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Teacher Education

Notes perspective of teacher education was therefore very narrow and its scope was limited. As W.H.
Kilpatrick put it, "Training is given to animals and circus performers, while education is to human
beings.
Teacher education encompasses teaching skills, sound pedagogical theory and professional skills.
Teacher Education = Teaching Skills + Pedagogical theory + Professional skills.
Teaching skills would include providing training and practice in the different techniques, approaches
and strategies that would help the teachers to plan and impart instruction, provide appropriate
reinforcement and conduct effective assessment. It includes effective classroom management skills,
preparation and use of instructional materials and communication skills.
Pedagogical theory includes the philosophical, sociological and psychological considerations that
would enable the teachers to have a sound basis for practicing the teaching skills in the classroom.
The theory is stage specific and is based on the needs and requirements that are characteristic of that
stage.
Professional skills include the techniques, strategies and approaches that would help teachers to
grow in the profession and also work towards the growth of the profession. It includes soft skills,
counseling skills, interpersonal skills, computer skills, information retrieving and management
skills and above all life long learning skills.
Teacher education is a continuous process and its pre-service and in-service components are
complimentary to each other. According to the International Encyclopedia of Teaching and Teacher
education (1987), "Teacher education can be considered in three phases : Pre-service, Induction and
In-service. The three phases are considered as parts of a continuous process." It is based on the theory
that "Teachers are made, not born. in contrary to the assumption, "Teachers are born, not made."
Since teaching is considered an art and a science, the teacher has to acquire not only knowledge, but
also skills that are called "tricks of the trade."
Teacher education is broad and comprehensive. Besides pre-service and in-service programmes for
teachers, it is meant to be involved in various community programmes and extension activities,
like adult education and non-formal education programmes, literacy and development activities of
the society.
It is ever-evolving and dynamic. In order to prepare teachers who are competent to face the challenges
of the dynamic society, Teacher education has to keep abreast of recent developments and trends.
The crux of the entire process of teacher education lies in its curriculum, design, structure,
organization and transaction modes, as well as the extent of its appropriateness.
As in other professional education programmes the teacher education curriculum has a knowledge
base which is sensitive to the needs of field applications and comprises meaningful, conceptual
blending of theoretical understanding available in several disciplines. However the knowledge
base in teacher education does not comprise only an mixture of concepts and principles from other
disciplines. Teacher education has become differentiated into stage-specific programmes. This
suggests that the knowledge base is adequately specialized and diversified across stages, which
should be utilized for developing effective processes of preparing entrant teachers for the functions
which a teacher is expected to perform at each stage. It is a system that involves an interdependence
of its Inputs, Processes and Outputs.

A teacher must have knowledge of his subject methods and techniques of teaching and
factors which affect teaching and knowledge of child psychology.

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