The process of teacher education reform : a case-study in the management of change

Abstract

A number of inter-related concerns led the Faculty of Education at the University of Malta to consider a series of wide-ranging reforms to the programme of teacher education that it was offering. Established in 1978, the Faculty focuses mainly on pre-service training, a role that had previously and since the post-war years been fulfilled by two training colleges, one for men and one for women. Both of these pre-service institutions had been in the hands of religious orders in what is still a largely Catholic island (see Camilleri, 1994 for an account). A four-year concurrent course leading to a B.Ed. (Hons.) degree has been offered - with various modifications - to undergraduates over the past twenty five years, the main features of which include (a) open entry to all those who obtain the necessary qualifications - namely the Matriculation Certificate, with good' A' level passes in the subject of their choice; (b) study of both primary and secondary teaching during the first two years of the course, with a choice of either of the two areas during the second part of the B.Ed.(Hons.) degree; (c) a strong field placement component throughout the course, consisting of a one-day-per-week teaching observation session in schools during the first year, and a six-week block teaching practice during the following three years; (d) a curriculum based on a study-unit and credit system, with students being guided - and occasionally obliged - to fulfil requirelnents regarding both number and type of units per year. Quality auditing of the course is nlaintained through computerprocessed student evaluation forms, which are filled in at the end of the delivery of every study-unit. External, foreign examiners also monitor standards, particularly during the students' final teaching practice. The Faculty provides other teacher education courses: a oneyear pre-service PGCE course for graduates from other Faculties, and several in-service specialised courses offering certificate, diploma and occasionally lnasters level courses in various areas, including counselling, school administration, adult education, and teaching in inclusive education settings. There are 56 members of full-time staff involved in the teacher education programme of the Faculty of Education, catering for about 900 undergraduate students and 150 PGCE students at anyone time.