Training teachers for college

I have enjoyed the articles about physics education that have appeared in the past several months. They have generated a great deal of knowledge that needs to be integrated into educational programs at all levels. However, I have noticed that much of the discussion about training has focused on K–12 teachers, who are trained in the baccalaureate education programs of colleges and universities. This focus is important, but it avoids a long-standing problem: how to train college and university professors.

Professors are rarely required to have taken education courses, yet they must usually demonstrate a dedication to teaching and state some philosophy of teaching. A prospective professor’s approach to teaching must apparently be developed independently. Most physics professors have developed their approaches to teaching through their experiences as graduate students and postdocs.

I believe that current and prospective professors would be well served by a series of courses or training sessions, implemented at many colleges and universities worldwide, that distill current physics education knowledge and provide a venue for practicing it with other students. The courses could be offered as part of undergraduate or graduate curricula or in pre-employment or professional-development training sessions. Alternatively, training sessions could be implemented as an ongoing part of the annual conferences of the various scientific professional societies, and then funding could be secured for conference attendees. (This approach could also work for K–12 teachers.) Implementation of training courses would be helpful not only to current professors but also to those who, like me, are employed in industry but would eventually like a teaching career.