https://www.um.edu.mt/library/oar/handle/123456789/37453 2026-04-14T17:33:23Z https://www.um.edu.mt/library/oar/handle/123456789/37684 Title: European integration, social change and new challenges in the training of teachers in Spain : more questions than answers Authors: Villanueva, Maria Abstract: The current phase of economical development is characterized by a new labor process: the introduction of new technologies and work practices is designed, in the global system, to obtain greater flexibility in production, labor and markets, and to quicken rates of innovation and capital circulation. Communication technologies have opened up access to information in an impressive manner, but that access is asymmetrical, and closely related to uneven world development. Apparent predictability and security is being replaced by complexity, uncertainty and increasing apprehension (Huckle, 1996; Meadows, 1992). This not only produces new fractures in society, with new status and class divisions becoming evident, but it also has a significant cultural impact (Harvey, 1989). In this context of change, new inequalities and competition are arising and their tensions are reflected in education. Traditionally, educational policies in democratic countries have attempted to balance those tensions emphasizing social and cultural values. However, in our times, an everincreasing utilitarian spirit seems to reinforce the need for work-related 'basic skills' and 'useful knowledge', which predominates over any consideration of social values (Hartley, 1993). On the one hand, pupils, as future citizens, are expected to learn and apply democratic values and to be aware of the global repercussions of their actions and choices. They are therefore expected to acquire, thorough schooling, the skills and critical thinking that will enable them to understand and interpret the messages and the superabundance of information given by worldwide media. On the other hand, however, much information tends to erode traditional values, supplying little other than facts. Due to European historical processes, most countries' demographic composition is multi-cultural. The consolidation of national-states during the 19th century left within their territorial borders many linguistic and cultural minorities. One of the main goals of schooling was homogeneization as a strategy to reinforce clear distinctions between states, cultures and languages. Social 'minorities', especially linguistic ones, were ignored in the process, and national systems of teacher training were used as an instrument to convey the concepts and values of the national state. After World War II, European economic growth was sustained by intense flows of migrants both from the northern region and from the eastern and southern ones as well. These flows increased the cultural pluralism and heterogeneity of European states that constitutes, nowadays, one of the most important pedagogical challenges that requires clear social policies. But the issue here is that contemporary European societies, being at one and the same time capitalistic and democratic, have principles that are not easily reconcilable. The democratization of schooling, the massification of compulsory education, and the search for efficiency in educational systems have been some of the steps taken to respond to the ever increasing requirements of the global system. Traditionally, the school has been the main instrument to erase diversity as well as to silence the problems and complaints of minorities. In our days, education for pluralism and respect for human rights is seen as a present and future need. In recent years, the increasing pressure for neo-liberal political reform has placed teachers and school systems in the eye of the hurricane. The decline in educational standards, the increasing incidence of violence and bullying, and the lack of ethical and social values are some of the charges made against schooling. Teachers were held responsible not only for their work, but also for the failure of the school system. As a result, teachers have become more subject to control and inspection, even as at the discursive level the principles of pedagogical autonomy are widely declared. Increasingly, schools are held as solely responsible for the results they achieve, with teachers being required to be competent in new skills, to expand their knowledge horizons, and to facilitate the personal development of future citizens. While such demands are, in themselves, positive, the problem is that there is an underlying assumption that school can address and cope with new labor requirements, and can somehow resolve new social needs and conflicts generated by broader social processes. As it is clearly pointed out in the Delors Report (Delors, 1996), the four pillars that constitute the foundations of education are 'learning to be, learning to know, learning to do and learning to live together' . This implies a global understanding of education, and the coming about of a society which links formal and non-formal provision in such a way as to facilitate the move towards lifelong learning, widening access to knowledge and information, and ensuring that new social fractures are not created by uneven opportunities. The role of teachers, from this point of view, is becoming crucial for preparing young people not only for looking confidently to the future but also for building it by themselves in a responsible way. In the case of Spain, the latest reforms in teacher education are a good example of all these tensions. The increasing demands made on the school have made themselves felt through debates on the content of the curriculum for the preparation of new teachers, for instance, with the latest reforms demonstrating the difficulties of matching practical and professional skills with theoretical knowledge. The objective was to maintain theoretical rigor while emphasizing field-based practice, but what happened in reality was the privileging of the latter at the expense of the former. Another contradiction has therefore become manifest: schools are expected to socialize students by conveying attitudes and values that will reduce societal conflict, but teachers are deprived of the kind of broad intellectual formation that ensures an understanding of the wider context. It is only if and when teachers have the intellectual tools that enable deeper theoretical reflection about society that they will be able to establish clear objectives for their professional action. A three years diploma, one less than other University degrees, is placing teacher training in a difficult dilemma between requirements that are not always wholly compatible: technical efficiency and educational quality in an ever increasingly complex society. 2002-01-01T00:00:00Z https://www.um.edu.mt/library/oar/handle/123456789/37683 Title: Teacher education in Malta : national agendas and the reform process Authors: Sultana, Ronald G. Abstract: This chapter sets out to provide a description of a process of reform that was initiated at the Faculty of Education of the University of Malta. The focus is on the process of reform, and on the strategies that were employed in order to help teacher trainers (a) discover the strengths and weaknesses of current pre-service teacher education programs; (b) to systematically compare their practice with that obtaining in other countries; (c) to identify trends in order to develop insights in addressing perceived problems; and ( e) to make recommendations regarding changes in structures and practices that lead to an improvement in the institution's contribution to the national educational enterprise. The reform process identified twelve key categories around which discussions on teacher education reform could focus. Each of these categories constituted the focus of a Working Group led by a Faculty of Education coordinator, with members being co-opted from various national bodies and organizations. Research-based position papers were produced by each working group, with each paper being tabled at national fora in order to generate debate about the form and direction of teacher education. 2002-01-01T00:00:00Z https://www.um.edu.mt/library/oar/handle/123456789/37682 Title: Alternative teacher certification in Turkey : problems and issues Authors: Yildirim, Ali; Ok, Ahmet Abstract: Certification provides teachers with a status that protects them against unfair competition with unqualified teachers. At the same time certification aims to protect children in schools from inadequately prepared teachers. Certification requires a teacher to complete a specific coursework in major subject area and in pedagogy, and an internship in schools. Alternative certification mayor may not conform to these descriptions. Adelman (1986) describes alternative teacher certification as a route that enrols noncertified individuals with at least a bachelor's degree and offers a special program leading to eligibility for a standard teaching certificate. Roth (1989) refers to five characteristics of alternative certification programs (ACPs): (a) They allow an individual to teach before completing the preparation program, (b) they sometimes do not require an indi vidual to complete the preparation to achieve certification, (c) they accept nontraditional students, (d) they bypass traditional preparation programs through accelerated programs, (e) they are established mostly by state policy. The form of ACPs varies greatly in terms of their priorities, students they accept, courses they offer, the nature of collaboration with universities and schools. For example, there are ACPs that accept students with an undergraduate degree in a field other than education. Other programs give priority to bring experienced professionals into teaching. Still others offer individuals emergency certificates to put them in classroom right away without any training, and provide them with on-site support or supervision while taking pedagogical courses for full certification (Feistritzer, 1993). The purpose of ACPs may range from combating teacher shortage in specific subject areas to proposing alternative programs supposedly to train teachers better than regular teacher education programs. Some ACPs may be linked to school reform efforts where traditional teacher education programs (TEPs) are viewed as conservative in responding to the changing conditions of restructured schools (Corbin, 1992). Some ACPs allow more on-the-job training, such as mentoring and extensive classroom teaching experience, and might thereby be favored by policy makers who believe in the importance of experience in real settings. Opponents of ACPs, mainly teacher educators, argue that these programs intend to serve as a shortcut into teaching whereas proponents believe that ACPs reduce the teacher shortage, stimulate professionals into the teaching career, and prepare them through practice. Evaluation of the quality and effectiveness of ACPs is quite complicated since they may not be long-term and run regularly. Evaluation focusing on the content and process may indicate that these programs do not provide sufficient number of courses, credits and experience in comparison to regular TEPs. Such an evaluation may only produce prediction on the performance of the alternatively certified, and this may be insufficient to arrive at a judgment about the quality of these programs (Feistritzer, 1999). Several studies carried out on alternative route teachers (Grossman, 1989; Lenk, 1989; Mitchell, 1987, cited in Darling-Hammond, 1992) found that these teachers have difficulty with curriculum development, pedagogical content knowledge, attending to students' differing learning styles and levels, classroom management and student motivation. In addition they show more ignorance about students' needs and differences and about teaching basics than teachers trained through regular TEPs. Other studies (Barnes, Salmon & Wale, 1989; Dewalt & Ball, 1987, cited in Miller et at., 1998) showed that ACP teachers are not necessarily different from their counterparts trained through regular TEPs in the teaching and learning process they create. So it appears that the present research evidence on ACPs is inconclusive and somewhat contradictory, owing to the differing nature of these programs in terms of purpose, control, student selection, program content and process. Alternative certification in Turkey also presents variance in terms of emphasis, coursework and approaches, and its analysis is important in understanding how alternative routes in teacher education have responded to the demands brought by the changes in and critical needs of the society since the foundation of the Republic. Description: Includes Notes About Contributors 2002-01-01T00:00:00Z https://www.um.edu.mt/library/oar/handle/123456789/37681 Title: Towards the improvement of practice teaching in Lebanon : educating today's teachers for the 21st century Authors: Fathallah, Ihsan Abstract: Education as a social process is intimately connected with several other features and aspects of life, with current events, with the heritage of the past, and the aspirations of the people. In order to appreciate the present practice teaching schemes in Lebanon and the views and experiences of student teachers in this study, it is essential to provide an overview of the socio-economic context, issues, and problems in which the drama of education is played out. The Lebanese Republic is a small country that lies on the eastern shore of the Mediterranean Sea. The total area of the country is 10,452 square kilometers (4,500 square miles) and its population is approximately four million. The country's main sources of income are agriculture, light industry, and tourism. Though Lebanon is identified worldwide as an Arab country, yet it is perceived by its people to have two distinct cultural heritages: ArabMoslem and Western-Christian. This uniqueness has enabled the Lebanese to establish a cordial relationship with both the East and the West. Because of its strategic location, Mediterranean climate, and fertile soil, Lebanon has been subjected to numerous invasions since the earliest times by the Assyrians, Babylonian, Persians, Greeks/Macedonians, Romans, Arabs, Christian Crusaders, Mamlukes, Ottoman Turks, French, and the Israelis. 2002-01-01T00:00:00Z