GANITHAM MADHURAM

IMPORTANCE OF TEACHER EDUCATION Meaning of Teacher Education  It is well known that the quality and extent of learner achievement are determined primarily by teacher competence, sensitivity and teacher motivation. The National Council for Teacher Education has defined teacher education as – “A programme of education, research and training of persons to teach from pre-primary to higher education level”. Teacher education is a programme that is related to the development of teacher proficiency and competence that would enable and empower the teacher to meet the requirements of the profession and face the challenges therein. Vision and importance of teacher education   Teacher education has to become more sensitive to the emerging demands from the school system. For this, it has to prepare teachers for a dual role of; Encouraging, supportive and humane facilitator in teaching learning situations who enables learners (students) to discover their talents, to realize their physical and intel

Theory and practice in teacher education Over the last decades, the problem of theory versus practice in teacher education has increasingly become of interest. A teacher decides on the basis of all kinds of situation-related components. Theoretical knowledge and insight do play a part, but they do not unambiguously determine the behavior of the teacher. It is clear that practical training of student teachers is a factor in the tension between theory and practice.  On the one hand both teacher educators and student teachers consider practical training to be an effective way to acquire (practical) knowledge, on the other hand it is claimed that the realization of teacher education goals – also in terms of integrating theory and practice – is occasionally impeded by the conformist and conservative influence that practical training can have on student teachers.  Over the last few years, research into the relationship between theory and practice in teacher training has focused on the questi

CONCEPT OF TEACHER EDUCATION    An educational institution performs a significant function of providing learning experiences to lead their students from the darkness of ignorance to the light of knowledge. The key personnel in the institutions who play an important role to bring about this transformation are teachers. As stated by NCTE (1998) in Quality Concerns in Secondary Teacher Education, ―The teacher is the most important element in any educational program. It is the teacher who is mainly responsible for implementation of the educational process at any stage. This shows that it is imperative to invest in the preparation of teachers, so that the future of a nation is secure. The importance of competent teachers to the nation‘s school system can in no way be overemphasized. The National Curriculum Framework 2005 places demands and expectations on the teacher, which need to be addressed by both initial and continuing teacher education.  MEANING AND NATURE OF TEACHER EDUCATION   Mea