Teacher education
| Occupation | |
|---|---|
| Names | Teacher Educator, teacher trainer |
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Occupation type
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Profession |
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Activity sectors
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Education |
| Description | |
| Competencies | Teaching, teaching about teaching, research into learning and teaching, |
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Education required
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varies |
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Related jobs
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Professor, academic, lecturer, tutor, teacher |
Teacher education refers to the policies, procedures and provision designed to equip (prospective) teachers with the knowledge, attitudes, behaviors and skills they require to perform their tasks effectively in the classroom, school and wider community. Those professionals who engage in this activity are called Teacher educators (or, in some contexts, teacher trainers).
The process by which teachers are educated is the subject of political discussion in many countries, reflecting both the value attached by societies and cultures to the preparation of young people for life, and the fact that education systems consume significant financial resources.
However, the degree of political control over Teacher Education varies. Where TE is entirely in the hands of universities, the state may have no direct control whatever over what or how new teachers are taught; this can lead to anomalies, such as teachers being taught using teaching methods that would be deemed inappropriate if they used the same methods in schools, or teachers being taught by persons with little or no hands-on experience of teaching in real classrooms. In other systems, TE may be the subject of detailed prescription (e.g. the state may specify the skills that all teachers must possess, or it may specify the content of TE courses).
Policy cooperation in the European Union has led to a broad description of the kinds of attributes that teachers in EU Member States should possess: the Common European Principle for Teacher Competences and Qualifications.
Although ideally it should be conceived of, and organised as, a seamless continuum, teacher education is often divided into these stages
There is a longstanding and ongoing debate about the most appropriate term to describe these activities. The term 'teacher training' (which may give the impression that the activity involves training staff to undertake relatively routine tasks) seems to be losing ground, at least in the U.S., to 'teacher education' (with its connotation of preparing staff for a professional role as a reflective practitioner).
In many countries, Initial Teacher Education (also known as preservice teacher training) takes place largely or exclusively in institutions of Higher Education. It may be organized according to two basic models.
In the 'consecutive' model, a teacher first obtains a qualification in one or more subjects (often an undergraduate bachelor's degree), and then studies for a further period to gain an additional qualification in teaching (this may take the form of a post-baccalaureate credential or master's degree).
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Wikipedia