analyze the social and emotional problems.
·
to develop communication skills
·
To enable them to understand implications of
research for teaching-learning and undertake action research and use innovative
practices.
·
to enable them to organise games, sports,
physical activities and other co-curricular activities
The teacher needs to be
empowered through training inputs to gain greater insights into the
complexities of the society and the historical perspective of the developmental
process.
Theoretical component is
essential for understanding the learner, community and the society. The
inclusion of Courses on teaching Psychology for understanding of learner and
the members of the community. In the proposed training programmes, the
prospective teachers would be imparted training in a manner that theory and
practice are integrated
Teacher
Education for Elementary Stage
Specific Objectives: The
specific objectives relevant to the stage may include the following:
·
To develop understanding of the psychological
and sociological principles relevant to elementary stage of education.
·
To enable teachers to select, prepare and use
appropriate resources for organising learning experiences.
·
to acquaint them with methods and materials
of teaching children with special needs
·
To develop among them the capacity to solve
the social and emotional problems of children.
·
To enable them acquire necessary skills so as
to develop curiosity, imagination and self-confidence among children.
·
to develop communication skills
·
To enable them to mobilize and utilize
community resources as educational inputs.
·
to enable them to organize supplementary
educational activities
·
to undertake action research projects
·
to enable them to establish mutually
supportive linkages with the community
·
To enable them to organize games, sports,
physical activities and other co-curricular activities.
The course on Emerging
Pakistani Society will enable the prospective teachers to understand the
demands of the society. Similarly, proposed course on 'Elementary Education in
Pakistan - status, problems and issues' will promote the capacity to examine if
these expectations can really be met. The course on Psychology of Teaching and
Learning will teach them how to formulate their teaching strategies to promote
learning among children.
Teacher
Education for Secondary Stage
For teaching at secondary
stage, the teacher qualification must be one year B.Ed. after B.A or B.S.E
Teacher education programme
at this stage, like at all other stages, will include the theory, practice
teaching in schools, and practical work in the light of contexts, concerns,
profile of teachers and general and specific objectives.
Specific Objectives: The
specific objectives at this stage may include the following:
·
To enable the prospective teachers to
understand the nature, purpose and philosophy of secondary education.
·
To develop among teachers an understanding of
the psychology of their pupils.
·
To enable them to understand the process of socialization.
·
To equip them acquire competencies relevant
to stage specific pedagogy, curriculum development, its transaction and
evaluation.
·
To enable them to make pedagogical analysis
of the subjects they are to teach at the secondary stage.
·
To develop skills for guidance and counseling.
·
To enable them to foster creative thinking
among pupils for reconstruction of knowledge.
·
Aware them about factors and forces affecting
educational system and class room situation.
·
Create awareness in teachers about the
educational needs of special groups of pupils.
·
To enable them to utilize community resources
as educational inputs.
·
To develop communication skills and use the
modern information technology.
·
To develop aesthetic sensibilities.
·
to acquaint them with research in education
including action research
A professionally trained teacher is expected
to identify the strengths and weaknesses of secondary education in Pakistan and
after having gained insights into the status, problems and issues concerning
education at this stage, develop a mental make-up of evaluating the system and utilizing
the same for promoting excellence in education.
The message of educational
technology has to reach the classrooms in the form of its application.
Prospective teacher has to be so equipped in the course of training as to
enable him to think of using appropriate educational technology for improving
the quality of instruction and for obtaining optimum results in terms of the
students' growth.
Function of the College of
Education
The College of Education
prepares professionals and scholars who contribute to the advancement of
education, health, and human development.
Ø Develop
research culture
Ø Improve
professional teaching and learning for schools
Ø Develop
leaders for community colleges
Ø provide
educational professional
Ø will
serve as administrators, faculty, and scholars in higher education institutions,
governmental agencies, policy or research centers
Ø prepare
counseling professionals for schools
Ø prepare
family and child development experts
Academic
versus professional education
In general, the difference
between academic and professional programmes lays in the content, working
methods, independence, freedom of choice, course transferability and graduation
perspectives. Similarities can be found in atmosphere and attitude.
Differences: Compared to a higher professional education
in an academic education you:
Ø Become
more intensively acquainted with existing theories and academic
literature.
Ø Learn
to observe from a wider context.
Ø Receive
extensive training in research methods and techniques and carry out individual
research.
Ø Have
to develop a critical attitude to theories and perspectives.
Academic
study
Relating to studies that are
liberal or classical rather than technical or vocational. Theoretical or
speculative without a practical purpose or intention
An academic degree is a
college or university diploma, often associated with a title and sometimes
associated with an academic position, which is usually awarded in recognition
of the recipient having either satisfactorily completed a prescribed course of
study or having conducted a scholarly Endeavour deemed worthy of his or her
admission to the degree.
College
of Education
The College of Education
prepares teachers, administrators, counselors, researchers and analysts for
careers in education from primary to postsecondary. It emphasizes global
cultural awareness and the use of technology for enhanced learning.
Curriculum and Instruction
& Counselor Education
Elementary Education
Leadership, Policy and Adult
and Higher Education
Professional
Studies
The focused mission of the
College of Education and Professional Studies is to prepare creative,
reflective, and ethical practitioners who value diversity, promote social
justice, and utilize empirical evidence to inform their practice.
"Professional
studies" is a term used to classify academic programs which are applied or
interdisciplinary in focus. The term can also be used for non-academic training
for a specific profession.
Professional studies usually
combine theory and practice-based professional learning, focusing on a body of
knowledge that is more strictly delineated and canonical than non-professional
studies. Students are trained to ensure expected standards and adequate service
delivery in the best practice of a profession
Professional studies may
lead to academic degrees such as the Bachelor of Professional Studies (BPS),
Master of Professional
Studies (MPS), or
A BPS is similar to a
Bachelor of General Studies with a greater emphasis on practical and technical
training
What role should the College
of Education play in teachers' continuing professional development? This is a
timely question, and an important one. When we think of teacher education as
part of our mission, we usually focus on pre-service programs.
The college of Education
provides teachers with practical tools and approaches to meet current
challenges in education
Teachers’ professional
education is viewed as one of the most important factors in improving students’
learning. Keeping this in view many developed and less developed countries pay
significant attention to improve the practices of teacher education. In order
to develop capable teachers they make conscious efforts to establish and
maintain quality teacher education institutions.
Scope
of Research in Teacher Education
The
research area of teacher education is very vast. Some of the suggested areas
are listed as follows:
Student
teachers and school teachers;
2.
Teacher educators;
3.
Teacher education courses;
4.
Management of teacher education;
5.
Evaluation of performance of student teachers;
6.
Admission procedures;
7.
Laboratory/pre-practice teaching preparation;
8.
Innovations;
9.
Practice teaching, Internship and field experiences;
10.
Supervision;
11.
Laboratory / demonstration / professional development schools;
12.
Linkage of Teacher education institutions and their linkage with others;
13. In-service and induction programmes;
14.
Gender issues; and
15.
Technology and teacher education.
