The Value of Teacher Educator Preparation

"Alongside these circumstances was the general view that elementary teachers, in particular, did not need to know much that one teacher could not pass easily to another (Goodlad, 1990, p. 104)."

I think that this quote could be directly related to hybrids and their preparation as teacher educators. One of the criticisms of my work could be that anyone can be a teacher educator. Supervisors are typically former practitioners since engaging in supervision is perceived to be beneath faculty members - a sad, flawed, and inappropriate perception in my opinion. In such a case, their pedagogical knowledge is sufficient to become teacher educators, but little attention is often paid to their preparation. As I examine the first year experience of two hybrids, I will need to be aware of their preparation. How do they learn to be supervisors? How do they learn to be teachers of adults? What are their conceptions of supervision? Equally, I think it is flawed to suggest that simply because you are a faculty member, you can be an adequate supervisor. Such a view point devalues the critical role of practitioner knowledge. Ultimately it is a marriage of both types of individuals who affect one another in the preparation. I am thinking that faculty members bring theoretical knowledge to support and grow practitioner supervisors' knowledge, and practitioner supervisors bring practical knowledge to support and grow faculty supervisors' knowledge. This symbiotic relationship and interplay is critical to the development of supervisors.
 

Goodlad, J. I. (1990). Teachers for our nation's schools. San Francisco, CA: Jossey-Bass.