Dispositions

Inspiring the next generation of leaders

Professional dispositions address teacher candidates’ professional attitudes, values, and beliefs as consistently demonstrated to students, families, colleagues, and the community in the learning process and the teaching profession. The Educator Preparation Program (EPP) at CMU seeks to create an atmosphere in which teacher candidates are not only taught the value of such dispositions, but also understand the necessity of living out these attitudes, values, and beliefs in all endeavors –professionally and personally–in order to maximize K-12 student learning and success as educators. 

The inclusion of dispositions in CMU’s EPP is not to determine whether a teacher candidate can enact a certain skill but whether they will enact the skill often, in a variety of contexts and situations, signaling the disposition to use intentional and specific skills which contribute to student success and educator effectiveness. Within the program, teacher candidates participate in self-assessment of their dispositions along with assessments during field placements with Cooperating Teachers (CTs). 

The handbook outlines each of the dispositions with attitudes, values, and beliefs as well as behavior indicators. These outlines are intended to serve as a guide and are not meant to be all-inclusive. Additionally, while there are separate behavior indicators listed for CMU coursework context and clinical fieldwork context, the EPP recognizes that the sample behavior indicators will overlap between various contexts and will build as candidates gain more experiences throughout the program. 

All teacher candidates are expected to uphold the professional dispositions as outlined. In instances where it is observed that a candidate does not adhere to the EPP’s outlined professional dispositions, the process is outlined in the handbook and can be documented in the Faculty Dispositions Report