RCTQ shares 10 policy recommendations to transform teacher education
RCTQ Director Dr. Gina Gonong put forward a set of policy recommendations which are vital in addressing gaps in teacher education during an online forum organized by the Commission on Higher Education on 18 June 2020.
The Consultative Meeting on the Discipline of Teacher Education under the New Normal was organized by the office of CHED Commissioner Dr. Aldrin Darilag.
Dr. Gonong’s presentation—Policy Advocacy & Recommendations for Teacher Education—first provided a contextual background of teacher quality in the Philippines which necessitated the strengthening of pre-service teacher education.
The online meeting, attended by presidents and officers-in-charge of teacher education institutions (TEIs) as well as members of the CHED Technical Panel for Teacher Education (TPTE), aimed “to tackle novel issues and concerns of teacher education arising from the new normal, harmonize the teacher education curriculum in view of flexible Learning, and chart a future path of sustainability and relevance for teacher education catering to the demands of both today and tomorrow.” Joining Commissioner Darilag was Dr. Cherrie Melanie Ancheta-Diego, Director IV of the CHED-Office of Programs and Standards Development (OPSD).
“Recent assessments show that a large majority of TEI graduates are inadequately prepared to enter the profession,” said Dr. Gonong. “With the COVID situation, new teachers will find themselves in greater need of support in responding to learner needs.”
RCTQ Dr. Gina Gonong during her presentation on the Policy Advocacy & Recommendations for Teacher Education at the CHED Consultative Meeting on 18 June 2020
Quoting renowned education expert Dr. Linda Darling-Hammond who said that instead of piecemeal teacher development policies, “what we need is a cohesive and comprehensive approach aimed at aligning policies and incentives for recruitment, certification, preparation, induction, and professional development under the same set of standards”, Dr. Gonong presented ten bullets of recommendations on advancing teacher quality under the “new normal” conditions.
Building on seven years of RCTQ’s high-impact policy research, Dr. Gonong’s recommendations focused on the following:
- Stronger link between pre-service and in-service education by placing both DepEd and CHED on the same ‘quality’ teacher continuum based on the Philippine Professional Standards for Teachers (PPST);
- Development of policy to transparently link the outcomes of teacher education programs to the expectations of teachers and the community, and to the PPST;
- Stronger accreditation system for teacher education programs;
- Instituting the PPST in teacher licensure exams to ensure their relevance to the current needs of teachers;
- Generation of feedback after each batch of licensure exams to allow stakeholders to enhance the quality of pre-service education;
- Strengthening of partnerships among TEIs to support teacher education curriculum, and assessment alignment;
- Monitoring of the commitment of Centers of Excellence (COEs) for Teacher Education to assist other TEIs needing help and guidance;
- Supporting teachers in all career stages to allow them to move higher in the continuum of teacher development of teacher development;
- Development of strategic recruitment and admission policies for TEIs to ensure the supply of sufficient quality teachers; and
- Strengthening of the Teacher Education Council (RA 7784) to become more responsive.
In improving the outcomes of teacher education programs, Dr. Gonong said TEIs should develop priority elective courses to enable pre-service teachers to adapt and/or react more quickly and effectively to emerging circumstances such as the one associated with the COVID-19 crisis.
“Because the needed skills are already captured in the PPST, linking the learning outcomes to the standards will prepare students for deeper learning, which include finding knowledge and putting it together in new ways, thinking critically, problem solving, and collaborating with others,” Dr. Gonong said.
Dr. Gonong was invited by Commissioner Darilag along with Dr. Bert Tuga, Philippine Normal University (PNU) President who was represented by Dr. Jennie Jocson, PNU Vice-President for Academics; and Dr. Runvi V. Manguerra, Executive Director of the Teacher Education Council (TEC) Secretariat.
Dr. Manguerra talked about ‘Teacher Education Curriculum under Flexible Learning‘ while Dr. Jocson presented ‘PNU in the Forefront: The New Normal of Teacher Education’s Pre-Service Training’.
https://www.rctq.ph/?p=1584NewsCHED,PPST,Teacher Education Council
