This book explores major factors impacting on teacher education in recent times. It uses examples from a broad range of international contributors who compare larger countries such as the USA, England and Australia with their smaller partners: Canada, Scotland and New Zealand, demonstrating the substantial differences existent in all three cases. They also contrast the approaches of the countries that are members of the European Union with those that are not and discuss the special circumstances of developing countries, using Malawi as a case study.
The international dimension of the book allows it to address the impact of globalisation on teacher education, with attention given to subjects such as the implications of rapid technological change, the movement of teachers and students on a global level and the drive to improve standards in various parts of the world. The book asks key questions, such as whether teaching is a craft or a profession and whether teacher educators view themselves as practitioners or researchers. The question of how the profession is viewed from outside is also addressed, highlighting the lack of trust displayed by politicians and communities towards both teachers and teacher educators. The final chapter looks to the future, and considers strategies for dealing with it.
This book was originally published as a special issue of the Journal of Education for Teaching.
1. Teacher education: an international perspective Tony Townsend
2. Education of teachers: the English experience John MacBeath
3. Teacher education reform in Scotland: national and global influences Ian Menter and Moira Hulme
4. Teacher education in the United States of America, 2011 David Imig, Donna Wiseman and Scott Imig
5. Teacher education in Canada Shirley Van Nuland
6. Australian teacher education reforms: reinforcing the problem or providing a solution? James O’Meara
7. Teacher education in New Zealand Fiona Ell
8. Teacher education reform and challenges in Norway Elaine Munthe, Kari-Anne Svensen Malmo and Magne Rogne
9. Teacher training in France in the early 2010s Guy Lapostolle and Thierry Chevaillier
10. Curriculum of initial teacher education in Portugal: new contexts, old Problems Maria Assunção Flores
11. National and local sources of power: important considerations for teacher education reforms in rural Malawi Jacqueline Chazema and James O’Meara
12. Searching high and searching low, searching east and searching west: looking for trust in teacher education Tony Townsend
Biography
Tony Townsend is Professor of Public Service, Educational Leadership and Management at the University of Glasgow, UK. He previously worked at Florida Atlantic University, USA, and Monash University, Australia, and has been president of both the International Congress for School Effectiveness and Improvement and the International Council on Education for Teaching. Professor Townsend has worked with educators in more than 60 countries and has been visiting professor in Canada, South Africa, Macau, the Republic of Ireland, Czech Republic and Malaysia. In 2005 he was the Australian Council for Educational Leaders’ Travelling Scholar. He has written or edited 11 books and published more than 100 articles or chapters in the areas of school effectiveness and improvement, leadership, community education, policy development and school improvement.
