Relevance in Teacher Education

Abstract

The preparation of teachers who possess the skills necessary to adequately meet the diverse challenges of the classroom is an increasing concern in North American education. To meet this concern, teacher preparation institutions must be increasingly sensitive to the changing needs of the schools and they must provide program experiences that will prepare teachers to function within the changing classroom. The design and provision of experiences in teacher preparation appropriate to meet the challenge requires an ongoing evaluation of the process of teacher development as 'it relates to specific goals. The purpose of this paper is to demonstrate how an analysis of the process of teacher preparation through the use of a model as a framework can identify elements critical to the development of relevant experiences.