MSED 2000

GRUBBS

Some Observations on Teacher Dispositions

Everybody has their idea of what makes a good teacher. While there may be many aspects of an effective teacher that we hold in common, everybody will have a unique perspective based upon their philosophy, their experiences, their priorities, etc. Nevertheless, teacher preparation programs must strive to help their candidates develop certain characteristics, behaviors, attitudes and attributes that are generally considered to be appropriate for educators to possess. These are known as teacher dispositions. The challenge of trying to convey or measure dispositions is that they are not exact and they are not really quantifiable. In a sense, they are akin to the Scientific/Technical definition of teaching: “I can’t tell you which dispositions are the best or the most important, but I can tell you when a teacher has those dispositions (or when they don’t).”

The Conceptual Framework for the College of Education found in your syllabus is designed to convey to teaching candidates what VSU expects their teachers to be able to do at the successful completion of the program. These principles are not unique to VSU—other teacher education programs across the country have very similar (if not identical) principles for their candidates. While one could argue that these principles are dispositions in and of themselves, one could also say that these principles are the end result of the desirable dispositions required to make these goals reality.