PS News

PS News presents reports on recent College activities and a selection of announcements, events and initiatives in the wider education community that may be of interest to our members.

US BLUE-RIBBON REPORT

Learning from medical schools

When it comes to teacher education programs, a US blue-ribbon panel says that both too much and not enough time is spent in the classroom. The education experts say that teachers should be trained like doctors, adopting a clinical-practice model. They want future teachers to spend more time in kindergarten to Grade 12 classrooms learning from experienced teachers, rather than in university classrooms learning from academics.

“Teaching, like medicine, is a profession of practice,” says Nancy Zimpher, chancellor of the State University of New York and a co-chair of the panel. “Making clinical preparation the centrepiece of teacher education will transform the way we prepare teachers.”

The recommendations established by the National Council for Accreditation of Teacher Education have won widespread US support. Eight states are testing their feasibility in pilot projects.

However, the Ontario College of Teachers’ Director of Standards of Practice and Accreditation does not think such a dramatic shift in teacher education is needed in Ontario. “We’re already doing a lot of the things the panel recommends,” says Michelle Longlade, OCT. “Our model of teacher education takes a more long-term view, beyond the professional education program. While some of our faculties have a professional-development school model, all of our accredited programs integrate teaching theory with practice.”

The College currently requires a practicum of at least 40 days, but the average is 77 days in a four-year program and 60 days in the one-year consecutive program. The College has recommended raising the minimum number of practicum days to 60.

Longlade says the College will watch the pilot studies with interest to see if there are any best practices that can be adopted in Ontario.

To read the panel’s full report, visit www.ncate.org.