Teacher Training Curriculum Design: Development and Implementation

Today’s political, social, demographic, economic, cultural, and technological realities have forced universities to reflect on the mission and organization of education, and these realities have altered work and their occupational structure. Our education system has to change in rhythm with changing needs of individual if it is to be dynamic and functional. It is a challenge for our primary and secondary education and the need for skilled teachers because teacher is the maker of man (Sir John Adams), so there is a need to bring teacher training programs into line with the changes affecting the system as a whole in order to adapt them to the new realities that will define the world of education in coming years.

Introduction

Western culture is increasing. Because of globalization, we see everything in the form of commerce. But it is not good. A teacher is a nation-builder. The development of any country depends on its educational system. Any type of development is possible through education. The main function of education today is to prepare people for life. It is through education that youngsters are equipped with adequate knowledge, skills and disposition.
Educators may not be able to avoid thinking about outcomes, accountability, teaching strategies, and so on and shouldn’t avoid thinking about exactly what they are doing and how they are doing it, but it may be just as important, if not more so, to think about the aesthetic qualities of curriculum — so that curriculum might become timeless, inspiring, beautiful, and transcendent, as well as implemented.

Here are favorite metaphors for curriculum: “Good novels, if we are ready for them, transform us. Good curricula should have the same effect.”(Overly & Spalding, 1993) and another “Curriculum...is a design of events that brings about conversion. The Secondary Education Commission emphasized on the role of teacher and noted “Every teacher and educationist of experience knows that even the best curriculum and the most perfect syllabus remains dead unless quickened in to life by the right method of teaching and the right kind of teachers”. But question that who is responsible for the preparation of experts, specialist and professionals of all types that should act a change agent. It is the quality of products of higher education, to great extent decides the future of classroom and nation. However, there remain many challenges in the area of teacher training.

Most notably, the lack of adequate programs in terms of quality, as well as the curriculum for these programs. Learning without Burden noted “...inadequate programmes of teacher preparation lead to unsatisfactory quality of learning in schools.The content of the programme should be restructured to ensure its relevance to the changing needs of school education. The emphasis in these programmes should be on enabling the trainees to acquire the ability for self-learning and independent thinking.”

The concept of curriculum can be perceived as a connective link between teacher and student, organized in such a way to achieve goals previously set by the teacher, the learning organization or by the curriculum specialists. Curriculum is a means to the education. While education is learning, curriculum signifies situations for learning. While education deals with ‘how' and ‘when', Curriculum deals with ‘what' education is a product, curriculum is the plan.

In the wave of curriculum development of recent decades, the importance of the role of the teacher, and thus of teacher education, has too often been neglected. Most curriculum development projects have emphasized the production of new materials and their implementation in the classroom.

Teacher Education

Teacher education is an integral component of the educational system. It is intimately connected with society and is conditioned by the ethos, culture, and character of a nation. The constitutional goals, the directive principles of the state policy, the socio-economic problems and the growth of knowledge, the emerging expectations and the changes operating in education, etc. call for an appropriate response from a futuristic education system and provide the perspective within which teacher education programmes need to be viewed.

Requirement of Education

This understanding has recently been explicitly pronounced, internationally promoted and supported through UNESCO's Education for All Programme. In this new situation - under pressure from the socially responsible, knowledge-based economy and globalization - education faces four new requirements.

 Education should be lifelong

 Education should be relevant.

 Education should be anticipatory

Education of a certain quality should be accessible to all. In some respects, we fall into the same dilemma as nations in the nineteenth century. Hence, curriculum design should be based on educational requirements.

Curriculum Design Model

A ten-step process for curriculum development are:

1. Determining the needs 2. Setting objectives 3. Determining subject content 4. Selecting participants 5. Determining the best schedule

6. Selecting appropriate facilities 7. Selecting appropriate instructors 8. Selecting and preparing audiovisual aids 9. Coordinating the program 10. Evaluating the program

Moreover, served as a project plan for the curriculum task force. It provided a step-by-step process to follow to take the idea from concept to reality. The model can helped us manage the curriculum for the teacher education and turn a plan into a reality. A travesty in education is that we often have wonderful plans that never get implemented. By conducting national seminars, workshops and conferences it is important to collect eminent scholars attitude towards importance of curricular change in the present scenario. There are many recommendations about curriculum change, but they are not in practice. In present teacher training curriculum is more deal with theoretical aspects. It should move from a more teacher centered, didactic approach to a more student centered approach.

Harden (1984) develops the SPICS model for Curriculum Planning & Design. Curriculum should be Student-centered, Problem-based, Integrated, Community oriented, Electives (+ core) and Systematic.

Teacher education progamme should adopt PRISMS approach.

PRISMS approach:
 Practice based linked with professional development.
 Relevant to students and communities
 Inter -professional and interdisciplinary
 Shorter courses taught in smaller units
 Multisite locations
 Symbiotic (organic whole) Bligh, Prideaux, Parsell (2001)

The above approach has been refined and contextualized, reflecting trends towards a more multi- or inter-professional approach as well as the impact of computer-based technology which allows for more flexible delivery in terms of time and location. An internship model for teacher training should be adopted because “...the internship model is firmly based on the primary value of actual field experience in a realistic situation, on the development of teaching skills by practice over a period of time.

COMPETENCIES

Teacher training programs should be designed in a way that future teachers to develop the competencies required to actually practise their profession.

· Subject area, in which they teach, will have to assist and guide students as they construct their knowledge base.

 Future teachers will work in collaboration with the other members of the teaching staff and cooperate with the school team, parents, and various social partners, in attaining educational objectives.

 Learning the competencies required to practise the profession.

 The prescribed program content that future teachers will teach in schools should form the template for determining the scope, depth and relevance of the subject- specific knowledge provided as part of the teacher training program.

 Training of Teaching, learning and evaluation.

Mobilization of knowledge linked to other aspects of the profession, practised outside the classroom.

 Opportunity to exercise teaching competencies in a real-life context.

 Historical and epistemological elements

Training of Life Skills:
According to World Health Organization (WHO), “life skills are living skills or abilities for adaptive and positive behavior that enable individuals to deal effectively with demands and challenges of everyday life.” WHO (1997) has analyzed various life skills and grouped them into ten core skills and has suggested experimental learning approach.

·  Self Awareness ·  Empathy ·  Interpersonal relationship ·  Effective communication ·  Critical thinking

·  Creative thinking ·  Decision Making ·  Problem solving ·  Coping with emotion ·  Coping with stress

The NCERT also has included life skills in NCF (2005). Proper training of life skills education for the student-teacher is very important and it should be core module in the teacher education curriculum.
In teacher education programme there should be added English or mother tongue as second language for better communication and understanding the real fact.

Training of Pedagogical approaches

How you organize for teaching and learning, what teaching strategies you choose, how you interact with students, and how you ultimately evaluate student learning. All the following pedagogical approaches should be placed at the teacher education programme and study of these approaches should be in module form.

Pedagogical approaches · Lectures, tutorials · Seminars · Inquiry-based learning · Problem-based learning · Project-based learning · Case-based learning · Self-directed learning

· Interdisciplinary study · Experiential learning · Cooperative learning · Collaborative learning · Journals & logs · Laboratories · Demonstrations · Service-learning

·  Autobiography ·  Clinical or field placements ·  Community-based research ·  Reflective journal writing ·  Student-centered dialogue · Narrative & reflective writing · Internship & practicum experiences

Dissatisfied with the existing classroom practices in teacher education institutes, NCTE brought out a document “ curriculum Framework for quality Teacher Education” which state “the curriculum framework would enable teacher educators to experimental with new ideas and alternative practices for effecting improvements both in the programmes of school education and teacher education. Essential prerequisites to experimentation are academic freedom and institutional autonomy. Its outcome would be characterized by quality with greater professional responsiveness and intrinsic sense of accountability” (NCTE, 1998).

Information and communication technology (ICT)

Today’s technologies are essential tools for teaching and learning. To use these tools effectively and efficiently, teachers need visions of the technologies’ potential, opportunities to apply them, training and just-in-time support, and time to experiment. Only then can teachers be informed and confident in their use of new technologies (Bowes, 2003). The National Curiculum Framwork 2005 (Yashpal, 2005) has some clear

suggestions for various subject teachers. The virtual medium could be used for actual classroom teaching. A wide range of research shows that the quality of learning can be significantly enhanced by using the ICT tool intelligently. Research indicates that ICT can enhance: critical thinking, information handling skills, higher level conceptualization and problem solving.

Training of Assessment & Evaluation

I have always found assessment and evaluation to be among the most challenging parts of an educator’s job. In teacher education curriculum should have all forms of assessment. Assessment is most meaningful when it is varied, on-going, and integrated into the teaching/learning process.

Conclusion:

Teacher education progrmme should strive to achieve the goals of secularism, equality, liberty, fraternity, justice and national integration. We must make school and teacher responsible for their own destiny and for all reform of curriculum. We need massive teacher training progmmes like B.Tech, M.Tech or BDS, MBBS programme that will help teachers understand the new ways available to educate their youngsters. Improvement in teacher training curriculum is not a onetime affair. By improving the teacher education it can certainly made better. It should not conceptualize from its very nature but it should visualize from implementation aspect as well. There is no reason to deny the teacher education (practice) and the knowledge domain (the research) owes a lot to each other.

Program Details

3^rd February 2024: Day 1- Arrive Toronto Pearson International Airport

On arrival at Toronto Pearson international airport, claim your baggage, proceed for immigration check, after check meet and greet by local tour executive and transfer to hotel for check in, after hotel check in you will be free for own leisure, Dinner at night, overnight stay at hotel (D)

4^th February 2024: Day 2: Conference Day

After breakfast at hotel, transfer to training venue Mississauga, Ontario, refreshment, after end of training session, later on transfer back to hotel, Dinner while en-route towards hotel, overnight stay at hotel (B,D)

5^th February 2024: Day 3: Conference Day

After breakfast at hotel, transfer to training venue Mississauga, Ontario, refreshment, after end of training session, later on transfer back to hotel, Dinner while en-route towards hotel, overnight stay at hotel (B,D)

6^th February 2024:Day 4: Toronto - Niagara

After breakfast at hotel, check out from hotel and transfer from Toronto to Niagara, while en route you will be doing Toronto city tour, arrival Niagara proceed for hotel check in, dinner, overnight stay at Niagara hotel (B,D)

7^th February 2024:Day 5: Niagara falls tour

After breakfast at hotel, today in Niagara falls tour you will visit Canadian Horseshoe Falls, Queen Victoria Park, and Clifton Hill, after the refreshment proceed towards Scenic drives through Niagara Falls with views of Fort George, Brock’s Monument, Hydropower stations, Niagara river, Well and Canal, picturesque vineyards along the Great Lakes, dinner, Overnight stay at Niagara hotel (B,D)

8^th February 2024:Day 6: Niagara - Ottawa

After breakfast at hotel check out from hotel, and transfer to Ottawa, on arrival at Ottawa transfer to hotel for check in, after check in you will be free for own leisure, dinner, overnight stay at hotel (B,D)

9^th February 2024:Day 7: Ottawa - Montreal

After breakfast at hotel, check out from hotel and transfer towards Montreal, while enroute you will be doing Ottawa city tour, after arriving Montreal, hotel check in, free for own leisure, dinner, overnight stay at hotel (B,D)

10^th February 2024 Day 8: Montreal city tour

After breakfast at hotel, today we will proceed for Montreal city tour which will be 3.5 hrs, in this tour you will cover Notre Dame Basilica, Fine arts museum, Habitat 67, Mcgill university, Saint Helen’s island Place ville marie, noon refreshment and then you will be free for shopping, after the tour transfer back to hotel, dinner, overnight stay at hotel (B,D)

11^th February 2024 Day 9: Departure

Breakfast, check out and transfer to airport. (B)
 

Program concludes!!

 Inclusion of

• Round trip air fare
• Canada visa
• 3 night’s accommodation in Toronto
• 2 night’s accommodation in Niagara
• 1 night accommodation in Ottawa
• 2 night’s accommodation in Montreal
• Breakfast in the hotel
• Dinner
• All city tour as mentioned in above itinerary
• All tours and transfers on private coach

 

Exclusion of

• Meals (Lunch)
• PCR test from arrival and departure destination
• Service not mentioned above
• Any city tax will be as per hotel standard, which will be non-refundable.
• Security deposit as per hotel standard need to pay directly to hotel which will be refundable at the time of check out
• A mandatory service fees: Minimum $10 / day / person should be paid in cash to tour guide and the bus driver as a service fee. Any child / Infant reserving a seat will have to pay the service fees as well. Ex: 2 people taking a 2- day tour would pay: $10 x 2 (seats) x 2 (days) =

$40.

• Personal room fees: such as laundry or valet services, telephone calls, or alcoholic beverages/mini bar items, unless they are otherwise specified
• Any private expenses

 

Terms & Conditions:

• The program cost may vary according to the number of pax and current exchange of rate at that moment.

• The amount paid will not be refunded if the delegate returns early due to weather, altitude sickness or personal problems, or in the event that the client chooses to end the trip early. If the delegate chooses to extend the trip for more days, or the trip must be extended due to travel or other delays, additional charges will be due.

• Price of the holiday services are calculated per passenger on triple and quad sharing basis.
• A surcharge may be applicable if clients requests for any change in the given package
• Cancellation after confirmation, full amount non-refundable.
• In case of delay/ cancellation in flight by the airlines, we will not be responsible.
• Normal Check in time 1400/1500 hrs and check out time 1100/1200 hrs.
• Air ticket is non-refundable and non-changeable

 

Mode of Payment

• • 15-20% of payment should be made after visa in hand
  • 80-85% of payment should be made before confirmation of program