In an attempt to get the best and the brightest to make teaching a career, it’s been suggested that preparation be transferred from education schools to the academic departments that teach the subject (“America Needs Better Teachers,” The James G. Martin Center For Academic Renewal,” Aug. 31). At first glance such a recommendation makes sense. After all, aren’t teachers paid to teach their subject matter?
The trouble is that academic departments know little about pedagogy. The fact is that professors in those departments rely on lecturing almost exclusively. So what can they do to prepare teachers for K-12, where lecturing would be ineffective? The answer is to focus on departments of education to eliminate useless courses for licensing and provide better hands-on practice.
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