The Professional Qualification of Pre-School Teachers in Decentralised Teacher Education.

Overview & Synopsis

This paper examines the content and teaching methods in a 4-year decentralized preschool teacher education program using a combination of direct and distance learning at Stavanger College in Norway. The content of preschool education and the knowledge skills, communication skills, and the general professional competencies required for professional qualification are delineated. Open interviews conducted with teachers with experience in distance teacher education from 4 colleges and with 24 students are then analyzed to evaluate the distance teaching methods used. Findings noted suggest that distance education is suitable for some areas of preschool teacher education, planning is extremely important in distance education to ensure a match between content and teaching method, making the structure of the course explicit is important for students, and teachers note the difficulty in knowing when to challenge students and when to support them during distance learning. Strengths and difficulties in using each of the following methods are discussed: computer communication, study-letters or booklets for each learning module, video and audiotapes, telephone conferences, individual phone calls, and direct teaching. Finally, the paper discusses the special challenges of student assessment in distance learning. (KB)