Professional Development & Field Experiences

An essential ingredient in the Faculty's success in the integration of theory and practice in its teacher education programs is the 'field component'. Programs preparing teachers for the K-12 school system incorporate this component in every year of students’ learning experience.

The 'practica' in our teacher education programs go far beyond simply providing 'experience' in classrooms. Rather they comprise a developmental socialization process to the profession of teaching. The goal of these field experiences is to enable students to become more other oriented towards school children and their families, more skillful at transforming subject area content knowledge into forms that are pedagogically powerful, and more knowledgeable about curriculum, educational contexts, and purposes. The Faculty of Education, as a professional school, is committed to assisting individuals in becoming knowledgeable, competent and caring teachers. These 'knowing', 'doing', and 'being' aspects demand an interactive approach between the theories taught in the university courses and the practices of the teaching profession, in order to ensure the formation of a strong professional identity.