Competencies in teacher education

Ed. Ross Woods, 2021

This was an informal survey on ResearchGate (researchgate.net)

The opening question was “What are the main competences that need to be addressed in initial teacher education?” A great deal of research has established the need to work on certain competences in initial teacher education. However, there is no agreement on which competences are the most decisive for adequate professional development.

The responses were as follows. The most frequently occuring responses are given first. Competences unrelated to initial teacher education (subect-matter topics, PD for existing teachers) are given last.

  1. Classroom management, building a positive classroom climate and the importance of routines, etc. (Four times)
  2. Explicit teaching and training of certain social and communication skills including those relevant to relating to peers, teachers, and the community in general. (Three times)
  3. Empathetic engagement with children. (Twice)
  4. Learning according to student’s age and cognitive development (Kindergarten was the case in point)
  5. Reflective thinking.
  6. Practice an active educational style.
  7. Identify learning goals (Teachers too often decide what to teach based on the chapters of a textbook.)
    1. Teachers need to identify what they want students to know or be able to do at the end of the lesson, module, or semester, and formulate specific learning objectives.
    2. How to teach and assess the objective
  8. How students learn, for example:
    1. A simple model of memory, working and long-term memory
    2. Cognitive load and the instructional implications
    3. Motivation
    4. Learning mechanisms and the implications for teaching (e.g. the use of desirable difficulties, as per Bob and Liz Bjork, John Dunlosky, the Institute of Education Sciences practice guide)
  9. Technology and digital know how skills (Twice)
  10. This group was a list of general competencies in teacher training:
    1. Planning a safe and healthy learning environment
    2. Advancing children's physical and intellectual development
    3. Supporting children's social and emotional development
    4. Building productive relationships with families
    5. Maintaining a commitment to professionalism
    6. Observing and recording children's behavior
    7. Understanding principles of child development and learning
  11. Another set of general competencies did not relate to teaching skills but to subject matter skills in mathematics, cultural and artistic skills, and natural and social science.
  12. The role of instructional coaching and building automated habits was mentioned as professional development. However, it is also relevant to practicums in initial teaching, which should in any case be included in pre-service training.