“Teacher Education Today: Prospects and Promises”
Jenie R. Dimarucut
The difficulties and prospects of education cannot be deliberated in isolation. The problem of teacher education is the effect of a greater problem relating to social and school settings of today. Still, Education at present is open as well as encouraged to all. Everyone having the desire to learn can enroll themselves in an educational institution provided he or she has the ability and skills. The variation in the construction is based on the fact that “education for all is crucial to the growth of the society”.
“The demands of the present and the future cannot be taught with the tools of the past”. Certainly, there is the urgency to be sensitive to the needs of the times and practice of the consistent suitable tools in dealing with such (Dr. Vic Ordonez of UNESCO). The problems concerning Societal setting include economic crisis – corruption in governments; salary of teachers; flexibility of people; techno-rich environment; knowledge-based economy; globalization; proliferation of information; and burn-out teachers, while issues concerning School setting include new goals of teaching; new categories of learners; varying role of teachers; concerns of feminization of teaching; lack of classroom; multi-grade classes; cultural diversity in learners; mobility of students; insufficient instructional materials; teacher qualifications; and few spaces for learning- online, virtual, etc. General recommendations/ strategies for improving teacher education include Strengthening teacher education institutions; Maintaining specialized institutions for teacher education; Comprehensive universities’ flagship programs on teacher education; Teacher Education Curriculum (pre-service curriculum) to give teachers an improved profile – multicultural direction to be able to handle diverse learners, teacher then can balance ability to implement a mandated curriculum for learners with resourcefulness and creativity, and provide technology-enhanced instruction (technology-savvy); Design incentives to attract highly qualified individuals to the teaching profession; and improved methods of teacher certification and credentialing over and above the board examination by the PRC.
In designing the curriculum, planners should study teaching concerns especially when regarding professional characters so that teacher education itself will be saved. There are functional roles expected to do as one become a teacher, multiple roles are given as a form of public service, thus one must be provided information on the present state of teacher education institutions, curriculum, faculty and students, and must act upon the recommendations/strategies given for the improvement of the teaching profession.