Guiding Principles of Teacher Education

Consistent with the philosophy of the University of Lethbridge, the Faculty of Education:

•Is committed to the concept of a liberal education and the development of learners who engage in the life-long pursuit of knowledge;

•Promotes the concept of a teaching profession committed to understanding, working with, and relating positively to children and youth;

•Is committed to preparing learners and teachers for the present world and for a better world in the future;

•Promotes development of attributes and skills necessary for effective communication;

•Promotes in students an understanding of how knowledge is generated, evaluated, and revised, and an ability to reflect critically upon the nature of knowledge, its transmission, and its interpretation;

•Facilitates the integration of knowledge from general education, disciplinary education, professional education, and field experiences;

•Promotes in students the development of intellectual and affective strategies for making pedagogical decisions;

•Promotes in students an understanding of the social, practical, professional, and institutional contexts of teaching and learning, and the ability to analyze these contexts in making educational decisions;

•Promotes in students an understanding of subject matter to be taught and the means to transform that content for teaching/learning purposes;

•Promotes an understanding of the personal nature of teaching and recognizes that the development of professional knowledge is a personal and professional responsibility;

•Promotes the integration of theory and practice in university courses and in schools, through experience, study, and reflection;

•Seeks to support and foster in students a spirit of inquiry, intellectual advancement, humane values, environmental conscience, aesthetic sensitivity, and a sense of physical and mental well-being;

•Fosters the ability to establish interpersonal relationships and sensitivity to others’ interests and feelings, and to encourage students to apply these qualities in fulfilling their responsibility in a global society;

•Fosters a close collegial and reciprocal relationship with other members of the teaching profession; and,

•Supports faculty members who exemplify the foregoing by developing and maintaining expertise in their disciplines and fields of study, in their teaching, through their research and scholarly activity, and in their interpersonal interactions.