Teacher Training and Innovation in the United States

I first want to express my appreciation for the opportunity to visit your beautiful country. I am grateful to the Ministry of Education and Usak University for their support and, in particular, want to express my thanks to Dr. Aynur Bozkurt Bostanci for her efforts to bring me here. And, thank you all for attending this session today. Teacher training in the United States has undergone a tremendous metamorphosis since the early days of public education. In its early years beginning in the 1600s, it was a system of rote memorization where children were expected simply memorize facts and has developed into a system that emphasizes critical thinking and problem solving. In my short time today, I would like to provide you with (1) some historical background about the education system in the United States, (2) a summary of trends in teacher training over the past 30 years or so, (3) a glimpse of what is happening today in teacher training, and finally, (4) some of the challenges that lie before us in meeting the needs of an increasing diverse population of learners both in terms of cultural and intellectual diversity. Never before has communication among scholars worldwide been so readily available and we have much to learn from each other’s practices. It is my hope that through attendance at this conference I will be able to take back to the United States some important insights and helpful information from the Turkish educational system and from other countries who are participating here today and that some of our experiences in the United States will be helpful to you.