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教員の質向上策 研修効果を検証し改善進めよ

The Yomiuri Shimbun(Nov. 5, 2009)
Ensuring good teachers requires good checkups
教員の質向上策 研修効果を検証し改善進めよ(11月5日付・読売社説)

To raise the quality of education, it is essential to improve the abilities of teachers. Measures such as a teaching improvement program that started last academic year should be reviewed in order to strengthen their effectiveness.
 教育の質を高めるには教員の指導力向上が不可欠だ。昨年度から始まった指導改善研修などの効果を検証し、充実していかねばならない。

According to the Education, Science and Technology Ministry, 306 teachers at public primary, middle and high schools were recognized as lacking adequate teaching ability by education boards of each prefecture and major cities last academic year. It was the fourth consecutive year that the number of underperforming teachers has gone down.
 文部科学省によると、都道府県と政令市の教育委員会が昨年度、「指導力不足」と認定した公立小中高校などの教員は306人で、4年連続で減少した。

These teachers comprise only a tiny fraction of the about 900,000 public school teachers in the nation. But coupled with the existence of teachers who have been punished for misconduct, the issue of a lack of ability in teachers has been one of the reasons for a growing distrust of teachers among the public.
 公立校教員約90万人のごく一部だが、不祥事で懲戒処分を受ける教員の存在と相まって、教員不信を高める要因になっている。

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Revising criteria

Local education boards had been entrusted with judging under their own standards the competence of their teachers, and were responsible for providing training for improvement.
 指導力不足の教員については、これまで各教委が独自の基準で判定し、研修を行っていた。

However, starting last academic year, boards of education are now required by law to provide improvement training for teachers deemed insufficient in teaching skills. The education ministry also has listed examples of teaching practices that are regarded as lacking.
昨年度からは法律で教委に指導改善研修の実施が義務づけられ、文科省が基準の具体例を示した。

Teachers considered ill-qualified are those who are unable to make appropriate curriculum instructions, give appropriate guidance and counseling for students and manage classroom operations. Improvement training programs include mock lessons. If these teachers fail to show any improvement after undergoing as much as two years of training, education boards can take such measures as transferring or dismissing them.
 指導力不足と認定されるのは、学習指導や生徒指導、学級運営を適切にできない教員だ。指導改善研修では模擬授業などを行い、最長2年間で改善しないと、教委が免職や転任などの措置を取る。

This system was introduced because it was decided that the license renewal system for teachers, which began this academic year, would focus on encouraging teachers to obtain up-to-date knowledge and skills rather than removing ill-qualified teachers. These new goals dictate a strict evaluation of a teacher's ability.
 教員免許更新制の目的が、不適格教員の排除から最新の知識・技能を教員に身につけさせることに変わったため、この研修が導入された。それだけに指導力不足の認定は厳格でなければならない。

Only about 40 percent of boards of education provide training programs for teachers who have problem areas among their otherwise adequate abilities. Boards of education that have yet to offer such training programs should be proactive and introduce such schemes.
 指導力不足とまでは言えないが課題のある教員に、研修を行っている教委は4割未満だ。未実施の教委は積極的に導入すべきだ。

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Educating the educators

Of the about 24,000 new teachers who started working last academic year, those not officially hired after a one-year probation period was a record high 315, nearly three times the figure five years ago. Almost 30 percent of these teachers quit voluntarily, citing mental illness such as depression.
 新任教員約2万4000人中、1年間の条件付き採用期間を経て正式採用されなかったのは、5年前の3倍近い過去最多の315人に上った。3割近くはうつ病など心の病による依願退職である。

Some education boards have taken such measures as setting up forums for information exchange among principals of schools that have taken on first-time teachers and the incorporation of mental health issues in training programs for new teachers. These efforts need to be made more widely available.
 一部の教委では、新任教員が赴任した学校の校長を集めて情報交換の場を設けたり、初任者研修に「心の健康」に関する内容を盛り込んだりしている。こうした取り組みを広げる必要があろう。

The administration of Prime Minister Yukio Hatoyama intends to extend the duration of teacher-training courses from the current four years to six years, aiming to improve teacher quality. The plan is intended to extend the amount of classroom training for would-be teachers.
 新政権は、教員の質向上のため教員養成課程を4年間から6年間に延ばす方針だ。教育実習期間などを長くするためという。

But how many universities could offer such a six-year course and the full-time staff to run it? It would also mean increased tuition burdens on students. The envisaged system could backfire, resulting in a drop in the number of applications to become teachers, lower competition ratios in teacher employment examinations and a reluctance among motivated and skilled people to choose a career in teaching.
 だが、6年制の課程と専任の教授陣を用意できる大学は、どれほどあるのか。学生の学費負担も増す。志願者が減り、採用試験の倍率も下がって、意欲のある優秀な人材が敬遠しては本末転倒だ。

It is necessary to carefully examine the merits and demerits of such extended courses, and decide whether they would actually help enhance teachers' quality.
 本当に質の向上につながるのかその功罪を見極めるべきだ。

Next spring, first-time teachers will complete their studies at graduate schools for education that opened from last academic year. The end of the two-year maximum period for improvement programs also is approaching. We hope the effectiveness of courses and training programs will be closely checked and that the results of the review process will be used to improve the teacher training courses and teacher employment examinations.
 来春には、昨年度から開設されている教職大学院を経て教員になる新卒者が出る。最長2年とされた指導改善研修の期限も来る。授業や研修の効果を点検し、その結果を教員養成課程や採用試験の改善に生かしてもらいたい。

(From The Yomiuri Shimbun, Nov. 5, 2009)
(2009年11月5日01時30分 読売新聞)
by kiyoshimat | 2009-11-05 14:43 | 英字新聞

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