Curriculum, Instruction, and Assessment of Dispositions for Teachers

The topic of professional dispositions in teacher education has become of increasing study and research since the National Council for the Accreditation of Teacher Education (2000) mandated dispositions as an area to be included in the conceptual framework of teacher education programs across the United States of America. Dispositions as an expansion of the affective domain of learning seeks to encourage teachers to incorporate high moral and ethical values, attitudes and attention to social justice within the context of a multicultural educational system. This work studied the concept of dispositions from the perspectives of teacher candidates, education faculty program administrators, psychologists and interested organizations. My findings revealed that program administrators and faculty across the U.S.A. are working to adopt professional dispositions for teachers into their curriculum, their instruction and assessment approaches. This work will be valuable for teacher candidates, doctoral candidates, education policy makers, program directors, education faculty and others interested in making teaching a profession of high value and class.