The main challenges in teacher education for diversity

Abstract

This paper explores the main challenges in teacher education for diversity: the dominant regimes of truth in society that reinforce existing stereotypes/prejudices, the gap between pre-service and in-service teacher education and professional development, the fragmentation of teacher education system, the competences of teacher educators and lack of research and research-based practice when it comes to education for diversity. The paper discusses the impacts of these challenges on teacher professional role as well as the support needed to overcome some of them. The changes need to be made in two domains: the teacher education curriculum that should reflect the idea of teachers as autonomous professionals who initiate and create their own practice, and the education system that needs to support and encourage the autonomy and initiative of teachers and in which teachers could be visible as active participants/leaders in the process of change.