COURSE OVERVIEW

This seminar will focus on the challenges of teacher education in low-resource contexts with many examples drawn from Africa, Asia, and Latin America. The majority of the writing and research on teacher education is rooted in the context of the US or Europe. In recent years, much work has been done on problems and possible solutions to teacher development and management in the developing world. The class will focus on issues in teacher education such as: methods vs. content mastery; meaningful teaching practice in low-resource contexts; alternative models for teaching practice; the balance between in-service and pre-service approaches; teacher ability levels in the language of instruction; vernacular vs. national language instruction; teacher support; teacher supervision and upgrading; and so on.

Participants will be expected to help seek out relevant research and writing from different areas of the world of interest to them. Topics will include national-level policy issues, models of implementation, and evaluations of various approaches. We expect that many participants will bring experience in developing contexts to the class which will serve as a resource for other learners..

LEARNING OBJECTIVES

The course is intended to provide policy makers and educators who will be working with teachers in low-resource contexts with a broad understanding of the problems, the approaches, and the current knowledge about most effective solutions. By the end of the course, participants will have a solid knowledge base and understand the key issues in:

¨ Approaches to pre-service education
¨ Approaches to in-service education
¨ Alternative models that go beyond pre-service and in-service approaches
¨ Management and supervision of teachers - alternatives to traditional certifications structures
¨ Economic and salary issues in the provision of teachers
¨ Distance Education and the role of new technologies in Teacher Training

METHODOLOGY

Class members will be expected to help organize material and dialogue around the key topics. Participants will be expected to develop analytic capabilities around key issues by doing comparative analysis of cases and presenting on selected issues. The course will draw upon the field experience and the knowledge of conditions of participants as criteria for evaluating suggested approaches to the issues.

Participants will have the opportunity to:

o Study relevant material on major approaches to teacher education and support in the developing world.
o Become familiar with case studies of various alternatives and their effectiveness
o Develop a systemic understanding of the challenges faced by low-resource countries in providing effective teachers for their schools.

COMMUNICATIONS

The course will use email for communication outside of class and a course web site as a source of additional material. Please check your email several days before class. If access to email or the web is a problem for anyone please see the instructor.

REQUIREMENTS

The following are the minimal requirements:
o Two short (5-8pp) papers analyzing/comparing and critiquing:

a) Approaches to pre-service education
b) Approaches to in-service education

o A presentation on a specific issue in teacher education
o Final paper (10-15pp) on the specific issue presented in class. The paper is expected to use relevant literature, analyze the problem, cite examples, and provide a reasonable summary of what we know about the issue.

GRADING - This course will be marked on a Pass/Fail basis. Master's candidates who need a letter grade may obtain one if they submit a request to that effect in writing to the instructor by the 4th class meeting.

COURSE TEXTS AND REFERENCES

The text for this course is available from the instructor. A bound copy of the Collected Readings will be available in class for purchase (Cash Only - at third class) from the instructor. The additional references are suggestions to support individual preparation for papers and presentations. They are NOT on reserve and have not been ordered at the bookstore. Students will be expected to make extensive use of web-based materials as well.

Required Texts

Craig, H. J. et. al. (1998). Teacher development: Making an impact. Washington, D.C.: USAID/ABEL Project & World Bank, Human Development Network. Available to download from course website.

Collected Readings. (2003) - available at third class.

Course Web Site: http://www.courses.umass.edu/educ870/

Additional References (See Library or order for yourself)

Anderson, L. (Ed.). (1995). International Encyclopedia of Teaching and Teacher Education. 2nd Edition. Oxford: Pergamon Press. (Ref. LB1025.3 I58 1995)

Cummings, W. K. and McGinn, N. (Eds.). (1997). International Handbook of Education and Development. Oxford: Pergamon. (Ref. LB17.I53 1997)

Long, D. H. and Long, R. A. (1999). Education of Teachers in Russia. Westport, CN: Greenwood Press.

Farrell, J. P. and Oliveira, J. B. (Eds.). (1993). Teachers in developing countries: Improving effectiveness and managing costs. EDI Seminar series. Washington, D.C.: World Bank. (LB1775.4.D44 T43 1993)

Leavitt, H. B. (Ed.). (1992). Issues and problems in teacher education: An international handbook. New York: Greenwood Press.

Maline, M. (1994). Teacher development outside the United States: A selected annotated bibliography. Washington, D.C.: U.S. Department of Education. (ED1.317:T22)

Perraton, Hilary. (1993). Distance education for teacher training. London: Routledge (LB 1707 D57 1993)

Posthlethwaite, T. (Ed.). (1995). International Encyclopedia of National Systems of Education. Second Edition. Oxford:
Pergamon. (Ref. LB43.I584 1995)

Sikula, J. et. al. (Eds.). (1996). Handbook of research on teacher education. Second Edition. New York: Macmillan Publishers. (Ref. LB1715.H274 1996)

UNESCO. (1998). World Education Report 1998: Teachers and Teaching in a Changing World. Paris: UNESCO