Introducing Performance-Based Assessment in Pre-Service Teacher Education in India

Abstract

The teachers in India are usually trained and assessed by age old practices and approaches. Following a simple definition that performance-based assessment measures teachers' ability to apply the skills and knowledge learned from a unit or units of study, it can be argued that introducing and applying this practice in teacher preparation programs will be helpful to emphasize, measure, and support the skills and knowledge that all teachers need to succeed in the real classrooms. This chapter that is guided by these observations and arguments details teacher education scenario, discusses existing assessment policies and practices in teacher education, advocates the need and promises offered by introducing performance-based assessment for pre-service teachers, highlights the challenges of introducing performance-based assessment, and presents some useful strategies to introduce, practice, and popularize the performance-based assessment in pre-service teacher education in the context of India.

Voices from National University of Bangladesh: Students’ perception of the value of linguistics and ELT courses in providing pre-service EFL teacher education

“…Teacher education is a programme of training designed to equip prospective and practicing teachers with the knowledge, skills and dispositions they will require to effectively teach from elementary to higher education levels [8]. Misra terms teacher education as 'formal teacher training' dividing it into two types-pre-service teacher training and in-service teacher training [9]. According to Ferry et al, teacher education basically means pre-service teacher education [10].…”