| Abstract: | As a native Korean and specialist in the field of Early Childhood Education, I concur with the current state of our teacher education programs as presented by Eunhye Park Han. Having said this, I would like to raise yet another issue, however, relating to the proposal for extending the student teaching experience. It was pointed out in the article that the four weeks of student teaching currently required are not sufficient for gaining practical knowledge. Let us suppose that the requirement is changed and a longer period of field experience is required. Will a longer period of practical work necessarily result in a teacher with greater competence? Two years ago, I conducted a study in a 4-year-old classroom in a university-based kindergarten in Korea. I was amazed to see a teacher who was handling more than 30 children, with no additional adult in the classroom. |
