Mission and Goals
The mission of the Center for Teacher Education is to nurture talented and ambitions teachers with knowledge innovation, virture and wisdom both possessed, as well as four characters, namely, simplicity, truthfulness, firmness, and perseverance. As shown in Figure 1, five core abilities are emphasized, including (1) educational professional knowledge (2) teaching practice ability (3) cross-disciplinary creative (4) professional reflective ability and, and (5) humanistic care ability. Educational professional knowledge consists of professional knowledge, skills, and attitudes. Teaching practice ability consists of planning, implementing, and problem-solving abilities. Cross-disciplinary creative ability consists of creative and collaborative abilities. Professional reflective ability consists of professional ethics and critical thinking abilities. Humanistic care ability consists of caring society and practicing service abilities.
Figure 1. Mission and Goals of TKU Center for Teacher Education
Pre-service teachers are required to complete at least 28-credit courses in general educational knowledge, curriculum and instruction, subject matter-specific methods, counselling, classroom management, evaluation and assessment, and elective courses that aim to broaden pre-service teachers’ knowledge in humanities and diverse subjects. A 54-hour non-credit service learning is built into the program to encourage social participation and put theory into practice. After completing the courses, they are required to pass a National Teachers’ Certification Examination. Then, they go through a six-month secondary school internship and eventually obtain a teacher certificate.
The Center regularly holds activities to facilitate students’ participation and stimulate students’ talents through award-winning competitions. Opportunities for visiting schools and institutions are arranged each semester to strengthen the links between theory and practice. Importantly, we also prepare our prospective teachers who not only are capable of teaching topics related to their subject matter, but also are caring individuals who are committed to teaching students with diverse backgrounds.
The management objectives of the Center follow the "House of Quality" for our university, bearing upon the mission, vision, values, strategies, and governance as displayed below.
Figure 2. Quality House of TKU Center for Teacher Education
