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Dispositions and teacher assessment: the need for a more rigorous definition.

Article Excerpt
History has shown time and again the power of words to shape human thought and action. Consider how many battles have been fought over freedom and justice, words signifying what people all over the world have lived and died for.

Words, of course, can be used in multiple ways, with wisdom or foolishness, with sincerity or guile, and even to indicate the opposite of their original meaning. During the French Revolution, Maximilien Robespierre (1974) sent legions of fellow citizens to the guillotine in the name of his Committee on Public Safety, defining justice and virtue as "terror--prompt, swift, and inflexible." Two centuries later, in the novel 1984, British social critic George Orwell (1949) imagined manipulative leaders telling subjugated masses that freedom is actually slavery. In such ways, benign words, such as safety, justice, virtue, and freedom, can be appropriated for inhumane purposes by twisting their definitions.

A CONTESTED NEW WORD IN THE FIELD OF EDUCATION

In an effort to upgrade and professionalize the ancient craft of teaching, educators have begun doing what all respected professions try to do sooner or later: define standards for assessing whether aspiring candidates are capable of performing the work well enough to be certified for practice. In 2000, the largest established agency that accredits teacher education programs--the National Council for Accreditation of Teacher Education (NCATE; 2001)--announced a revised set of standards for evaluating candidates' performances. Central to the focus of these standards are the "knowledge, skills, and dispositions" of teaching candidates.

There is not much doubt as to the meanings of the words knowledge and skills. These terms have had long and broad use in education and the learning sciences; moreover, they have been thoroughly examined in cognitive and behavioral research. The term disposition, however, has not been used as frequently in any of these fields. Perhaps sensing that the word requires some further definition, NCATE (2001) provided the following in its glossary:

Dispositions. The values, commitments, and professional ethics that influence behaviors towards students, families, colleagues, and communities and affect student learning, motivation, and development as well as the educator's own professional growth. Dispositions are guided by beliefs and attitudes related to values such as caring, fairness, honesty, responsibility, and social justice. For example, they might include a belief that all students can learn, a vision of high and challenging standards, or a commitment to a safe and supportive learning environment. (1) (p. 30)

It is clear from this definition that NCATE intended the term dispositions to signify "beliefs and attitudes" that reflect stances toward moral issues large and small, from "caring" on an interpersonal level to "social justice" on a broader societal scale. It also seems from the construction "Dispositions are guided by beliefs and attitudes" that...

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