Strategy For Developing The Initial And Continuous Teaching Training

Abstract

An important qualitative analysis regarding the restructure of the initial and continuous teachers training was made in Romania under a project financed by World Bank. From this analysis we can identify a few items that may constitute important milestones in the efficient change process. The paper presents the signals that indicate how to intervene and to improve the teaching training programs. In the same time, the paper offered several advantages: awareness and clarification of the current situation of the teacher training program, identification of ways to reorganize the specific activities of this program, exploring possibilities for improvement of the initial and continuous training processes. The interview grid built up contains a series of seven major questions, which varied from a minor form of addressing, to additional questions which were added to each individual, as the case. The collected responses were grouped into several categories: change, new horizons, identified issues, development proposals, motivational strategies, meta-ideas (cross-cutting ideas that surpassed the issue of the investigation) and conclusions. One of the findings of this study was: to increase the participation of the trainees in the training programs offered by Department of Training for Teaching Career (DTTC), teachers recommend a series of strategies: valorisation of life experiences, co-participation in educational actions, interactive strategies, role plays, open lessons, highlighting the usefulness of the presented content, direct involvement of the students in solving problematic situations.

Keywords: Teacher trainingstrategydevelopmentteacher career

Introduction

Reforming the initial and continuing training system is not an end in itself but a prerequisite for achieving an essential mission: building a real, oriented, motivated, and open teacher education career in Romania.

Problem Statement

Research Questions

Respecting the specificity of a semi-structured interview, the built-in interview grid included a series of seven major questions which varied from a minor form of addressing, to additional questions which were added to each individual, as the case.

Concerning the interview protocol, we specify that locations chosen by the participants have respected a number of features: lack of distorted noise, creating an informal and relaxed climate.

The interviews were audio recorded with the agreement of the participants. During the discussions, there were no written notes in order to make a better communication between the members.

The research questions on which the interview grid was built were:

What is the DTTC mission?

What educational offer does DTTC provide to its students?

What are the motivational factors involved in choosing a career?

What is the impact of DTTC training programs on students from a professional and personal perspective?

How will DTTC evolve?

Purpose of the Study

In the study below, we applied the interview technique to get information on how members of the Department for Teacher Training (University POLITEHNICA of Bucharest) are referring to the process of initial and continuous teacher training in the context of the new Education Law.

Beyond the research goal, the study offered several advantages for the department such as: awareness and clarification of the current situation of the department, identification of ways to restructure / reorganize the specific activities of this institution.

In building the interview, it was considered how the Department of Training for Teaching Career (DTTC) is related to the initial and continuous training process taking into account a number of factors involved in motivating, preparing, developing and perfecting future teachers.

Thus, the purpose of the investigation was mainly descriptive, we search for exploring possibilities to improve the initial and continuous training processes as well as identifying the ways of changing, transforming, developing the Department of Training for Teaching Career (DTTC) as an institution.

Research Methods

A several meetings was organized using the interview technique to obtain information on how the DTTC (University POLITEHNICA of Bucharest) members relate to the initial and ongoing teacher training process in the context of the new Education Law.

From the point of view of scientific knowledge, the interview is an important tool for collecting data on the life experience of investigated subjects and, at the same time, is a form of psychological and social interaction with immediate influence on the behaviour of the actors involved.

From a methodological point of view, it is the case of a semi-structured interview with a set of pre-determined open and additional questions; directed (the researcher conducts the interview, through a series of questions that he puts to the interviewee); of opinion - refers to issues that are more difficult to observe directly (vision, attitudes, conceptions of initial and continuing training, but also identifying ways to transform DTTC).

Findings

In terms of data processing, several steps were taken: In the first phase, the audio content of the meeting was completely transcribed in electronic format. Then, the raw data processing was collected, highlighting the main ideas from the discussions with the participants. Next step - essential ideas were extracted for each question. The collected responses were grouped into several categories: change, new horizons, identified problems, development proposals, motivational strategies, meta-ideas (cross-cutting ideas that went beyond the investigation). Finally, a research report was presented to DTTC members.

As regards the DTTC's mission, the majority responded that this concerns to the initial, continuous training and improvement of teaching staff in university and pre-university education, designed in a flexible and comprehensive manner;

Concerning the motivational factors that lead the students to join the psycho-pedagogical training program, in the opinion of the videoconference participants, we mention: the desire to become a teacher, communication skills development, the possibility of obtaining very high marks, the access to the scholarship, reserve solution to increase the chances of insertion into the labour market after the undergraduate studies;

The small number of hours of teaching practice today make that future teachers to be sometimes better informed, but other times inadequately trained for this profession;

In order to increase the participation of the trainees in the DTTC training programs, teachers recommend a series of strategies:

• capitalizing on life experiences,

• involving in educational actions, interactive strategies, role plays, open lessons,

• highlighting the usefulness of the presented content,

• direct involvement of the students in solving problematic situations, scholarships financed from the state budget,

• professionalism in carrying out the training activities

• some of them said “Attractive course means a course which combine technical training with socio-human training, such as educational marketing (educational marketing being a mix of an economic field with technical influences and education)”.

• These courses / training programs organized by DTTC provide a humanistic (pedagogical) view of the processes and phenomena of everyday life in all its components: relational, social, cultural, learning, etc. without which the personality an individual cannot be complete

• Psycho-pedagogical training offers new opportunities, certification of acquired skills

Students' awareness of the impact of the training programs on the personal and professional level: the students learn to communicate, give value judgments, analyse processes and situations in terms of cause - effect, increase the receptivity and perception of social relations, as well as self-control and self-education, acquire or develop a wide range of skills and competences: learning, communication, evaluation, psycho-pedagogical, managerial skills, curricular design, competencies related to the teaching profession standards;

It would be useful to develop interdisciplinary masters programs, thus ensuring a specific pedagogical training, but also is correlated with the specializations offered by the university;

Regarding the evolution of DTTC, the interviewees mentioned: diversifying the educational offer according to the educational marketing studies, reorganizing into a new structure, transforming into a training centre;

The development modalities for DTTC proposed by interviewees were: raising status at the faculty level, developing projects, grants, providing education institution with attractive programs for potential stakeholders.

Conclusion

Teacher Training Departments began after 2005 to introduce measures to align the requirements of European education, so that some of the shortcomings reported have been corrected.

To increase work quality teaching is not necessary only increasing the quality candidates needed training, but also increasing the quality of training programs. It is necessary, experts believe, changing views on the proportion and structure of pedagogical practice during initial training.

In the context of the new law on education, only the graduates who really want to become teachers will follow the 2nd level of the psycho-pedagogical training program within the specialized master; the motivation narrows, they will be more focused on the knowledge and skills that would be use in their later activity;

There are no continuity or equality chances - “after graduating from a faculty, everyone can engage in their profession, teachers do not;

A good teacher should induce the young ones mental dynamism, moral stability and affective feelings. Any teacher should be prepared for changes, needs of social life and needs of the new generations, and to train by himself/herself, to reach self-perfection. Training and perfecting the teacher is performed in concentric organized dimensions, starting from the individual study to institutional organized structures at the department levels, in committees, on related specialties, in the professors’ council, pedagogic groups, regular courses, master’s degrees courses, post graduation courses and by the system of tenure and teaching degrees as well;

DTTC's reformation as an institution is based on the idea that if the formatting institution is better organized, the quality of the training process for future teachers increases, due to the increased efficiency of the university's training programs and the possibilities of capitalizing on the potential of the teaching staff from this institution (The National Education Low, 2017)

Teacher training should be a priority of the Romanian education system. Reform of initial training is not an end in itself but is an essential prerequisite for achieving a mission: teaching career (building a real professional career oriented, motivated and open to teachers in Romania).

References

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