In the past decade or two
teaching has changed significantly, so much in fact that schools may not be
what some of us remember from our own childhood. Changes have affected both the
opportunities and the challenges of teaching, as well as the attitudes, knowledge,
and skills needed to prepare for a teaching career.
To see what we mean, look briefly
at four new trends in education, at how they have changed what teachers do, and
at how you will therefore need to prepare to teach:
•
increased
diversity:
There are more differences among
students than there used to be. Diversity hasmade teaching more fulfilling as a
career, but also made more challenging in certain respects.
•
increased
instructional technology:
classrooms, schools, and students
use computers more often today than in the past for research, writing,
communicating, and keeping records. Technology has created new ways for
students to learn (for example, this textbook would not be possible without
Internet technology!). It has also altered how teachers can teach most
effectively, and even raised issues about what constitutes “true” teaching and
learning.
•
greater
accountability in education:
both the public and educators themselves pay
more attention than in the past to how to assess (or provide evidence for)
learning and good quality teaching. The attention has increased the importance
of education to the public (a good thing) and improved education for some
students. But it has also created new constraints on what teachers teach and
what students learn.
•
increased professionalism of teachers:
Now
more than ever, teachers are able to assess the quality of their own work as
well as that of colleagues, and to take steps to improve it when necessary.
Professionalism improves teaching, but by creating higher standards of practice
it also creates greater worries about whether particular teachers and schools
are “good enough”.
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any suggestion on my side