Teacher training and faculty development in medical education.

Many components of the described teacher-training program are implemented elsewhere (2, 4, 6, 8, 16); however, two features of the BGU program, when combined, make it unique. One is the timewise hierarchical structure, which enables gradual acquisition of instructional skills, progressing from generic to specific (9) and from curricular generalities to particulars of a course and of a lesson. The teacher him/herself determines the pacing. Opportunities to implement already acquired skills precede the development of additional ones. Moreover, the program acknowledges individual differences, and thus offers a variety of themes and training methods to fit personal needs and expectations. The second feature is the emphasis placed throughout the program on the motivational aspects. Indeed, the term "training" becomes alien to the program. Its very essence is to create personal involvement of every trainee on both emotional and practical levels. The individual is guided to become a member in a multidisciplinary team, working together towards an understandable and worthwhile cause. The involvement of the teachers is encouraged and welcomed. When this feeling is combined with the realization that education is a discipline in its own right, a feeling of belonging to both the institution and to the teaching profession arises. Such feelings might well be a prerequisite for any educational innovation (7). The high proportion of educational leaders who emerged from the program illustrates these two features. Personal growth and institutional development are intertwined. The BGU training program has been rigorously evaluated and has proven to be effective. However, continuous assessment must be instituted and maintained. Such formative evaluation may also meet the requirement of an ongoing on-the-job reinforcement (17). Nevertheless, BGU cannot yet afford further expansion of the program--this will have to wait for the graduation of the fourth-phase trainees.