The Department of Curricula and Instruction offers courses intended for classroom teachers in both primary and secondary levels. The courses provide teachers with the opportunity to enhance subject matter knowledge, develop professional expertise, and acquire classroom skills. Extensive research and on-going assessment of the teacher education program are undertaken by the Dept.
The main goals for the department include: 1. Developing classroom teaching skills in all the areas required by students at the elementary phase. 2. Exposing students to the educational literature and research related to the development of instructional skills. 3. Developing analytical evaluative ability of the students when engaged in content selection and evaluation. 4. Developing the ability of the students in classroom management in order to achieve higher efficiency of performance.
The Department offers degrees in the following areas
a-Class - Teacher Program: This is 130 credit- hour program which is intended to prepare and develop teachers of the first four grades, Courses in education and psychology, are offered to the students. This program aims at developing the instructional abilities in the areas of Arabic, Mathematics, Islamic studies, Sciences and Social studies. Six hours of practical and field training are included in this program.
b-Field - Teacher Programs: This is 130 credit- hour program which is designed to develop the instructional ability of students in the area of Arabic, Mathematics, English as a foreign language, Science, Social Studies, and Islamic education for K5-K10 levels. Content design, practical training, and field training are highly emphasized in these programs.
c-In-service teacher education programs: These programs are intended for teachers of the areas listed in (b) above. Due to the teaching experience of the student, seminars are conducted and, therefore, the orientation of these programs is notably applied.
d-Higher teacher education programs, Diploma and Masters Degree in Education.
Teacher Field Practice
General This Pre-service field activity is covered through a 6 credit-hour course for both the class teacher programme and the teacher specialist programme (Science, Math, English, Social Sciences, and Religious Education).
Objectives
1. Provide the teacher trainees with the opportunity to extensively observe real classroom contexts with teachers performing genuinely under the individual subject matter of our trainees. 2. Provide the context where our teacher trainees apply their theoretical knowledge in methodology through the preparation of lesson plans. Vary and intensify the sources of feedback they receive. Administratively, they are guided directed, and evaluated by the school principal. Academically, they receive feedback from each other, as well as from their mentor teachers at those schools.
Organization and Administration Through co-ordination with the districts school, a selective list of cooperative schools and mentor teachers is prepared. Our students are then assigned to these schools. The coordinator/organizer of the practice teaching programme is the Assistant Dean for Instructional Practice Teaching Dr. Mohammad Al-Majali. Supervision in the Field is conducted by Dr. Al-Majali and a group of trained P.h.D. and MA holders who have satisfactory teaching experience across the different subject matters. Each teacher trainee submits a daily descriptive report of his/her activities throughout the day. This report is always expected to include significant academic and administrative common features and problems to be analyzed and described through the regular meetings with the trainees. Affiliation and Cooperation with other Institutions
Our in-service field training supervisory team is in constant contact with colleagues in other Jordanian Universities in order to achieve any needed improvement. Coordination with the ministry of education is maintained at the highest level through the Dean of the Faculty of Education and the director of education in the region. The ITEJU (Improving Teacher Education in Jordanian Universities) program, which is a joint manager program sponsored by the European Community seriously contributes in the improvement of the teacher education programme in Mu'tah University.