1)
What is currently lacking in teacher education
programs?
Many of our
doctors and lawyers are now being prepared with
the aid of training programs that are
performance-based. Most teachers, however, are
not. Yet, teacher education students will need
to master many skills if they are to be
successful in their chosen profession. Those
that do will be tomorrow's renaissance people.
Praxiology - the knowledge of the practices of
teaching, provides us with a clinical or
professional body of subject matter, which can
help bring this about. Praxiology is the study
of human action and conduct. Its root is in the
Greek word "praxis" meaning to do, or the
practice of an art, science or technical
occupation. Praxiology refers to the knowledge
of practices, which is recognized as one of the
four major domains of knowledge (formal,
descriptive, prescriptive; praxiological).
Praxiology is perhaps best represented in higher
education within certain professional schools
and departments including law, engineering, and
medicine, Within these disciplines, training is
largely designed around a clinical or
professional body of subject matter, which
serves to bring about what is valued through
action. This same approach should now be used to
train our teachers.
2)
How can colleges and universities better prepare
pre- and in-service teachers to deal with the
wide variety of problems they will
encounter?
Over the
years, my research interests have focused on the
praxis of the teaching process, especially as it
relates to the pre- and in-service preparation
of teachers. In this regard, I have developed a
model, which provides a simplified
representation of the major areas in which
teachers must, by the very nature of their job,
exhibit a high degree of competency. The praxis
approach to teacher training presents us with
powerful guidelines for creating unique,
performance-based programs that can actually
provide for the development of the "complete
teaching professional."
3)
What are the critical components of a good
teacher education program?
Observations
made of hundreds of teachers and professors as
they engaged in the act of teaching, discussions
held with scores of educational supervisors and
administrators, and interviews with thousands of
students of all ages, have allowed me to
identify seven major components that appear to
comprise the praxis of teaching. Knowledge is
the overriding characteristic associated with
two of the seven recognized components ---
subject knowledge and professional knowledge. It
is with these "knowledge" components (cognitive
domain) that most teacher education programs
have traditionally been involved. Clearly,
teachers must know the subjects that they teach.
They also need to become familiar with such
important things as child and adolescent
development, learning theory, educational
philosophy, history of education, etc. But
knowledge alone does not make for an outstanding
teacher. In reality, very few students will be
inspired and motivated by a teacher's mastery of
the aforementioned areas of knowledge. Acting,
writing, developing, managing and selling
represent the five remaining components that
have been identified in my research. These are
the skill-based components (psychomotor domain)
of the teaching process. Teachers who can
effectively demonstrate one or more of these
skills, whether consciously or unconsciously,
appear to be some of our better
teachers.
4)
How can administrators and school systems deal
with the lack of quality teachers?
One way to
understand a complicated machine like an
automobile or computer is to look at its
component parts. Once we understand each part,
we can study and improve upon how they all go
together. We can use this same approach to look
at and improve upon a complex event or process.
Teaching is such a process. My work is based
upon the hypothesis that it is the degree of
mastery, both within and among the seven
identified roles, (see response to question 3),
that will determine a teacher's effectiveness.
It stands to reason then, that in-service
training, specifically designed to deliver a
missing skill or skills that a teacher will need
for success in the classroom, can provide us
with a viable means for upgrading the overall
quality of our teaching
professionals.
5)
Are there programs that could be used as
in-services that would remediate deficiencies in
teachers?
The Complete
Teacher is a computer-based system that I have
developed for delivering training in the praxis
of teaching. Versions are available for both Mac
and PC computer platforms. The program is
designed around a complex clinical training
model which views the teacher as an actor,
developer, professional, manager, salesperson,
subject expert, and writer. In other words, it
provides for the development of the "complete
teaching professional". The Complete Teacher
Program is published by Complete Teacher
Academy, 9 Fleetwood Drive, Rockaway, New Jersey
07866, USA (phone 973-627-3159, fax
973-983-8151, www.completeteacher.com
)
6)
What supplemental materials are available to
make good teachers better teachers?
The Complete
Teacher consists of a program engine, several
common palette components, and eight learning
modules. The engine and palette components
(teacher's notebook, appointment calendar, and
praxis of teaching model) can be downloaded from
the publisher's web site. The learning modules,
with connections to over 100 digital components,
cover the seven roles that a complete teacher
must master. An eighth module covering "other
things" is also available. A single
criterion-referenced learning module may be
selected to deliver skills in a specific role
area or they may be used together to deliver a
clinical body of subject matter that will
provide for the development of the "complete
teaching professional."
7)
Why are teachers leaving the field and "burning
out" so often?
Some say
it's because teachers are not respected or
supported by students, by parents, by boards of
education, by administrators, by supervisors, by
teacher training institutions, by politicians
and so on. But while all of this is probably
true, it's certainly not the complete answer.
Let's face it, teaching is not an easy thing to
do. It's a hard and demanding job. Teaching can
be a draining experience even on the best of
days!
8)
Some subjects such as math, are simply more
difficult to teach than others. What suggestions
would you offer?
Sorry, but
here I must disagree with your premise. As
cognitive psychologist Jerome Bruner pointed out
in his seminal work, The Process of Education,
any subject, no matter how difficult can be
taught effectively in some intellectually honest
form to any person at any stage of development.
Mr. Wizard did it. So did Carl Sagan. Sesame
Street is still doing it. And we can too! As
Cassius said to Brutus in Shakespeare's Julius
Caesar: "The fault dear (Teacher), is not in our
stars, but in ourselves."
9)
Are good teachers born or made? How can they be
made better?
Both! Good
teachers are born and good teachers are made.
And both types can benefit from the right kind
of training.
10)
What suggestions would you offer to beginning
teachers?
Think about
what you want to accomplish in your classroom.
Identify the problem or goal and then spend the
time and effort needed to ensure success in
achieving the goal or solving the problem. And
remember this --- "If you always do what you
always did, you'll always get what you always
got!" So keep an open mind. And don't be afraid
to be abrasive when, in your best professional
judgment, it can help to improve the educational
process.
11)
Are we really asking our teachers nowadays to do
too much?
The true
professional knows what he or she can and cannot
do. Teachers must learn to say "No!" and to say
it firmly. At times, this is the most
professional thing to do. A cartoon that is
included in the Complete Teacher Managing Module
speaks directly to this point.
12)
In this age of inclusion and mainstreaming, what
skills do teachers specifically need, and are
they receiving them?
Dealing with
diversity can be both a complex and an emotional
issue, especially for the new or inexperienced
teacher. Like other social changes, diversity
can have both positive and negative effects on
the educational process. By gaining a better
understanding or these issues and having
appropriate strategies, a teacher can increase
the chances of managing diversity in a more
effective manner. Therefore, it is important
that he or she develop an awareness of diversity
issues in teaching and learning; work to become
informed of current best practice; and actively
strive to develop his or her competence in the
design and implementation of inclusive
curricula. The Complete Teacher Program has been
designed to help in this regard. What are the
personality factors that make up a "good
teacher"? Educational researchers have
identified a myriad of personality factors in an
attempt to describe the complex of
characteristics (behavioral and emotional) that
distinguishes one teacher from another. Most of
these factors seem to fall into one of three
general categories or domains of teaching
behaviors --- cognitive, psychomotor and
affective. Cognitive factors deal with the
verbal information and intellectual skills of
the teacher. The following behaviors are
examples: associating, recalling, memorizing,
listing, classifying, categorizing,
discriminating, conceptualizing, paraphrasing,
applying, solving, verbalizing, defining,
summarizing and rationalizing. Psychomotor
factors relate to a teacher's physical
activities that require specific knowledge.
Sample behaviors include, writing, typing,
developing, organizing, leading, controlling and
demonstrating. Affective domain factors
encompass a teacher's feelings, and attitudes
--- both positive and negative. Positive
behaviors include smiling, embracing, sharing,
not being late, coming to school every day,
grading work on time, and communicating openly.
Examples of negative behaviors are ignoring,
avoiding, disrupting, and sub-vocalizing. The
praxis model (as described above) incorporates
within itself much of what some of our best
teachers know (cognitive domain) and can do
(psychomotor domain) in each of the seven
performance roles that have been identified.
Training activities designed to develop the
desired cognitive and psychomotor personality
factors are an integral part of the Complete
Teacher Program. Affective domain components,
although important, are not emphasized to the
same degree, however, since it is believed that
affective values cannot be taught directly,
except in very obvious ways.