AStudyonPre―serviceCollegeEnglishTeacher―EducationinthePerspectiveofProfessionalDevelo

1、Professional Development：With the development of society， economy andeducation in our country， there is a higher requirementfor the education of pre-service college English teachers. Nowadays， however ， both the study and practice of pre-service teacher education are just at the initial stage. To ma

2、ke qualified pre-service education is the key to the reform of education. Consequently ， This paper introduces the training institutions involved in the college English teacher education as well as the current research status of this issue. It points out that the issues of pre-service college Englis

3、h teacher education are existing in several area as teaching and practice ， teaching concept ， teaching methodology ， curriculum structure and the educational fund.s： college English teachers； pre-service period ；teachers professional development1.IntroductionThis thesis is a study on college Englis

4、hA Study on Pre serviceCollege EnglishTeacherEducationin the Perspective ofteacher-education which plays a very important role in English teachers professional development. It has been undertaken to introducethe current situation ofChinascollege English teacher-education in pre-service period and th

5、e issues alive in order to address several suggestions for its development.Chinas current foreign English teacher education system has been in operation over half a century. However， various defects of the existing foreign English teacher education system appear shortages and issues in many aspects.

6、 In addition ， the distinctive features of teaching have special requirements for the teachersaccomplishment. Thus ， college English teachers may have their unique standards and conditions which have high requests for their pre-service learning. As a consequence， to reform and develop the current fo

7、reign English teacher education system ， efforts should be madet o combine theory and practice ， change the concept of teacher education and improve the foreign English teacher education curriculum standards. Meanwhile ， measures are to be taken to improve the teaching methods， train the teachers hi

8、gh -level and basic skills comprehensively.“The study on college English teacher-education inpre-service period is on the beginning stage based on an analysis of thesis published in a variety of core journals. ”， pointed out by Gao Qiang and Zhu Yushan (2007： 5 ). Based on research of documents and

9、comparative study of foreign researches ， the development of study on college English teacher-education in pre-service period is far behind than study on TESOL( Teaching English toSpeakers of other Languages ) abroad.Thus， thepurpose of the present thesis is twofold. First， at itstheoretical level ，

10、 it is supposed to describe the current situation of college English teacher education in pre-service period so as to find out the advantages and issues on aspects of curriculum ， practice and activities. What is more ， it aims to elicit student teachers ideas about language and about language teach

11、ing and learning. Second， in practical terms， it is used to giveconstructive suggestions and modes for improvements of teacher-learners education as well as to arouse more thoughts for English teacher educators and supervisors.In order to attain the aim of this paper theoretically and practically ，

12、it is a necessity to apply for effective research methods. This paper has research methods of generalization ， analysis ， comparison and contrast.2.Pre-service Ed ucation and Teachers Professional Development2.1 Pre-service EducationEducation in Pre-service period is a preparation phase for a specif

13、ic professional role. Pre-service Teacher Education is the education and training provided to student teachers before they have undertaken any teaching. The central goal of teacher education is to produce classroom teachers capable of fulfilling the various roles of the profession.2.2 Teachers Profe

14、ssional DevelopmentThe perspective of professional development for teachers has been discussed in the Western countries for a long period. Nowadays ， the opinion is increasingly accepted by more and more Chinese teacher educators.Professional development should be based on the notion of the teacher

15、as learner and reflective practitioner （ Schon， 1987 ： 10 ） . Teacher education and professional development should be focused on the needs of students in a particular school community. Teacher professionaldevelopment should be seen as a collaborative activity as well as an individual activity. The

16、unique needs of individual teachers may be met by professional development ， however ， this should take place in the context of collegial support ， team building ， collaborative planning at the school level and interactive action research. The more highly skilled， motivated andeffective are English

17、teachers ， the more effective learning outcomes will be for students in English classrooms.In the context of increased system accountability ， it is imperative that systems provide teachers with opportunities to participate in professional development that will assist teachers in the implementation

18、of curriculum initiatives. 2.3 Importance of Pre- service English Teachers Professional DevelopmentQualified English teaching requires the provision of continuing opportunities for professional development and is directly related to the development of a strong ， well informed and well supported prof

19、essional body to respond to community and educational concerns and to influence opinion. Access to professional development is crucial forenabling teachers to：* improve learning outcomes for students；* take a more active role in curriculum planning，including building on and refining existing practic

20、es；* constantly develop excellent teaching practices；* actively participate in the evaluation of teaching practices and programs ； and* actively participate in the implementation of local ， state and national curriculum initiatives.(Australian Association for the Teaching of English ) 3.Current Situ

21、ation of College EnglishTeacher-education in Pre-service PeriodIn The Educational Reform of Foreign Language Majors at the College Level for the 21st Century conducted by the Teaching Guiding Committee for College Language Majors under the Ministry of Education， it points out five mainunfit phenomen

22、ono f language teaching in current situation which are on the aspects of concept ； cultivation models；curriculum and teaching content； students structure ofknowledge ， ability and quality； as well as educationalmanagement.3.1 Requirements for Pre-service College EnglishTeachersFreeman， an American s

23、cholar ， firstly addresses the quality of English teachers and English teacher-education. He holds the view that English teacher-education is the predominant element of teaching rather than other elements such as curriculum ， teaching methodology and teaching contents. An English teacher starts his

24、or her teacher career since he or she accepted teacher-education in colleges.Nevertheless ， flexibility and arbitrariness of language make English teacher-education a lifelong term to improve English teachers skills and quality. Thus， thequality of the English teacher is a key issue for oneself.Acco

25、rding to Freemans opinion， English teachersshould have ： good pronunciation and intonation； fluentoral English ； good knowledge of syntax ； large vocabulary ； a thorough understanding of culture and literary works；a suitable personality.In 2002 ， the Foreign English Teacher Preparation Program Stand

26、ard drafted by the American Association of College for Teacher Education（ AACTE） was put intopractice and became the new standard for English teachers.The six standards for college English teachers are：language ， linguistics and comparison； culture ，literature and the concept of interdisciplinary st

27、udies ； language acquisition theory and teaching practice； thestandard for foreign language learning and combination between curriculum and instruction； an appraisal oflanguage and culture ； as well as specialization.Based on the two points of view with a combination of the characters of English tea

28、cher education ， there are three basic requirements for college English teachers.3.1.1 Profound Knowledge and Manifold AbilityIn the first instance ， good college English teachers should have sound basic skills of language itself and ability of communication. The learning of language can be divided

29、into two sides ； they are language knowledge and language skills. The main task for English teachers is to help the students get the knowledge of language as well as have the ability of using the language.In the next place ， college English teachers should similarly have a rich knowledge of culture

30、and an ability to make a comparison and contrast between different cultures. English education is a kind of cultural educationto some extent. Consequently ， student English teachers should know the English and American culture and society intimately in order to let their students get a thorough unde

31、rstanding of reading materials and cultivate them an ability of cross-culture communication. On the other hand， the purpose of learning English is to communicate in diverse cultural backgrounds. Thus， English teachersshould likewise have profound accumulation of the knowledge of their own nations cu

32、lture and language which will help them when dealing with cultural shock in their teaching.Besides ， college English teachers need to have a wide range of knowledge on relevant subjects of humanities and sociology. For language teaching ， as a subject of art and science ， has such a close relationsh

33、ip with Pedagogy，Psychology and Instructional Technology.In the end ， college English teacher should have a dedicated comprehensive ability. As English teachers in the future ， student college English teachers should have the ability of learning ， teaching and creating. It means that student college

34、 English teachers can learn the knowledge ， make use of knowledge and do scientificresearch. English teachers should also teach students in accordance with their aptitude in order to help them learn the language in an effective way and take advantage of their merit.3.1.2 Modernized PersonalityThe mo

35、dernization of human beings can be generated by many factors among which the modernized individuality of English teachers is one of the most vital conditions. The modernized personality of English teachers is not only a substantial condition for the personality of students ， but also a prerequisite

36、for the education. All of the factors require the college English teachers to select the finest contents from both traditional Chinese culture and Western culture like aggressiveness ， independence ， participation ， cooperation ， democracy and efficiency.3.1.3 Good Morality and EthicsThe quality of

37、college English teachers can be stressed on three aspects. The first one is morality and ethics. The second one is artistic appreciation. The third one is professional knowledge. The last two elements have been discussed in the aforementioned section and in this section ， the morality and ethics col

38、lege English teachersteacher-education system has which has cultivated a large teachers. Nonetheless ， withbeen in operation since 1949 number of outstanding English the development of society andshould have are to be conferred. The one who wants to teach others must know what to teach first， the on

39、e who moldsthe others spirit must have a respectable spirit. As student college English teachers， they should know theexact meaning of teacher and education. Thus， they should improve their morality and ethics continuously in their daily life and cultivate their sense of responsibility of the studen

40、ts as well as the society.3.2 Current IssuesEducation plays the most significant role in the long-range program of Chinas Peaceful Rise. Teacher-education ， however ， is the foundation of theeducation for all. The contemporary college English economy， the disadvantages of our current college English

41、 teacher-education seem to become increasingly serious.Consequently ， to find out the nearby issues as well as solutions plays a significant role.3.2.1 Theory and Practice SeparationNowadays， college English teachers education in pre-service period separates the theory from practice and ignores the

42、principal status that English teachers should have had.First ， those training courses offered to student English teachers are chiefly conducted by professors and lecturers. As a result， all of those courses have a fardistance from the teaching practice. Second， studentEnglish teachers always receive

43、 both knowledge and professional training passively in a group of diverse teacher training activities. Therefore ， students themselves also neglect the practical knowledge which leads to a limitation of their self-development and active exploration.3.2.2 Backward Teaching ConceptTeaching concept ， w

44、hich usually refers to teaching belief or teaching idea， is considered one of the mostimportant factors while affecting the teaching behavior. Thus， the obtaining ofappropriate teaching concept is aprerequisite for the student-teachers future teaching activity. As a result， reform in teaching theory

45、 is thefirst and key step for the whole teaching reform.However， the teaching concept of English teachers in thecurrent years is backward to a certain degree that it can scarcely meet the requirements of the updating language teaching in colleges. What is worse， reform in teachingmethodology cannot

46、achieve a success while being detached from the reform in teaching ideas.3.2.3 Unreasonable Curriculum StructureThe content of current English teacher-education is twofold. Briefly speaking， teacher-educators intend toencourage student teachers professional knowledge acquisition and to make a concre

47、te guidance to their teaching activities. In addition， the entire collegeEnglish teacher-education is based on the curriculum. Moreover ， the curriculum for college English teacher education may be various in different schools ， but the main structure of the curriculum is almost the same. It regular

48、ly contains general education courses ， academic main courses ， pedagogy courses and teaching practice.The issue is that the current curriculum structure cannot reflect the distinctive professional characters of English teacher-education so that it cannot make sure of the cultivation purpose of Engl

49、ish teacher-education ： to nurture qualified English teachers who have strong abilityof adaptation and creativity and have competence in language teaching. Even worse， this structure has noadvantageous effect eitheron the construction ofstudentEnglish teachers pedagogical content knowledge or the tr

50、aining up of their professional skills.3.2.4 Monotonous Teaching MethodologyThe present application of teaching methodology of college English teacher-education in pre-service period is monotonous to some extent that it ignores the cultivation of student English teachers self introspection during th

51、eir teaching process. In a word ， the foremost way of teaching is to teach basic theories and concepts through lectures which is obviously lack of diversity and flexibility.A study shows that what plays the most magnificent role in teacher-education is not to teach them theories and concepts but to

52、train them in the ability of self professional development instead. The channel of English teachers education for life is to offer student teachers opportunities for their self-control learning and self-introspection in time. However ， what is greatly to our regret is that the current English teache

53、r-educationin China is short of this kind of self-introspection of student teachers at a high level.3.2.5 Shortage ofTeacher-Education FundsThe inadequacy of teacher-education funds and inattention to teacher-education are big limitations for the development of English teacher-education. Generally s

54、peaking ， the ratio of funds for teacher education is very low in comparison with funds for other educational funds which are also limited. As a result， teacher-educationfunds are mainly composed of financial allocation from the nation as well as tuition fees from students. The shortage of teacher-e

55、ducation funds thus is a barrier to the development of English teacher-education in pre-service period as it brings about low income and rare opportunities for their further education which affects the motivation of student teachers teaching seriously.4.Suggestions for Pre-service College English te

56、acher-EducationChina is now in a crucial period of educational reform and development. The English teacher-education should be changed from the traditional teacher-education system into the modern system which is a lifelong education andsustainable development in order to achieve the great aim of ed

57、ucational reform and development as well as to meet the requirements for English teachers in a new content.In order to solve all the current issues existed in education ， effective measures should be taken as follows.4.1 Combination of Theory and PracticeThe professional development of foreign Engli

58、sh teachers is guaranteed by their practical knowledge. The study of theory should be connected with the teaching practice and the development of the theory must be supported by practice. Similarly ， teaching practice must depend on the instruction of theory. Thus， there is aninterrelationship betwe

59、en theory and practice. Apart from the enthusiastic participation of English teachers ， the teaching effect will not be achieved efficiently. What is more， the ability of English teachers is also being acquired through practical progress while dealing with practical issues. As a consequence， both th

60、eory andpractice should be paid much attention to in the English teacher-education in pre-service period.4.2 Change of Teaching ConceptRichards holds the view that the teaching concept offoreign English teachers is a collection of information，value ， attitude ， expectation ， idea and hypothesis abou