Teachers In Service

Professional Readiness

Curriculum in MK schools is primarily North American. Because of the increase of missionaries coming from other areas of the world this curriculum needs to be reviewed with regard to its usefulness in serving children and parents from all missionary sending countries.

Following is a list of professional readiness items that are common to teacher education programs. It is made available to you as a reminder that MKs deserve the very best teaching available.

Professional Readiness Items	Degree of familiarity or experience
1. Correlates lessons with developmental levels (e.g. Piaget) of learners
2. Exhibits continuity of lessons
3. Uses background music where appropriate
4. Makes abstract content more personal, concrete, or familiar
5. Provides diverse activities
6. Uses collaborative learning groups
7. Facilitates the giving of difficult instructions by sequentially stating each part and having it completed by learners before advancing to the next part
8. Ensures some lessons will be open-ended
9. Creates lessons that have both predictable and unpredictable parts
10. Provides opportunities for learners to talk about what they are doing
11. Structures time for learners to ask questions
12. Carefully plans opportunities for learners to create their own meaning of lessons
13. Engages learners in problem solving activities
14. Provides opportunities for learners to analyze
15. Provides opportunities for learners to synthesize
16. Provides opportunities for learners to evaluate
17. Uses visual aids
18. Structures lessons in such a way that learners will use visual aids
19. Uses demonstrations
20. Structures lessons in such a way that learners will use demonstrations
21. Uses metaphors
22. Structures lessons in such a way that learners will use metaphors
23. Models use of fantasy, simulation, and role playing
24. Structures lessons in such a way that learners will use fantasy, simulation, and role playing
25. Permits flexibility for time on task
26. Makes use of activities that contain curiosity or suspense
27. Develops activities of high challenge with low risk
28. Ensures lessons will come to a logical end and learners will produce finished products
29. Articulates to learners what they should learn from lesson
30. Articulates to learners what they should be able to do after lesson
31. Helps learners identify meaning of lessons
32. Helps learners organize in their minds different parts of lesson
33. Assists learners in techniques to remember important parts of lesson
34. Assists learners to understand relationships among parts of lesson
35. Uses models
36. Builds into lessons activities where learners will use models
37. Models writing in journal or lab book
38. Builds into lessons time for learners to write in journals or lab books
39. Models use of computers and other technology in meaningful ways
40. Builds into lessons opportunities for learners to use computers and other technology in meaningful ways
41. Uses multiple learning styles (auditory, visual, tactual, kinesthetic) in teaching
42. Uses teaching strategies that reflected multiple intelligences (linguistic, logical / mathematical, spatial, bodily / kinesthetic, musical, interpersonal, intrapersonal, naturalist)
43. Creates lessons of appropriate level of challenge or difficulty
44. Understands and practices wait-time response
45. Structures opportunities for appropriate competition
46. Correlates parts of lessons to interests of learners
47. Includes novelty and variety in lessons
48. Provides opportunities for learners to make choices or autonomous decisions
49. Provides opportunities for learners to respond actively
50. Provides immediate feedback to learners responses
51. Incorporates game-like features into lessons
52. Includes divergent questions
53. Provides opportunities for learners to interact with peers
54. Models interest in learning and motivation to learn
55. Limits talking to no more than three minutes then provides learners time to discuss with peers what had been said
56. Induces dissonance or cognitive conflict in lessons
57. Informs learners, when they begin a lesson, the kind of mental processes they are going to be using (e.g. analysis)
58. Models task-related thinking and problems solving
59. Integrates one content area with another
60. Uses a thematic teaching style
61. Models construction of conceptual maps at beginning of lessons
62. Assists learners in the construction of their own conceptual maps
63. Rotates group composition and individual responsibilities
64. Employs a variety of activities that reflect various learning styles
65. Explains difficult concepts using a variety of techniques
66. Is perceptive regarding learners real understanding of difficult concepts
67. Understands that learners need incubation time to process difficult concepts
68. Assists learners to understand sequence of events
69. Displays learners' work
70. Develops open-ended projects that encouraged learners to explore multiple approaches to the problem
71. Devises lessons that use creative process skills (originality, flexibility, fluency, elaboration)
72. Uses various methods of learner assessment (e.g. rubrics, grades, portfolios, projects, written and oral exams, national exams)
73. Exhibits knowledge of and experience in working with non-Western school curriculum and with children from countries other than North America.
74. Understands the changing landscape of MK schools and how this will impact their role as an MK teacher--it will not be the same as teaching in the US or Canada.