In one of the more recent postings in the ASCD daily briefing on education, there was a report on a new wave of teacher education programs seeking to personalize training. It suggests that some groups are hoping to remake teacher training using online courses. videos and hybrid models. When you stop to think about it, the suggestion is nothing more than applying to teacher education what we are trying to do in school classrooms in every jurisdiction. We teach pre-service teachers that individualized instruction is the key to learning, that every learner is different, and that only multiple approaches to learning will yield over-all positive results for students. So why should it be any different with teachers. Every one of our teacher candidates comes from a completely different place when they begin their first day. They vary in age, experience, gender, ethnic background, birth order, interests, native ability, and so forth. Yet, we put them into a classroom and try to teach them all the same way. No wonder they find it so difficult to differentiate instruction when they get into their field placements and beyond. But the drawback to this idea is how to guarantee that all new teachers possess the same kit bag of abilities and skills? I would say that this is an idea that has come but at the same time that we are working towards raising the standards of graduating teachers. How do we certify teachers of they are all learning different things and how do we facilitate placements in classrooms to practice their developing craft when we cannot identify for each what they can or cannot do. I think there is huge merit to the concept of apprentice assuming that the mentors understand and can help coach and coax growth without knowing the fundamentals that the students bring to their classrooms. I can see the merit in this idea but so much would have to change a long with this that one wonders the practicality of even talking about it.
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