Chapter 12: The Educators
The most important question...has to do with what conditions of
schooling are most enhancing of teachers' work. The workplace is the
key, and we...argue that it is currently a workplace designed for people
of a different age and for ideas of management and control no longer
viable.
Michael Fullan and Michael Connelly
Teacher Education in Ontario:
Current Practice and Options for the Future, 1987
In this chapter, we explore one of our levers for change, what we term "teacher
professionalization and development." There are four distinct parts
to the chapter, corresponding to four important areas relating to
educators:
Section A: Professional issues
Section B: Teacher education
Section C: Evaluating performance
Section D: Leadership
At all levels, the professional skill and commitment of educators are
crucial to the success of school reform efforts.
In earlier chapters, we pointed to the need for a stronger, more
focused, and more engaging educational system to take us into the 21st
century. We noted the demographic shifts, the changing social fabric, new
knowledge about learning and teaching, and the importance of electronic
technologies. We have suggested how schools might change to better address
such new realities.
In Chapter 6, we developed a set of principles about good teaching. Now
we show how the conditions of teachers' work often constrain their ability
to live up to these principles, and we suggest ways to overcome some of
these barriers. We examine and make recommendations about teacher
selection, preparation, and on-going professional development. We also
address the important issue of performance evaluation of educators.
Finally, we examine school and school-board leadership, describing the
tasks, skills, and knowledge required, and the kind of preparation and
professional support we believe would ensure that principals and
supervisory officers are well trained for leading schools and school
systems into the 21st century.
We envision an expanded professional role for teachers and principals in
the schools of the future, who therefore will need strong professional
preparation and support. As schools draw more on outside resources,
teachers will increasingly have to work with others who are outside the
field of education. In addition to their regular classroom
responsibilities, teachers will be acting as continuing advocates and
guides for a small group of students, and will have greater
responsibilities for assessing and reporting on student learning,
including contributing to each student's cumulative educational record.
Principals will, in the schools we envisage, play the leading role first,
in sustaining the instructional focus of the school, and second, in
building strong and effective community partnerships.
The key to success of the reforms is the professional capacity and will
of educators. Significant improvement in schools will occur only if
educators " teachers and administrators " are strongly committed
to professional growth, from the beginning of their careers to the end,
and if they assume collective responsibility for ensuring the highest
quality of student learning. We also believe that educators should take
more of the responsibility for setting the standards of their profession.
ISBN 0-7778-3577-0
©Copyright
1994, Queens Printer for Ontario
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