Aligning Pre-Service Teacher Education to the National Curriculum Framework 2005. Reply by 23 January 2010

---------- Forwarded message ----------
From: Shubhangi Sharma <s.sharma@unesco.org>
Date: Thu, Jan 21, 2010 at 1:33 PM
Subject: Re: [se-ed] Discussion: Aligning Pre-Service Teacher
Education to the National Curriculum Framework 2005. Reply by 23
January 2010
To: Education Community <se-ed@solutionexchange-un.net.in>

Dear All,
The issue of pre-service teacher education is interesting as well as
challenging. As the NCF 2005 states - "Pre service training programme
needs to be more comprehensive and lengthy incorporating sufficient
opportunities for observation of children and integration of pedagogic
theories with practice through school internships". If the purpose of
the education is to help child to make sense of the world around her,
the objectives of teacher education should also get aligned to this
very expectation. Transacting information on a particular subject is
just one of the activities teacher is expected to perform in the
school setting, there are  whole lot of valid expectations NCF 2005
places on teachers' for which their preparation needs to be completely
re-looked at, re-visioned and redesigned.
Keeping the above in mind, I would answer a few questions raised by Mr. Diwan
Do we require subject teachers at this stage? Should pre-service
elementary teachers be prepared and chosen as subject specialist
teachers. Should there be a common cadre of teachers' for primary and
higher classes of the elementary school OR there should be two or more
cadres? What capabilities do these teachers require?
I really don' think that subject specific selection of teachers' is
needed at the elementary level nor we should place undue emphasis on
'preparing' them to deliver subject specific knowledge in pre -service
training. The basic minimum qualifications prescribed to teach at the
elementary level give us enough reasons to believe that person
selected would at least possess the basic knowledge of the subject.
What they rather require is certain aptitude and skills to engage with
the students and involve them in the process of teaching and learning.
Creativity, empathy, reflective skills, understanding of the very
notion of education and the different ways through which it gets
imparted, etc.; are the requisite qualifications for the teachers'. In
my view, the common cadre of teachers' for primary and upper primary
classes which together constitute elementary education is not going to
harm anybody. In-fact it will ensure all teachers' at elementary level
being able to teach any subject with a set of skills and capabilities
to transact the subject specific content. In- service training, after
they join as teachers', can incorporate subject -specific sessions,
again placing sufficient emphasis on methodology of transaction which
is of utmost importance. A lot of people might argue that the kind of
teaching which is required from grade 6 to 8 would suffer if teachers
are not prepared enough during the process of pre- service training in
dealing with the subject specific content. However, as I clarified in
the earlier part of my response, the in- service recurrent trainings
are the forums where subject related issues can be dealt with, if any.
What should be the process of assessment and criteria for deciding if
an aspiring person is adequately prepared?
The current pre-service training programmes require aspiring teachers
to go through 'school experience program' in a rather artificial
setting and environment under the constant fear of being judged and
evaluated, which for me has to be treated as an obsolete concept.
Rather, one of the processes of evaluation could be to place teachers'
for at least a period of 3 to 6 months in a school. I also feel that
two necessary and sufficient conditions need to be fulfilled- no
teacher should get posted outside the block /district,  he/she belongs
to; and teacher training institutes should only be allowed to train
those many people as teachers' who could be hired for the job at the
earliest possibility. This would require close co-ordination between
the block level educational administration and the pre-service teacher
training institutes in the area. Village Education committees and the
teachers serving in the same schools, can be roped in to hand hold and
review the performance of trainee teachers' in a supportive and
encouraging environment
Written assessment is important but recognition of its limits is also
necessary. If there is an agreement to the proposal that there is not
need to prepare subject specialist at the elementary level and the
capabilities which should be looked for in aspiring teachers are
creativity, reflective skills, empathy, inquisitiveness, learning
capability etc., then the evaluation has to combine the tools which
capture these very skills amongst individuals. Reasoning and creative
abilities need to replace memorisation and competitive spirit amongst
teachers as the NCF 2005 states.
One of the methods of assessment I propose should be by the children
themselves. Re-visioning on 'School experience program' or
'demonstration classes' with an inbuilt tool for assessment by the
pupil has a lot of potential to involve children in the process of
their own education. Many might argue that a teacher would obviously
behave 'alright' in such a circumstances, as he/she knows about the
assessment. However, I firmly believe that it is just not possible to
cover up oneself 'under the mask' in the company of young children for
a period more than a few days!
·         What could be the alternative forms of School Experience
program for teachers?
As stated earlier, placement of aspiring teachers' as interns in the
schools for a reasonable period of time, is the best strategy. This
will enable them to understand the local environment, relate better
with the community, children and their immediate surrounding and use
methods which are informed of the context of the children and their
learning aspirations. It might also help in involving community and
the local level Panchayats in assessment of the aspiring teacher on
aptitude, attitudes and skills desired in a teacher.
·         Who can be teacher educators, what capability and attitudes
they need to have and the kind of institutions should prepare
teachers.
Teacher educators in my view should be the individuals who themselves
possess the skills and capabilities which are expected of an aspiring
teacher- a good listener, team worker, person with reflective and
creative abilities are needed to reform the pre- service teacher
education. A large part of the pre- service teacher training needs to
be delivered through the mode of discussion, group work, practical
exposure and experimentation. The institutes grounded in sound
educational philosophy, ready to experiment and reflect upon are
required to deliver pre- service education rather than training being
imparted by the institutes with dead, age old believes on
teacher-pupil relationship, systems and practices to impart teacher
education.
In the end, I am sure only a re-visioned teacher education program can
do justice to the huge challenge posed before the country in the form
of NCF 2005, the document which attempted to revision the
understanding, systems and the process of education to make it a more
relevant and enjoyable experience for a child rather than a 'drudgery'
which he has to go through in order to " succeed" in life.
Best
Shubhangi Sharma
UNESCO
New Delhi
________________________________
From: Hrydayakant Diwan [mailto:vbsudr@yahoo.com]
Sent: Tuesday, January 05, 2010 3:57 PM
To: 'Education Community'
Subject: [se-ed] Discussion: Aligning Pre-Service Teacher Education to
theNational Curriculum Framework 2005. Reply by 20 January 2010
Moderator's Note: Dear Members, A very happy new year to all of you!
We are beginning the year with the discussion on Pre- Service Teacher
Education which plays a very important role in shaping the future
teachers'. All of us would agree that teachers, as one of the
important pillars of the whole educational process, require training,
capacity enhancement and other inputs which enable them to undertake
their teaching responsibilities with a sense of empowerment. Teacher
education whether pre- service or in service is the opportunity for
teachers to understand and reflect on some of the critical concepts,
gain knowledge on teaching – learning methodologies and above all
learn to understand children better.
Many of us feel that 'what should be taught to the children' is to be
re-looked at in view of the needs of today. The purpose and role of
education also need to be re-articulated. Accordingly, teacher
education processes need to be re-visioned, revised and reformulated
to respond to the challenges of the present times. Right to Education
Act is to be kept in mind while preparing teachers' for future. In the
context of the above, this discussion holds immense importance.
We are happy to announce that Hridya Kant Diwan, a well known
Educationist and presently Education Advisor, Vidya Bhavan Society
Udaipur, has agreed to become the Guest Moderator for this discussion.
He has been one of the articulate voices on Education System reforms
in all its dimensions and has contributed significantly with his
innovative thoughts and ideas on the issues and concerns on teacher
education in the country. He has also been part of the process of
development of NCF 2005.
We are sure with Hardy as Guest Moderator, this discussion would be
helpful in bringing about reforms in the field of teacher education in
the country.
Shubhangi
________________________________
Dear Friends,
An International Conference on Teacher Development and Management was
organized at Vidya Bhawan Udaipur from February 23-25, 2009 with the
technical support of Ministry of Human Resource Development (MHRD),
the National Council for Educational Research and Training (NCERT),
the National University of Educational Planning and Administration
(NUEPA) and the National Council for Teacher Education (NCTE).  The
important ideas that emerged from this conference include the need for
a comprehensive policy and implementation strategy for teacher
education with earmarked resources; aligning teacher education
programs (pre-service and in-service) to the National Curriculum
Framework – 2005 and an institution focused comprehensive professional
development plan for teachers.  As a follow-up of the Udaipur
conference, a series of seminars are planned to discuss various issues
emerged out of the conference.  The first seminar on theme 'Aligning
pre-service Elementary teacher education to the NCF, 2005 in the
context of the National Curricular Framework for teacher Education and
the Right to Education (RTE) Act' will be held at NCERT, New Delhi,
and February 2-4, 2010.
One key need from teachers is to transact inclusively and use the
socio-cultural diversity and multi-linguality as a resource and not
view it as a hindrance. Pre-service preparation of teachers must
demand greater effort and learning and not be a mere certification
ritual. The preparation of the elementary teacher has to recognise
that she is expected to be able to form a sensitive and caring respect
for the child, believe in her ability to learn and have the
preparedness to engage with her. Besides this she has also to help
children develop conceptual understanding in Maths and Environmental
Science and assist them in development of the capability to use all
forms of language. It is clear that this requires a realisation of the
aims and goals of education, the way children learn and as pointed out
above sensitivity and understanding of their backgrounds. The 'would
be' teachers need an understanding of the nature of the disciplines
and how they develop. The present teacher preparation syllabi,
transaction processes, assessment and school experience mechanisms,
preparation and background of teacher educators needs to be examined
and possible components of the way forward based on current
experiences evolved.
For example the classrooms in the teacher preparation classes need to
show the engagement and participation that is expected from the
teachers in the school. They need the space to explore, articulate,
discuss, experiment, use their experiences and develop the interest
and the ability to continue to learn on their own. Similarly the
school experience program, a critical component of the preparation,
needs to be analysed in the light of the severe criticism its
assumptions and procedures have met with on many forums. The
alternatives being explored need to be shared and considered to evolve
possible principles of the way forward.
There are concerns about the status and salaries of teachers, their
appraisal mechanisms and motivations. We need to reflect on these as
well and abstract the key issues that affect them. Besides all this
the pre-service education of teachers requires teacher educators that
have the ability to provide such experiences to teachers' that make
them aware and capable. We must also remember that teacher has to work
within the ambience of the system; she requires an administrative
system that would allow her and all other teachers to share and
explore their ideas, reflect on their experiences and be creative. The
main aspects of the current system have to be critically analysed
against this requirement.
The issues of the widely differing quality of the multiplicity of
courses needs to be considered even though variety and plurality may
not be bad idea in itself; there are concerns about the need for
upgrading teacher pre-service education by enhancing the duration of
training and making it equivalent to degree program and placing of
teacher education programs in a professional body of University
faculty are also critical concerns.
This is particularly important in the context of the large number of
teachers required to meet the expectations arising out of the RTE. The
RTE being till elementary classes and the current form of syllabus for
the later part of the elementary school, particularly classes VI to
VIII expects fairly abstract ideas to be transacted.
In the light of the above following questions are also pertinent
·         Do we require subject teachers at this stage? Should
pre-service elementary teachers be prepared and chosen as subject
specialist teachers. Should there be a common cadre of teachers' for
primary and higher classes of the elementary school OR there should be
two or more cadres? What capabilities do these teachers require?
·         What should be the process of assessment and criteria for
deciding if an aspiring person is adequately prepared,
·         What are the kinds of facilities available to the aspiring
teachers etc. What should be the possible mechanisms for this and what
have been the experiences from the efforts in this direction.
·         What could be the alternative forms of School Experience
program for teachers.
·         Who can be teacher educators, what capability and attitudes
they need to have and the kind of institutions should prepare
teachers.
We request Members of the Education Community to critically examine
and bring in experiences from all around for reflection and learning
to align pre- service education with NCF in the context of RTE Act
responding to the questions stated above. Members' experiences, advice
would be a significant contribution in the proposed seminar on Pre
Service Education thereby embarking on an enabling Teacher education
and management policy in the country.
Hriday Kant Diwan
Vidya Bhawan Society
Udaipur

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