Global Examples of Approaches to Teacher Education in the 21st Century

Abstract

The field of teacher education has been evolving for several decades, and current approaches to teacher education aim to prepare preservice-teachers to teach diverse populations and develop a range of skills, dispositions, and attributes. Emerging models of teacher preparation recognize the disconnect that has occurred between theory and practice, as opposed to developing student teacher skills and knowledge of learning processes as they occur in both formal and informal settings. The current focus, teacher education (“training” is now a pejorative term) signals a significant shift in the field over the last three or four decades. Increasingly, there is a recognition that new teachers need theoretical, technological, content, and pedagogical knowledge skills to manage the realities of the 21st-century digital classroom and the capacity to connect theory to practice. There is a growing emphasis internationally on the need to create effective and systemic school-university partnerships to prepare teachers for the profession. The focus of the chapter is to outline the features of successful models of teacher education in Finland and Singapore and to highlight the value of an Australian partnership model that is school-based while bridging the theory-practice divide.

Rethinking Professional Experience Through a Learning Community Model: Toward a Culture Change

“…Consequently, an essential element in implementing innovation in professional experience are collaborative university and school/early childhood site partnerships, and strengthening existing and developing new university-site partnerships is an ongoing requirement (Allsopp et al, 2006;McLoughlin and Nagabhushan, 2014). According to Allsopp et al (2006), for partnerships to be effective both the sites and universities must engage in reciprocal working and learning relationships, be open to new goals and operating structures and be willing to redefine existing roles.…”

“…Where partnerships are established based on common needs and interests between universities and schools/early childhood centers the result can benefit not only the pre-service teachers, but provide professional development opportunities for university and site staff. An effective partnership arrangement, where there is a mutual understanding of operational and pedagogical goals, a focus on situated learning and genuine reciprocity in the third space can support pre-service teachers in their development from a university student to a professional (McLoughlin and Nagabhushan, 2014). The successful partnership achieves this by providing pre-service teachers with immersive authentic learning experiences in real-world settings and participation in a professional community with just in time support.…”

“…Both approaches require a longer-term commitment to achieving shared goals and positive outcomes for all parties involved. Similarly, Finnish models of university-school cooperative partnerships center on research-based teacher education and the integration of theory and methodology throughout the course with teaching practicum taking place in affiliated Teacher Training Schools that are governed by the universities (McLoughlin and Nagabhushan, 2014). The Finnish approach to teacher education also emphasizes collaborative community research-based professional learning from initial teacher education with ongoing academic development throughout the teacher's career (Niemi, 2015).…”

“…The evolution of pre-service teacher education and professional experience over the last two decades is linked with a vast number of changes in teaching and learning approaches, educational technologies and innovative learning design, and is influenced by the development of new educational policy and quality standards established to meet the expectation of high quality graduates (Darling-Hammond, 2006;McLoughlin and Nagabhushan, 2014;Adamson and Darling-Hammond, 2015;. Teacher education currently takes place in a complex everchanging environment that is affected by policy reform, recurrent organizational restructuring, increased cultural diversity in the population and growing economic pressures (Stephenson and Ling, 2014;Fitzgerald and Knipe, 2016).…”