Vision for Teacher Education:
Teacher education must become more sensitive to the emerging demands from the school system. For this it must prepare the teacher for the roles of being an:
• encouraging, supportive and humane facilitator in teaching-learning situations to enable learners (students) to discover their talents, realise their physical and intellectual potentialities to the fullest, and to develop character and desirable social and human values to function as responsible citizens; and
• active member of a group of persons who makes a conscious effort for curricular renewal so that it is relevant to changing societal needs and the personal needs of learners.
To be able to realise this vision, teacher education must comprise the following features to enable student-teachers to :
• understand the way learning occurs and to create plausible situations conducive to learning. • view knowledge as personal experiences constructed in the shared context of teachinglearning, rather than embedded in the external reality of textbooks.
• be sensitive to the social, professional and administrative contexts in which they need to operate.
• develop appropriate competencies to be able to not only seek the above-mentioned understanding in actual situations, but also be able to create them.
• attain a sound knowledge base and proficiency in language.
• identify their own personal expectations, perceptions of self, capacities and inclinations.
• consciously attempt to formulate one's own professional orientation as a teacher in situation-specific contexts.
• view appraisal as a continuous educative process.
• develop an artistic and aesthetic sense in children through art education.
• address the learning needs of all children, including those who are marginalised and disabled.
• In the context of change perspective, it is imperative to pursue an integrated model of teacher education for strengthening the professionalisation of teachers.
• develop the needed counselling skills and competencies to be a 'facilitator' for and 'helper' of children needing specific kinds of help in finding solutions for day-to-day probelmes related to educational, personal and social situations.
• learn how to make productive work a pedagogic medium for acquiring knowledgein various subjects, developing values and learning multiple skills.
