The Technical Content of Industrial/Technology Teacher Education

Abstract

What technical competencies will the next generation of industrial/ technology education teachers possess? At first, this may seem like a simple question. However because of national educational reform movements, colleges and universities which prepare industrial/technology education teachers have changed their teacher education degree requirements and curricula (Volk, 1993). Have these changes created more unified industrial/technology teacher education programs or has the field's teacher preparation become more fragmented? According to Diez (1995), the later is true. He indicated the spectrum of teacher preparation models range from traditional to innovative, both extremes. Bottrill (1991, p. 6) noted, with regard to industrial/technology teacher education, that: “unfortunately, educationalists have been bound up with education theory and have not kept pace with curriculum development in the field. The impetus has come from educational agencies.” Have these educational change agencies taken into account all the aspects of industrial/technology teacher education? The term industrial/technology education is utilized throughout this study based on the findings of Zuga's (1991) research. Her survey results indicated that 34% of the field's teacher education programs were entitled technology education, while 62% contained the descriptor “industrial” in the program title. Therefore, the title industrial/technology teacher education is used in this study. The competencies needed by industrial/technology education teachers have been categorized into three areas by W. R. Miller (1990). Miller identified those competencies as personal, professional, and technical. Curricula in some industrial/technology teacher education programs have been configured similarly. Henak (1991) classified the three program elements of industrial/ technology teacher education as general education, professional education, and technical content. Finch, Schmidt, Oliver, and Yu (1991) termed these divisions as general studies, professional education, and technical content. The general education component, which in many cases is dictated by college and university graduation requirements, has been and continues to be discussed by all of teacher education (Diez, 1995; Grant, 1995). Numerous authors and agencies have indicated their vision of both the general education ________________________________ George E. Rogers is Assistant Professor and Program Head of the Department of Industrial Education at the University of Nebraska, Lincoln, Nebraska.