PROPOSED NEW TEACHER EDUCATION CURRICULUM

CHED Technical Panel on Teacher Education

Zonal Public Hearings

BACKGROUND

• Curriculum defined in CHED Memo No. 11 (S. 1999) finished one cycle in 2003

• Opportune time to re-assess the pre-service teacher education curriculum

BACKGROUNDExternal Environment• Revised Basic Education

Curriculum (2002) which requires a new range of teaching-learning skills

• Changing character of student learners

• Changing global standards and definitions of teaching competence

• Constantly changing demands on the teacher

RBEC

Curriculum Review Process• Comparison of current curriculum courses and

structure with international benchmarks.• Summary of results of previous studies

reviewing the effectiveness and efficiency of current curriculum.

• Assessment of the current curriculum compared with alternative pre-service schemes (CITE; 18 unit teacher’s certificate).

• Assessment of adequacy of curriculum in terms of developing required skills for DepEd RBEC and other needs in the field.

Key Discussion Points

• There is an over-supply of pre-service teacher education graduates, many of whom do not have the requisite skills to become good teachers.

• There are too many teacher education institutions and many that do not comply with minimum requirements.

• The profile of students who enter the pre-service teacher education programs is below average.

Key Discussion Points• The average TEI graduate has weak basic

communication, literacy, quantitative skills, and higher order thinking skills.

• The typical TEI graduate has a limited range of teaching-learning approaches/strategies (e.g., unable to implement RBEC).

• The typical TEI graduate has quite poor skills for assessing student learning assessment.

• The typical TEI graduate has naïve or poor understanding of the learning process among students.

Key Discussion Points• The typical TEI graduate has a

compartmentalized knowledge about the theories-methods-practices of teaching.

• The typical TEI graduate has below average content knowledge, especially in science and mathematics.

• The typical TEI graduate does not have enough experiential training to allow for effective transition into classroom situation.

• The typical TEI graduate cannot easily adopt new educational concepts and processes.

Key Discussion Points• Many TEI graduates perceive some

curriculum elements to be either irrelevant to their preparation for actual teaching.

• Some of the required professional education courses are not required in other countries.

• Some of the content of professional education courses are very outdated and are no longer required in other countries.

• The typical delivery system and curricular structure for pre-service teacher education is lagging behind global standards.

Proposed ObjectivesThe revised teacher education curriculum

shall develop teachers who:1 have a deep understanding of the

learning processes of students and the various factors that shape this process;

2 can facilitate learning of diverse types of learners, in diverse types of learning environments, using a wide range of teaching knowledge, skills, and values, including educational assessment;

Proposed ObjectivesThe revised teacher education curriculum shall

develop teachers who:3 can adjust & be flexible in designing & im-

plementing curricula & learning environments for different students, & in different contexts;

4 have a deep understanding of the subject matter they will teach;

5 can critically reflect on the relationships among their teaching practices, the learning needs, goals & processes of the students, & the various contexts of the teaching-learning process;

Proposed ObjectivesThe revised teacher education curriculum

shall develop teachers who:6 are professional and ethical in the

conduct of their responsibilities and in dealing with all the stakeholders of the educational process;

7 are willing and capable to continue to acquire & utilize new knowledge about teaching processes and technologies in order to better fulfill their mission as a teacher.

Proposed PrinciplesThe following principles were considered in

the design of the curriculum, & shall guide its implementation. The curriculum should:

1 ensure that all students have the basic and higher level literacy, communication, numeracy, critical thinking, learning skills needed for higher learning;

2 help all students to develop a deep and principled understanding of the learning processes and the role of the teacher in facilitating these processes in their students;

Proposed PrinciplesThe following principles were considered in the

design of the curriculum, & shall guide its implementation. The curriculum should:

3 help all students to develop a deep and principles understanding of how educational processes relate to larger historical, social, cultural and politic processes;

4 ensure that all students develop a meaningful and comprehensive knowledge of the subject matter they will teach;

Proposed PrinciplesThe following principles were considered in the

design of the curriculum, & shall guide its implementation. The curriculum should:

5 help all students acquire a wide range of teaching process skills (including curriculum development, lesson planning, materials development, educational assessment, teaching approaches, and the use of educational technology):

6 provide all students sustained, direct experience in the field/classroom throughout the curriculum (e.g., classroom observations, teaching assistance, practice teaching):

Proposed PrinciplesThe curriculum should:7 ensure that all students constantly reflect on

the relationships among the teaching process skills, the learning processes in students, the nature of the content/subject matter, & the broader social forces encumbering the school & educational processes; and

8 should be implemented and administered by teacher educators who have a deep and principled understanding of learner-centered principles as they apply to the development of future teachers.

Key Features of Proposed Curriculum

• Focuses on development of cognitive and affective processes and competencies;

• Enhanced General Education requirements;• Professional education requirements are

designed to be integrated;• Theoretical knowledge focuses on student

learning and situated nature of teaching processes;

• Methodological knowledge emphasize wide options for facilitating student learning;

Key Features of Proposed Curriculum

• Experiential courses spread over most curriculum and is integrated with theoretical and methodological courses;

• Specialization courses for BSE increased to 63 units for a major;

• Content courses for BSE increased to 63 units spread over major learning areas;

• Sets higher minimum requirements for TEI’s to offer program (e.b., educational technology lab; effective relationship with lab school or equivalent)

Summary of Proposed BSE Curriculum

• General Education - 63 units• Professional Education - 57 units

– Theory/Concepts : 12 units– Methods/Strategies: 24 units– Field Study: 18 units– Special Topics: 3 units

• Specialization/Major - 63 unitsTOTAL 183 units

Summary of Proposed BEE Curriculum

• General Education - 63 units• Professional Education - 57 units• Subject Matter/Content - 63 units

– Mathematics : 12 units– Science: 12 units– English: 12 units– Filipino: 9 units– Social Studies: 9 units– Values Education: 3 units– PHEM 3 units– THE 3 units

TOTAL 183 units

Professional Education Courses• Human Development: Basic course

on human development focusing on current research & theory on the biological, cognitive, linguistic, social and emotional dimensions of development and the factors that affect the progress of development.

• Theories of Learning: Introduction to contemporary theories and research on learning with emphasis on the cognitive, metacognitive, motivational, socio-cultural, and individual difference factors in acquisition of knowledge.

Professional Education CoursesThe Social Dimensions of Education• Introduction to the historical, social,

cultural, political & economic dimensions of educational processes.

Teaching Profession • The course deals with the teacher as

an individual, classroom teacher, community teacher & global teacher. This emphasizes professionalization to cover teachers’ status and levels of professional rewards and professionalism to improve competencies.

Professional Education CoursesPrinciples of Teaching I : The course

introduces prospective teachers to the nature of teaching. It deals specifically with the principles of effective instruction & the concomitant processes involved; instructional planning & actual teaching. The course is a blend of theoretical information & selected matching actual experiences.

Principles of Teaching II : The course introduces prospective secondary & elementary teachers with knowledge & understanding of the subject area which include: foundation disciplines, structural components, & models of teaching & assessment strategies. These will provide the student with the theoretical underpinnings in teaching & develop concepts, skills, attitudes, values related to the subject area.

Professional Education CoursesAssessment of Student Learning I • Focuses on the development and

utilization of assessment tools to improve the teaching-learning process. Emphasis is given on the use of teaching for measuring knowledge and thinking skills.

Assessment of Student Learning II • Focuses on the development and

utilization of alternative forms of assessment in measuring authentic learning. Emphasis is given on how to assess process – and – product- oriented learning targets at well as effective learning. Students will experience how to develop rubrics for performance – based and portfolio assessment.

Professional Education Courses

Educational Technology I • Focuses on the application of

research findings in the design, development, implementation, and evaluation of instruction.

Educational Technology II • The course is designed to

support the use of information technology in teaching and learning. It introduces innovative technologies to facilitate and foster meaningful, effective learning practices

Professional Education CoursesCurriculum Development • The course is intended to

introduce the education students to effective curriculum design and assessment. The course topics include curriculum models, principles and approaches in designing, delivering and assessing the curriculum

Developmental Reading • A course to develop the teacher

as reader and the reader as teacher in the light of the constructivist perspective

Professional Education CoursesField Study & Practice Teaching• A series of courses intended

to provide students with experiences in actual school environments. The experiences will begin with field observation and gradually intensify until students undertake practice teaching. The early field experiences will be designed to allow students to explore the concepts and skills they learn in the classroom as they operate in the actual school setting.

Professional Education CoursesSpecial Topics• Seminars focused on specific

issues, problems, strategies, and other concerns that might be relevant in the prospective teachers developments.

• Sample topics: – Teaching Multigrade Classes– Environmental Education– Teaching Multicultural

Classrooms– Integrative Teaching Strategies– Collaborative Learning– Use of Popular Media in Teaching– Topics on Distance Learning

Other Consideration• Faculty development (professional

education & specialization courses)• Availability of textbooks/references• Upgrading library/learning

resources• Upgrading educational technology

laboratory• Establish stronger linkage with field

study site (i.e., laboratory school, partner school, etc.)

• Higher number of required units will require restructuring of distribution over 4-year or 5-year period

Conclusion• Teachers are most critical factors in

educational reform and improvement.• Teacher education institutions and the

teacher education curriculum have to undergo significant changes if they aim to produce teachers who will be powerful agents of educational change.

• Whenever major changes are underway, the sectors concerned have to converge their efforts and resources in preparing for the significant changes that need to take place.