Quality in Teacher Education: Challenging Assumptions, Building Understanding Through Foundation Principles

Abstract

With the general theme of “Quality of Teacher Education and Learning: Theory and Practice”, the book contains four subthemes as follows: (1) innovative ideas and practices in teacher learning and teacher preparation; (2) challenges and new trends in teacher education; (3) rethinking the meaning of teacher quality; and (4) roles and identities of teachers. In Part I, there are three chapters contributing to the theme of teacher learning and teacher preparation, and how teacher education institutions could improve the program according to conceptual and empirical studies. Goodwin introduced two innovative practices in teacher education: teaching residences and teacher leader- ship online. She discussed the benefits, challenges, and contextual considerations of each practice. Clarke and Collins examined the motivations of cooperating teachers in student teacher practicum in five countries. They mainly used large-scale questionnaires for data collection and analysis. In the interview with Hansen, he invited readers to think about the teacher as a person in the world. This study helps us to rethink the meaning of teacher quality and takes innovative practice in teacher education and teacher learning. In Part II, the theme is challenges and new trends in teacher education. Zhu proposed a concept of teaching as a “holistic profession” to reflect his thoughts on the new traits in teaching and teacher education. Loughran explored teaching and learning about teaching through the lens of foundation principles for teacher edu- cation, principles that are able to be explicated, enacted, and valued in developing teacher education programs of quality. Paine examined the marginalizing of voices of teacher educators in global discussions about teacher education and invited teacher educators to frame globalization imperatives in social and cultural rather than entirely economic terms.