Besides the four schools my University sent me to during my course, there wasn’t one valuable insight, skill or technique that my course imparted to me. It is a simple fact that our teacher training courses do not measure up. They result in highly motivated and passionate teachers who are ill-equipped to deal with the practical challenges of a classroom.
I know minister Pyne isn’t the most popular figure at the moment, but he is absolutely right to call for better teacher training:
Universities and colleges are failing to produce teachers who meet the needs of Victorian schools, according to the state government.
In a submission to the federal review of teacher education, Victoria says it has “higher expectations for teacher education graduates” in some areas.
Of concern was that degrees were not equipping teachers with the specialist knowledge required in literacy, maths and science.
Courses often did not devote enough attention to teaching children with special needs – this was seen as an area of specialisation rather than a core requirement for every teacher.
And classroom organisation and behaviour management skills had been consistently identified by principals as areas in which graduate teachers were often lacking.
“There are growing concerns about the capacity of providers to produce sufficient graduates with the professional skills and knowledge required to teach in contemporary classrooms.”
The submission suggests reducing the number of universities and colleges that offer teaching degrees in order to improve quality.
Click on the link to read my post Why Principals Overlook Young Teachers
Click on the link to read my post The Bizarre Call to Train Teachers Specifically for Left-Handed Students
Click on the link to read my post Why Professional Development for Teachers is Often Useless
Click on the link to read my post Finally, a Step Forward in Education
Click on the link to read my post Tips For New Teachers from Experienced Teachers
Topical Teaching 