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Research Articles:
Teacher Training Courses
III TEACHER TRAINING IN THE U.S.
In 1770 Christopher Dock,
a teacher of German ancestry who resided in Pennsylvania,
published in German the first volume in the American
colonies on the education of teachers. Leading Americans,
such as Benjamin Franklin, urged the establishment of
teacher training, but it was not until the late 18th century
that the first steps in that direction were taken. A group
of teachers in New York City banded together in 1794 as the
Society of Associated Teachers to discuss the problems of
teaching and to establish the qualifications for teachers.
In 1805 De Witt Clinton,
then mayor of New York City, initiated a Free School Society
in the city to provide education for poor children. This
society undertook to train teachers for its schools with the
assistance of public funds, and it organized a course of
study lasting from six to eight weeks. The course was highly
effective, and the society soon began to receive requests
from neighboring towns for teachers. After several educators
had set up private normal (derived from norma, Latin,
“standard” or “rule”) schools in Vermont and Massachusetts,
a lasting and successful institution of teacher education
was inaugurated in 1839. At that time the first public
normal school in the United States was opened in Lexington,
Massachusetts, through the efforts of the renowned educator
Horace Mann. By 1875 most of the state legislatures had
passed laws providing for the establishment of normal
schools.
Toward the end of the
19th century, as the enrollment in high schools increased,
many of the normal schools became more rigid in their
entrance requirements. This led gradually to the development
of teachers colleges, which granted college degrees and
trained students to teach. Recognizing the increased demands
for trained teachers, such institutions as Brown University
began (1855) to offer students courses in the new field of
pedagogy, or education.
IV 20TH-CENTURY
TRENDS
In the 20th century many
new trends and problems in relation to the growth of the
profession have arisen. Largely because of the teaching of
the American philosopher and educator John Dewey, the study
of methods of teaching has been recognized as a science.
Standards for the certification of teachers were raised in
all states. Elementary-school teachers were required to
complete a college-degree course before being given a
permanent teaching certificate, while study beyond a
bachelor's degree has become necessary to teach on a
permanent basis in high school. In addition to a thorough
command of at least one academic subject, a qualified
teacher is expected to have a broad background of general
education, as well as professional preparation that includes
the psychology of children or adolescents, the principles
and techniques of teaching, and the historical foundations
of education.
There are several hundred
teachers colleges in the U.S., as well as private schools
that train teachers of kindergarten and preschool education.
With teaching now accorded full professional status, most
colleges and universities have established departments of
education. The work of these institutions has been
responsible for much improvement in the standards of the
teaching profession.
A wave of educational
reform, which started in 1983 when President Ronald Reagan
appointed a National Commission on Excellence in Education,
has begun to affect teacher training. The commission's
report, A Nation at Risk, combined with a predicted shortage
of teachers in some fields in the late 20th century, raised
national awareness of the need to attract large numbers of
high-quality teacher candidates and to improve their
education and training. Many departments of education are
currently examining and revising curricula. Several
educational organizations have issued influential reports
proposing sweeping changes to improve the education of
prospective teachers and to help keep teachers from leaving
the classrooms for other jobs. Now receiving widespread
study are proposals to put greater emphasis on a solid
liberal arts background for teachers; to allow college
graduates who did not attend schools of education to enter
classroom teaching via alternative certification routes; to
raise the standards of academic preparation and experience
that new teachers must meet; and to create a national board
to certify teachers that would replace the many different
certifying bodies now operating in the states.
Source: Encarta
Encyclopedia 2004
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