Why is the Study of Dispositions a Necessary Component of an Effective Educator Preparation Program?

We’ve all had teachers we’ve loved and teachers we’ve hated. In almost all cases, this is due, not to their knowledge of subject matter, but to how they interact with us—their disposition to teach. Educator preparation programs in the United States reflect high expectations for Professional Educator Candidates in the area of dispositions. This paper discusses various definitions of dispositions and shows how four very different universities, from both the private and public sectors, implement their programs for determining the disposition to teach in their professional education candidates. In this paper we have used the term “Professional Educator” rather that teacher because we are including counselors and librarians as well as teachers in our discussion of dispositions