We present a graduate program in teacher education that has led to highly-qualified mathematics teachers in the rural schools in Romania. The development of the program arose from a need to discover sources from which qualified personnel might be drawn to meet the critical shortage of teachers in the rural areas and from a desire to find ways of improving teacher education. The program covered 4 to 6 semesters, addressed teachers in the rural areas, and proposed a set of solutions transferable in other specific contexts.
Target audience
• Teacher trainers involved/ interested in open distance learning courses
• Curriculum designers preoccupied to improve teaching methodology and learning processes
• Decision makers in education interested in career development for teachers in rural areas
Estimated number of participants – 20
Goals (what are participants expected to gain)
1. Discuss the strategies of designing curriculum materials for open distance learning (ODL) training programs that address the learning styles, needs, interests, backgrounds and aspirations of teachers from specific communities
2. Find ways to optimize mathematics learning in special conditions (adults’ training, short time training programs, full time jobs of the trainees)
Reasons for attending
1. The experience we want to share refers to an ODL system that consisted of two major sub-systems, i.e. the system that designed a curriculum framework and ODL courses and, secondly, the system that implemented (i.e. delivered) these materials. What is special in this program is the competence-based approach that valued the experience the trainees already had. The in-service teachers were driven to learn mathematics from the perspective of their teaching acquisitions – this shortens the learning process. This output was obtained through an innovative technique of designing the curriculum framework and the general framework of the ODL courses.
2. Given the complexity of the ODL courses and the novelty of the training programs that was developed, a team approach was used. Experts in education, in curriculum development, and in ODL courses were in charge with developing the curriculum framework, the general framework of the ODL courses, and, last but not least, the ODL courses. The program is already in place. Our presentation will cover many of its aspects: the design, the implementation, the assessment, and the feed-back.
3. The program proved to be effective in improving a difficult situation of the critical shortage of qualified teachers in rural areas. Moreover, the universities that implemented the program were very much interested to extend this approach to their current training programs. Given the interest already raised by this program, we think that the model is transferable in other educational and social contexts.
Expected results following the Sharing Experience Meetings
- Deep understanding of the strategies to organize training programs designed to prepare as teachers students who have had little or no domain specific education in their undergraduate work
- Effective solutions for improving teacher education in order to meet the critical shortage of teachers
- Analysis of the needs/ similar situations for which such a program could offer solutions
- Ways to adapt the described program to other contexts, specific to other countries/ regions
Needs
Video projector, flipchart. (We will bring our personal laptops.)
Time meeting
Two one-hour time slots
Contact information: mikisinger@gmail.com, voica@gta.math.unibuc.ro
