Fitzgerald and Teacher Education using Hypermedia

Fitzgerald's article brings up the idea of how technology can improve teacher education and preparation programs. The key issue is how to take the future teacher's learned knowledge of educational theory and relate it to their experience in the classroom. Although the article speaks of using laserdisc players, a technology that has come and passed, there is still a gaping hole that laserdisc (or anything else) has failed to fill. As a recent graduate of a teacher education program (2006), there is still a lack of transitioning tools from the role of student to that of teacher.

From what I have experienced, teacher education programs do a fair job of teaching theories and educational ideals but do poorly at showing how to adapt them into the role of educator, partly because the jobs of a teacher has changed so much in the past twenty years. The only way that successful teachers are bred is with time in the classroom (and passive observation does little).

Technology holds promise for bridging the gap between sitting in an educational methods course and being in front of a classroom teaching. Case Based Reasoning can prove very valuable. There are quite a few common scenarios that young teachers wind up in and commonly mishandle when under the pressure of having to make a split second decision (I still kick myself in the rear on a regular basis when I realize I mishandled a situation 30 minutes after it has happened). With case based reasoning and video, future teachers can see the situation unfold as the teacher does, but instead of having to make a decision with immediate consequences they can study what is happening and discuss what the proper response should be.

We did a little bit of this in my math methods course at UNC Pembroke and although it was brief, it has proved very effective. For example, we used case based reasoning to learn that something as simple as having two trashcans in a room can make the life of a teacher easier. We also talked about how to calm down students who are upset and may become violent. To be able to use video and multimedia for this would help tenfold.

Video capability for teacher education also makes it easier for future teachers to learn how to truly teach and to manage well. With video, it is easy to pause, rewind, select clips nonlinearly, and compare clips, allowing students to see good teaching methods verses average and poor teaching methods. When students observe active teachers in person, there is no guarantee of what will be seen or what will be retained. With video, students get much of the benefit of an observation with a much greater level of control. Most importantly, it can help show the difference between telling, showing, and teaching, which is a tough skill for new teachers to develop.

References: Fitzgerald, G. E., Wilson, B., & Semrau, L. P. (1997). An interactive multimedia program to enhance teacher problem-solving skills based on cognitive flexibility theory: Design and outcomes. Journal of Educational Multimedia and Hypermedia, 6(1), 47-76.