Improving Teacher Preparation

Abstract

Current compressing on education programs is leading to increased evaluation of course requirements. Alignment with national and state standards and demands for greater accountability are being mirrored in teacher certification requirements and graduation proficiencies. There is a great deal of literature that identifies the ne and value of geography education programs. This article describes action research that assesses pre-service teachers and sum of two units levels of graduate program candidates for geography proficiency. originates will be used to evaluate program contented deficiencies and document areas where satisfied courses need to be added or existing course satisfied needs to be altered.

Teacher education programs oftentimes must make decisions concerning the curriculum balance between professional unfolding courses, methods courses, and supporting easy in mind courses. This balance is perhaps greatest in quantity crucial for Early Childhood and Middle Grades programs that must prepare teachers to teach a variety of subdues each day. In the Thomas investigation (2001) there was an increase in performance as the teaching horizontal increased. Bachelor degree programs typically include a core of general education courses that provide basic satisfied and skill knowledge. But the debate is ongoing concerning the profundity of content needed to be a endowed teacher.

Decisions concerning required satisfied courses are influenced by grade specific state and national standards that in turn round shape the daily curriculum for which teachers are responsible. These standards are throw backed in the variety of assessments required for state public place of educations students. In specific the state requires pupils to demonstrate proficiency in social studies by dint of passing annual standardized exams that include a section of social studies based upon established curriculum standards. Effective teacher education programs align easy in mind course requirements with areas of curriculum in K-12 social studies.

Determining the performance horizontals of pre service teachers and graduate horizontal teachers provides information beneficial in designing programs that better prepare teachers for the classroom. A point that has been stated by the agency of many authors when they discuss pre-service geographic illiteracy is by what mode can teachers be expected to teach what they have not learned (Boehm et al. 1994; Ludwig, 1995; Petry 1995; Gilsbach, 1997) Authors virid and Clarke "feel that if knowledge of map and globe skills is important in this world of rapid communication, global transportation, increased pollution, and ever-changing social, political, and physical boundaries, then we must be certain that our elementary seminary teachers are adequately prepared to teach them" (1983 p7)

Elementary teachers are the first to introduce geography information and principles to our children (Wilbanks, 1994) The Georgia Quality Core Curriculum (QCC 2003) standards K-5 include a yearly focus upon the reading of maps, charts, and graphs in the three satisfied areas of social studies, science, and math. There is a heavy emphasis upon Georgia history and supportive geography, and a real limited focus on selected areas outside of the United States. At the not absent time Georgia is in the proces of transition from the Q.C.C.'s to the Georgia Performance Standards (GP 2005) The of recent origin standards continue to focus each year upon skill development and limit the teaching of geography skills entirely to Georgia and the United States. Passing horizontals on 5th grade "Gateway Exams" or "CRCT" are required in Georgia before learners move into middle school. World geography has been mov completely to 6th grade and beyond where scholars take courses that focus upon specific areas of the social studies (i.e. world history, conduct and Georgia history.)

One of the greatest in quantity important conclusions that can be drawn from the available research upon early learning in social studies is the critical importance of the elementary years in laying the foundations for later and increasingly maturing understanding (Salter, 1991) Although scholars do not take specific geography courses in the primary grades, Georgia identifies geography standards quite through the primary education program as being embedded within the Social Studies curriculum.

There have been numerous studies that have verified the lack of geographic knowledge of pre-service pupils From the studies of Ehrich (1960) to studies of Bein, Kitley, and Stough (1986) and new dissertation work completed by Thomas (2001) there is substantial data supporting the view that, across a variety of testing formats, above the past 40 years there has been a lack of basic geographic knowledge demonstrated by the agency of pre-service teachers. Although the Thomas inquiry (2001) does indicate improvement, there is still a wide gap in easy in mind knowledge.

A recent study used a geography assessment targeted towards 5th grade Georgia Core Curriculum standards to experiment groups of 5th grade scholars pre service teachers and graduate horizontal teachers in the areas of basic geography skill application and place name knowledge. The assessment tool included three basic sections of questions: global place names, local geography, and a skills section requiring the application of information from maps, charts, and graphs. Items upon this assessment were selected from the Standards-Based Geography ordeal (Intermediate Level) published by the National Council for Geographic Education (1983) and the Georgia Criterion Referenc Tests (Form 45/2002 test published online). Selection was based upon direct relationship to the 5th grade Geography Standards identified in the Quality Core Curriculum of Georgia (2003-2003)