Significance and Challenges of Implementing Teacher Education Standards for Ensuring Quality of Teacher Training Programs : Based on a Case of Hyogo University of Teacher Education(<Special Issue>Reforming Teacher Education)

This paper discusses the significance and challenges of implementing teacher education standards for ensuring quality of teachers training programs. In order to clarify significance and challenges, the author analyzed an example of adopting teacher education standards developed by Hyogo University of Teacher Education. Prior to the implementation of such standards, theoretical background of teacher education standards was examined by taking examples from overseas. Next, the author asked domestic college instructors about significance of implementing teacher education standards through the survey method. The participants of this survey pointed out the following statements: 'it can clarify standards for ensuring quality of teacher training programs as a college', 'the college can use it for assuring accountability toward the society', 'college instructors can show their students clear goals of each course', 'college instructors can build consensus of the images of ideal teachers to be trained', and 'the students can set goals and evaluate their own learning based on the standards as a frame of reference'. On the other hand, they suggested that classes unrelated to the standards would become less important, teacher-training programs would emphasize only results and outcomes, and contents of teacher-training programs would become uniform with a loss of 'autonomy of higher education instututions' and 'academic freedom' as their challenges. Based upon theoretical analysis of standards overseas and opinions from domestic college instructors, the author analyzed a result of implementing teacher education standards for a teacher-training program at Hyogo University of Teacher Education. At first, it was found that a major significance would be the clarifying competences to be obtained through the 4-year program, and it made it possible for instructors to share images of ideal teachers that the college should target. Secondly, visualizing the corresponding relationship between the standards and curriculum made it possible to acquire findings connected to the curriculum reform. Thirdly, it was meaningful for students to use e-portfolio, with which the students can reflect upon their learning and activities based on teacher education standards. Challenges are, at first, we need to find out how to let students understand the meanings of contents in teacher education standards. Secondly, we have to let students feel the significance of recording and storing their learning and activities in their e-portfolios. Thirdly, it is our challenge to let those students to understand the importance of recording and storing the information on the worksheets of each year, particularly those who would not record their activities nor participate in the reflection seminars.