Conceptions and Models of Teacher Education

Abstract

Initial teacher education programs across the world bear many resemblances to one another in respect to their overall design features. Students generally follow courses that teach them foundational knowledge pertaining to education, like psychology or sociology, disciplinary knowledge in particular subject areas, and general and specific pedagogical knowledge. In addition, students are exposed to varying degrees of school placements. Despite these similarities in overall structure, the curriculum content and activities of teacher preparation may vary considerably, dependent on the underpinning conceptions of the goals and purposes of the program. Historical and geographical contexts also influence the choice of particular goals for teacher education. Conceptions of teacher education can be clustered in a number of major approaches, each with its own subcategories. Although different terminologies may be used in the literature, the six major categories are as follows: a social justice approach, a master-apprentice approach, an applied science approach, a teacher identity approach, a competence approach, and a reflective approach. Each approach has certain key features and implications for curriculum design in teacher education, including vision, goals, content, teaching and learning methodologies, and the relationship between schools and colleges/universities. An example here is the difference between an applied science approach, based on the notion of teachers putting theories into practice, and a reflective practice approach, where teachers are encouraged to construct personal theories in and from practice. A second example of the different emphases is the extent to which education is located within its larger social context, with the relationship between school and society being more explicit within a social justice than a competence approach to teacher education. Conceptions may be implicit or explicit; in reality, most programs embody hybrid models with emphasis in particular directions. The articulation of the key concepts, principles, and assumptions that underpin the design of teacher education programs contributes to the field in various ways. Promoting an understanding of different traditions of teacher education helps establish a shared vocabulary and knowledge base; this can improve the quality of teacher education through deepening academic debate and enhancing program coherence. In addition, strengthening the conceptual base of teacher education supports the professional autonomy of teacher educators, through advancing debate on the purposes, ethics, and politics of education and providing tools to discuss the curriculum implications of policy reform.

Las concepciones docentes sobre democracia en educación en España. Un estudio fenomenográfico

“…Las concepciones se definen como un sistema organizado de ideas y creencias que nacen de las experiencias de las personas y que se van construyendo y elaborando a través de las interacciones y vivencias con otros sujetos (Marton, 1986;Robinson y Mogliacci, 2019). Los y las expertas coinciden en el origen social de las concepciones, las cuales vienen condicionadas por las vivencias, experiencias y momentos vividos; lo que supone que la trayectoria de vida de cada persona marca su forma de entender el mundo y, con ello, cómo actúa y participa en el mismo (Pozo, 2006).…”

Unpacking the past: The ambivalent legacy of colleges of education

“…A second, more conceptual consideration in revisiting the strengths and limitations of the colleges is that of the theory-practice link in teacher education. e view that colleges were more practical is an enduring and pervasive one; yet it both ignores history and is seldom accompanied by a recognition that there might be di erent models of teacher education, with di erent assumptions of what it means to learn to be teacher (Robinson & Mogliacci, 2019). In the rst instance, theory was never absent from teacher education in colleges.…”

What Should We Learn from New Trends in Teacher Education

“…The aim is to developing an agent of change who address social equalities and contribute in building humane society. The underlying conceptions are emancipatory pedagogy, critical self-consciousness, social reconstruction, cultural responsiveness and the (de) coloniality (Christie & McKinney, 2017 as cited in Robinson, 2019). The focus here is constant engagement in reflection on their own role and values being a teacher and thinking over how curriculum benefits or disadvantages different groups of learners.…”

“…With this, trainees are exposed to practice in different schools locating in surrounding. In spite of these resemblances, however, curriculum design and activities in teacher education highly depend upon the goals and aspirations of nations that are quite un-similar to each other (Shulman, 1987, p.8;Robinson & Mogliacci 2019).…”