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Various countries in the world are keen to reform teacher education. For instance, in the United States, the education reform movement initiated by the NBPTS (National Board for Professional Teaching Standards) established professional standards for outstanding teachers in various subjects of basic education. The United Kingdom promulgated the “Excellent Teacher Program,” and Germany launched the “Excellent Teacher Education Program.” Australia has the “Government Excellent Teachers Program” while Singapore developed the trinity training model for high-quality teachers. These initiatives show a global commitment to improving teacher education.
Bearing this in mind, most normal colleges and universities in China need to update their preschool education programs. Traditionally, preschool education majors in teachers’ colleges generally value theory over practice and value concept over ability, but this needs to change. The main goal of training preschool education professionals in normal universities must be to continuously improve their professional skills (Han et al., 2005).
China’s three main goals for preschool education are: popularizing preschool education; defining government responsibilities; and focusing on rural preschool education. There is a need to build a team of preschool instructors with noble morals, compassion for children, outstanding business acumen, and good organizational skills, and this must be done as quickly as possible (Cross, 1987). According to a number of official sources, China places a high priority on preschool education and invests heavily in it, and this has built a solid foundation for the reform and development of preschool education. Preschool instructors play a crucial role in improving the quality of prepreschool instruction and furthering the cause of prepreschool education (Dombkowski, 2002).
In 2010, the Chinese Ministry of Education introduced the “Excellent Teacher” training program as a new measure to enhance the quality of teacher training as a step to reform teacher education (Toren et al., 2008). In an August 2014 publication titled “Opinions on Implementing the Excellent Teacher Training Program,” the Ministry of Education outlines a number of requirements for training “excellent teachers,” with specifics tailored to meet the needs of elementary, middle, and high school students, as well as preschoolers. It also points out weaknesses and deep-seated flaws in existing teacher training methods, and it calls for reform of the current system. It encourages schools, colleges, and local governments to work together to create a new collaborative training mechanism. The goal is to have a large number of high-quality teachers with strong professional ethics and skills, and who are constantly striving for self-development.
The “Excellent Teacher Training Program” introduces a collaborative, three-in-one training format. As a result, teachers’ training has undergone a fundamental shift, creating new possibilities and challenges, especially for preschool instructors. Currently, teacher training programs are lacking in practical education. High-quality preschool instructors are essential for raising the standard of instruction in this age group, and high-quality teacher preparation is a prerequisite for both (Volante & Fazio, 2007). Usually, students training to be teachers get practical experience for at least a semester in primary, secondary, and preschool institutions. The professional standards for preschool teachers should be fully implemented and instructors’ professional level should be raised.
However, the reality is that preschool education is still a weak link in all levels of education. Some scholars have pointed out that students in normal colleges are giants in book knowledge and dwarfs in preschool action. Many graduates from normal colleges who apply for preschool teaching jobs will feel unprepared and have a low success rate. Students majoring in preschool education lack effective guidance in practice, and they cannot combine the theory they have learned with practical education and teaching. Schools do not pay enough attention to the cultivation of students’ practical ability, and students also fail to realize the transformation from “student status” to “teacher status,” lacking the improvement that comes with practice (Tal, 2010).