In any education system, the transition from teaching college to classroom can be a shock. What support do new teachers get? How are they ‘socialised’ into the institutional set-up of the school? What use do they make of the skills and knowledge they learn at college?

A study from the University of the West Indies followed up recently-qualified teachers at work in Trinidad and Tobago. Researchers asked them and their schools’ principals how useful they found their training and how successfully they were fitting into the school system.

Integration into the school culture is important for new teachers and affects the type of teacher they become. A common approach to ease this process of socialisation is formal mentoring, where a senior staff member is assigned to help and supervise a new colleague. Informal support from other teachers is also important, but heavy workloads can limit the help given to younger staff members and some of the new teachers feel they did not get enough.

According to principals, the Teachers' College programme produces staff with a positive attitude, a good relationship with students and some new methods. However both principals and teachers agree that the programme pays too much attention to subject knowledge and not enough to methodology.

Teachers in Trinidad and Tobago often have several years of classroom experience before they start teacher-training. The participants in this research could therefore assess the impact of training on their teaching methods and whether experience or theoretical training is more important in becoming a good teacher. How do experienced teachers rate the value of the current Teachers’ College programme?

The teachers have mixed opinions of the course. Some say they benefited greatly while others say their teaching methods have not changed at all.

Further findings from the study include:

• Teacher-training in Trinidad and Tobago is not preparing teachers adequately for work in a school setting, where they face resource and time constraints.
• The training programme improves understanding of students and the foundation subjects of psychology, sociology and philosophy are particularly useful.
• Student teachers learn more about teaching from their classroom experience than from the college course.

For policy-makers, this research provides lessons at local and general levels:

• The teacher-training curriculum for primary teachers in Trinidad and Tobago needs more emphasis on methodology and less on subject content.
• Identifying the elements of teacher education programmes that have most impact on new teachers’ classroom practice can help course development.

Source(s):
‘Newly Qualified Teachers: Impact on / Interaction with the system (Trinidad and Tobago)’, MUSTER Discussion Paper 15, University of Sussex Institute of Education, by J. Morris and A. Joseph, March 2000 Full document.

Funded by: Department for International Development, UK

id21 Research Highlight: 11 July 2002

Further Information:
Jeanette Morris
School of Education
The University of the West Indies
St Augustine Campus
Trinidad and Tobago
West Indies

Tel: +1 (868) 662 2002
Fax: +1 (868) 662 6615
Contact the contributor: jeanette@wow.net

School of Education, University of the West Indies (Trinidad and Tobago)

Other related links:
'Does practice make perfect? Teacher training in Trinidad and Tobago'

'Finding the teachers of the future: Lessons from the Caribbean'

The World Bank focuses on Effective Schools and Teachers

CfBT is dedicated to the work of teachers and how they relate to learners