When I work with educators, I get asked on a regular basis, “What about the universities? What are they doing to prepare educators who can facilitate technology-infused learning environments that emphasize deeper cognitive complexity and greater student agency?” Unfortunately, I don’t have much to offer them.

I’m not up on all of the thousands of preparation programs that are out there but, as I think about the shifts that we need to see in schools (and the new building blo..., at a minimum any teacher preparation program that wanted to label itself ‘world-class’ would be able to affirmatively say the following…

Our graduates know…

Project- and inquiry-based learning

• how to operate in student-driven, not just teacher-created, project-oriented learning environments
• how to facilitate inquiry-based activities like ‘passion projects’ or ‘FedEx days’ or ’20% time’ or ‘genius hour’
• how to facilitate students’ development as creators, designers, innovators, and entrepreneurs
• how to integrate communication, collaboration, and critical thinking skills into these types of environments

Authentic, real-world work

• how to organize student work around the big, important concepts central to their discipline
• how real work gets done by real professionals in that discipline (practices, processes, tools, and technologies)
• how to find, create, and implement robust, authentic simulations for their subject area
• how to facilitate and assess authentic performances by students

Standards-based grading and competency-based education

• how to write and implement a ‘competency’
• how to help students thrive in a standards-based grading environment
• how to facilitate learning-teaching systems that focus on mastery rather than seat time (or other dumb criteria)

1:1 computing

• how to manage and support ubiquitous technology-infused learning spaces
• how to facilitate student success with digital tools, online systems, and social networks
• how to help students create appropriate AND empowered ‘digital footprints’

Digital, online, and open access

• how to leverage digital and online open educational resources to full advantage
• how to meaningfully curate digital materials in their subject area
• how to helpfully contribute to our online global information commons (and have students do the same)

Online communities of interest

• how to utilize online networks and communities of practice to further their professional learning and growth
• how to meaningfully connect students to relevant online communities of interest for academic and personal development

Adaptive learning systems

• how to integrate adaptive learning software into students’ learning and assessment
• how to utilize blended learning environments to individualize and personalize students’ learning experiences (time, place, path, pace)

I think most teacher preparation programs probably fall short of the mark on these, but a program that could say these things about its preservice teachers would be INCREDIBLE.

What do you think? What would you add to this list? More importantly, does anyone know of a teacher preparation program that’s doing well in some / many / most of these areas?