TEACHER TRAINING AND DEVELOPMENT IN THE UNITED STATES

Tóm tắt

This report attempts to offer fundamentals in teacher training and development in the United States. The report is structured around the following five components designed in the form of questionnaires: (1) Teacher education programs which involve entry requirements, training curriculum, and exit standards; (2) teacher certification requirements; (3) teacher recruitment requirements; (4) continuing education and support for beginning teachers; and (5) providers and governance of teacher education and certification. One of the most striking findings is that while entry requirements for teacher education are flexible, if not downplaying, across the states, the curriculum places a particular focus on the subject area content courses and, more importantly, on coursework in education and pedagogical skills, together with a long period of in-school student teaching, as prerequisites for graduation. Let alone such practice-based exit requirements, the quality of prospective teachers is checked upon by teacher licensure testing and further empowered by regular induction programs and professional development with an ultimate goal of meeting the eleven professional standards for teachers. With these, the report reveals systematic differences in the practices of teacher education programs, certification, and professional development, among other things, in the United States as compared with those in Vietnam. Thus, it may leave some room for consideration.