The real question is are our colleges and university’s
supplying us with the preparation we need in order to teach diverse learners?
Call to action:
What can be done for future teachers to become more
adequately prepared for diverse learners?
(Analyze degree plan)
Rigor
Need more of a challenging curriculum.
Language
Requirements
Become exposed to if not fluent in at least one other
language such as French, Spanish and Chinese in order to communicate with their
students.
Practicum
We need as much hands on experience in the field as
possible. Having a glimpse of what to expect and how to manage things when we
get into the classroom.
Learning Requirements
Teaching strategies and techniques. What works,
what does not? And for which students does it work?
Differentiated Instruction
Meet each child learning needs in order for that
child to be successful in the classroom.
Becoming a Culturally Responsive Teacher:
I do worry that without some foreign language training, our teacher candidates are at a disadvantage. UH offers an EC-6 Bilingual degree plan (http://www.coe.uh.edu/about/teacher-ed/degree-plans/ec-6_bling_sp13_2.pdf) which requires at least 3 semesters of Spanish. Even the regular EC-6 plan has two classes about "Second Language Acquisition" -- that would be a great new RDNG class for PV?
ReplyDeleteMy mother was telling me the other day that in her teacher education program back in the 1960s, every student had to spend two straight weeks, before fall semester started, observing in a local school. She still remembers that immersion in a classroom environment, long before student teaching.