Unexploited potential of higher education institutions to prepare prospective teachers well

Teacher training at higher education institutions has a vast impact on the overall quality of teaching at schools ranging from pre-primary to secondary education. Where the quality of teacher training is concerned, it is of primary importance that the selection and admission of applicants to teacher education programmes at higher education institutions should be set up appropriately. Findings from the Learning Makes Sense qualitative data analysis show that many such programmes do not apply any selection at all and admit all applicants. Therefore, the diversity of students on teacher training programmes is very large, both in terms of their knowledge and personality, and higher education institutions for pre-service teacher training adopt various approaches to it. In some cases higher education institutions ignore these differences, while in others they lower the demands set on students, or try to develop knowledge and skills that graduates from secondary schools should have already acquired. Currently, teacher training programmes at higher education institutions are split into Bachelor and Master's degrees. However, a large proportion of teaching practice and didactics is shifted to the Master's course. Higher education graduates not coming from teacher training programmes can gain their teacher qualification through an alternative route, in so-called additional teacher training. However, a significant portion of such training is provided by higher education institutions without any accredited Bachelor or Master's teacher training programmes, and their professional capacity to provide quality teacher training is questionable. Both qualitative and quantitative Learning Makes Sense data indicate that teacher training programmes focus largely on students gaining theoretical knowledge instead of their practical teaching skills. Lecture as a method of teaching prevails on teacher training programmes at higher education institutions. Many students on teacher training programmes perceive their training to have shortcomings in the area of general or subject-based didactics, which are related to knowledge and practical skills in various teaching methods. As a topic of particular importance, many students named the inclusion of children with various disabilities, where they do not feel adequately prepared either.

Analysis of the qualitative and quantitative Learning Makes Sense data is examined in more detail in the following sections:

Selection of students

“Anybody” can become a teacher

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Teacher training programmes

Teacher training programmes do not contribute to preparing graduates adequately

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Education content and methods

Education content and methods on teacher training programmes at higher education institutions do not reflect the  level requested from graduates

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Conclusions

High quality teachers are motivated and able to recognise learners' talents. They master a wide variety of techniques and can choose the optimal learning method for every learner, in cooperation with other experts in this field. Apart from having knowledge and skills in teaching, didactics, and the ability to customise learning for their students, high quality teachers must also be experts on the subject matter they teach. The quality of teaching is affected by many factors, while pre-service teacher training at higher education institutions is certainly among them. The Learning Makes Sense findings indicate that in Slovakia, pre-service training is mostly occupied with providing theoretical knowledge, while being least concerned with developing practical didactic and teaching skills. Unless the pre-service training changes, namely, unless the students on teacher training programmes themselves experience what quality teaching should look like, then it is hard to expect these students to actually become high quality teachers themselves.