Teacher education futures: today’s trends, tomorrow’s expectations

Abstract

Education is facing significant political and contextual challenges that will impact its future. This study employs a Delphi methodology to investigate teacher educators' views of current trends and their consequences for teacher education futures. Interviews were conducted with a sample of expert teacher educators drawn from eight countries. This provided international perspectives on both local and global trends. The data were analysed to identify and elaborate key themes reported by the participants. The article draws on these themes to develop brief narratives around current developments that the teacher educators argue will have a major impact on the future of teacher education. These narratives are used to develop possible scenarios to inform thinking about teacher education futures.

Developing a Professional Performance Evaluation System for Pre-Service Automobile Repair Vocational High School Teachers in Taiwan

“…For example, Morris and Hiebert [25] further argued that teacher education programs in the United States can also do much more to improve teaching quality. Aubusson and Schuck [26] indicated that in many countries the continual concerns about students' falling behind those in other nations in performance measurement has resulted in the widespread belief that teachers are not adequately prepared. This view adds impetus to the move to reform teacher education [26].…”

“…Aubusson and Schuck [26] indicated that in many countries the continual concerns about students' falling behind those in other nations in performance measurement has resulted in the widespread belief that teachers are not adequately prepared. This view adds impetus to the move to reform teacher education [26]. Gelfuso and Dennis [27] summarized recent studies and global appeals for better teacher education, including an increase in the number and quality of field experiences for all pre-service teachers.…”

The challenge for school-based teacher educators: establishing teaching and supervision goals

“…Competing trends in teacher education programmes and the question of balance between school and university involvement in initial teacher training have highlighted concerns over how effectively teachers actually support student teachers' development during in-school training (Aubusson and Schuck 2013;Hodgson 2014;Van Velzen and Volman 2009). In many European countries, including Estonia, in-school placement of student teachers has been increasing (European Commission/EACEA/Eurydice 2015).…”

International mobility and cultural perceptions among senior teacher educators in Israel: ‘I have learned to suspend judgment’

“…Some researchers (e.g. Aubusson and Schuck 2013) argue that these changes will lead to the internationalization of teacher education programmes, and to the trend of exchanging teams of teacher educators between countries and hence international career mobility among this group. The expectation that a new professional identity ('internationally oriented teacher educator') will develop calls for the need to plan and document empirical research on teacher educators who experience this complex and changing reality.…”