Teacher Education Reform: An Ironic Narrative

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Background

Calls for teacher education reform have occurred in continual waves since at least the mid-1980. The meta-narrative of recycling demands for teacher education reform is mostly ironic. The irony in meta-narratives in developed country calls is typically based on thin data and oriented toward a neoliberal agenda to disrupt public education. For developing countries the irony of the meta-narrative emerges from a recognition that humans rather than material resources now govern the pathway to power and they seek to educate a wider spectrum of their populace, requiring stronger teachers and thus teacher education. The discourse from both coalesces around similar issues: the contrast between foolproof strategy training or education for judgement, control of teacher education and development (university, state, schools), the theory-practice divide (university courses/fieldwork), and obligations to the moral or the ethical. To make reasoned decisions concerning teacher education, citizens in a global community need to better understand the international discourse concerning teacher education and its reform.

This research topic seeks articles that conceptualize teacher education as an enterprise. We are interested in bringing together a constellation of review and research articles that explore various agendas, practices, and orientations toward the preparation of teachers. This includes work targeting the contrast between teacher training and teacher education and what that means for preparing teachers (including critique and analysis of the various tools and processes used to evaluate teacher education and the preparation and certification of teachers). This also includes examination of the balance of contribution among university, school, and governmental entities. We seek work that explores the theory/practice or coursework/field experience balance. We are interested in studies that explore educating teachers for judgment or developing practical knowledge (rather than knowledge of practice). We also welcome work that analyzes and examines the relational, the moral and the ethical in terms of teacher education.

In order to provide work that can inform a reasoned discourse concerning teacher education reform across the globe, we seek work on various themes regarding not just the reform of teacher education but also on practices and theoretical direction for educating and mentoring teachers. One theme would be the differences between programs that target training teachers or educating teachers. Another theme would explore issues of the theory/practice divide and the balance, orientation and integration of university course work and field experiences. Explorations of coursework or practices that support the development of teacher identity or shifts in teacher beliefs comprises another theme. We are interested in alternative explorations to the disaster narratives of teacher retention and recruitment and the various responses to them. A final theme would be explorations of the relational, moral and ethical.

Important note: All contributions to this Research Topic must be within the scope of the section and journal to which they are submitted, as defined in their mission statements. Frontiers reserves the right to guide an out-of-scope manuscript to a more suitable section or journal at any stage of peer review.

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