Towards Functional Preservice Teacher Education Centers: Human Interactions in Program Development.

Overview & Synopsis

This paper focuses on the preservice teacher education center, particularly on those which encourage the optimal use of college and school personnel and resources in the field-based aspects of teacher education training programs. The paper is organized around five main topics. First, a brief historical view of the teacher center is presented. The second section scans the teacher center literature. The third section discusses emergent themes from the literature important in developing effective teacher education centers including discussion of such topics as: governance; the integration of college and school-based learning experiences; role changes; and teacher training and education renewal. The fourth section presents common problems in developing field-based teacher education. These problems specifically are related to the conventional roles played by the various participants in teacher education and the role conflicts that are experienced when more than structural or cosmetic program changes are attempted. The fifth section offers suggestions for consideration in the development and operation of a functional teacher education center. The suggestions give particular attention to the human factors involved in a teacher education center and the interplay between these and the many organizational features, distribution of responsibility, and procedures that are part of a teacher center. As a brief summary, advantages inherent in successful implementation of a teacher education center are listed. A bibliography is appended developed by the authors from their own readings and from a computer search of the ERIC data base. (MM)