"Normalistas" - Teacher Preparation in Mexico
In Mexico the equivalent of a bachelor's degree is called a licenciatura. (Be careful not to confuse the word bachillerato,the high school diploma, with bachelor's degree.) Unlike in the U.S. where the state confers the "license" to practice one's profession (in this case, teaching), in Mexico the degree is the license. Thus, the term licenciatura.
Teachers are prepared in normal schools (like the one seen in the first photo below), although some universities now offer teacher preparation programs as well. As you can see in the photo, the demand for a finite number of places in the program is quite high - this was a typical registration day.
Teachers are prepared in normal schools (like the one seen in the first photo below), although some universities now offer teacher preparation programs as well. As you can see in the photo, the demand for a finite number of places in the program is quite high - this was a typical registration day.
As in the U.S., teaching has become a gendered profession.
Pre-service teachers in Mexico spend about two and half times the number of hours as U.S. students in practica and student teaching.
On the one hand, Mexican normalistas dedicate only about a quarter of the time spent in the U.S. doing general education requirements (i.e., in studies in the liberal arts). On the other hand, they spend much more time completing professional education coursework (about 5.5 times the number of credit hours that U.S. pre-service teachers do.)
The two thorns in the second photo below are Josué González (left, Director of the Southwest Center for Education Equity and Language Diversity) and Aurelio "Hershey" Montemayor (Senior Education Associate with the Intercultural Development Research Association).
The third photo below shows the library at the school. Resources are not abundant, but enthusiasm is. Teachers are expected to be pillars of their communities and actively engage in social advocacy.
Click each of the photos to view it larger. For more information on teacher preparation in Mexico, please see Mexican Normalista Teachers as a Resource for Bilingual Education in the United States: Connecting Two Models of Teacher Preparation.
Pre-service teachers in Mexico spend about two and half times the number of hours as U.S. students in practica and student teaching.
On the one hand, Mexican normalistas dedicate only about a quarter of the time spent in the U.S. doing general education requirements (i.e., in studies in the liberal arts). On the other hand, they spend much more time completing professional education coursework (about 5.5 times the number of credit hours that U.S. pre-service teachers do.)
The two thorns in the second photo below are Josué González (left, Director of the Southwest Center for Education Equity and Language Diversity) and Aurelio "Hershey" Montemayor (Senior Education Associate with the Intercultural Development Research Association).
The third photo below shows the library at the school. Resources are not abundant, but enthusiasm is. Teachers are expected to be pillars of their communities and actively engage in social advocacy.
Click each of the photos to view it larger. For more information on teacher preparation in Mexico, please see Mexican Normalista Teachers as a Resource for Bilingual Education in the United States: Connecting Two Models of Teacher Preparation.
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