Teacher Education Policy in Europe

Workshop 8th – 10th February 2007 Tallin University Björn Åstrand Umeå University

Declaration of Human Rights article 26 Education shall be directed to the full development of the human personality and to the strengthening of respect for human rights and fundamental freedoms. It shall promote understanding, tolerance and friendship among all nations, racial or religious groups, and shall further the activities of the United Nations for the maintenance of peace.

“ Democracies are founded on a distinctive web of values: human dignity, equality, justice, responsibility and freedom. Most students never actually study such issues in any formal way, either in school or in college.” College Learning for the New Global Century, 22

What’s the future for Teacher Education in Europe?
What is the nature of Teacher Education?
What is/are the role(s) of research?
What is the nature of quality in this regard?
How can and do we evaluate quality in teacher education?

Teacher Education:
First local provider of higher education
Designed for national purposes and often locally colored
Secondly – defined as outside the emerging modern higher education system Thirdly – integrated into the higher education - but with some restrictions as being “foreign”

As Teacher Education (TE) is an integrated part of higher education (HE), the future conditions and thereby challenges for TE is the same as for HE
As HE has to respond to societal demands and demands from individual citizens in terms of education for individual endeavour so has TE
Societal level
Reproduction
Renewal
Sustainability
Individual level Existential Emancipation Employability

As a part of HE, TE needs to develop and rely on the same quality assurance system as in HE, demanding same quality standards (levels, structures and procedures) As a professional education, TE needs to identify quality in terms of professional orientation and capabilities on top of general quality requirements (content)

Quality evaluation of Swedish HE focus weaknesses as:
Related to mass HE
Related to shortage of funding/drive for external funding creating dependencies and erosion of academic freedom and educational breadth
Lack of cooperation
Declining internationalisation/ mobility
Under prepared incoming students (and outgoing ?)
Too many similar programmes and institutions
And they all applies to TE as well – but what differ?

Specialisation for teaching positions High Low General preparation for active citizenship etc High Low A C B D Evaluation of programme – what’s the value of studies in terms of: Nature of TE is to be found in both areas and needs to be located in section A (After Labaree)

What sort of College Education is then necessary? For TEPE – what sort of TE should we promote?
In an era when knowledge is the key to future
In an economy where every enterprise is challenged to innovate or be displaced
In a democracy that is diverse, globally engaged, and dependent on citizen responsibility
In a world of daunting complexity
In a period of relentless change
Current analysis in US:

Research based teacher education In Swedish – a concept with a wide signification: Forskningsanknuten undervisning Forsknings anknuten undervisning Research ( a tied knot) teaching research teaching Research based education translation exercise: In essence : two separate lines combined providing new capabilities

That teacher who teaches holds a PhD or equivalent.
That conducted teaching includes research methods.
That conducted teaching includes theory.
That a module illuminates and/or enter deeply in methodological and/or theoretical issues which is related to theme contained in module reading.
That module reading introduces new knowledge provided by latest research.
That a field of research are elucidated through lectures and reading (in width and in dept).
That module reading in scientific in the narrow sense of stringent use of concepts, reflexivity abstracts, quotations, references etc.
That teaching contains scientific components in which students by them self produces new knowledge and understandings.
That teaching contains scientific components in which students by them self produces new knowledge and understandings in the format of degree thesis, papers or articles.
That teaching approaches includes a scientific attitude to findings, perspectives and conclusions.
That teaching has its foundation in a scientific attitude to teaching methods.
That the main aim of teaching and education is the development of an analytical, critical and independent attitude.
That the level of a module is that advanced that it is a prerequisite for post-graduate studies.
That teaching in a module and/or education in one or many respects is superior to other teaching/education.
Notions of ”research based education” (forskningsankytning):

That module content, readings and/or learning outcome are related to research in several respects.
That teachers are doing both teaching and research
That those institutions providing education also provides research opportunities and conducts research.
That students after passing modules/programmes can advance to research.
Categories of understandings of “research based” To be explored – to be implemented

Theory Academy General education Schools
Represents dichotomies which is possible to overcome, dissolve and to utilise.
Our history and current situation in HE and in relation to schools demands further engagement with those divisions, false or not.
Practice Profession Specific education Teacher Education

The ongoing shift in focus on research (content, methods, location and actors) can give a leverage to overcome, dissolve and proceed
As real school life experiences becomes object for research aiming at progress within schools and TE, and as actors within field also conduct such endeavours we will enhance TE capabilities to respond to:
demands on general education
demands on professional education

Policy areas for higher education: Explicit policy Implicit policy Long term duration Short term duration Higher Education Bill Recurrent governmental proposals/bills on HE and research Annual governmental assignments and local tasks International policy, e.g Lisbon-strategy Curricula

What’s the future for Teacher Education in Europe?
What is the nature of Teacher Education?
What is/are the role (s) of research?
What is the nature of quality in this regard?
How can and do we evaluate quality in teacher education?

Research projects ( FP 7) Action research Research in/on TE Change of professional culture within TE Envisioning Future Theory & practice Communities Educational endeavors Modules/programmes/IPs Erasmus Mundus Education of supervisors VLE Synergies with ENTEP

Not likely Not desired Desired Likely

Teacher Education Policy in Europe

by Mart Laanpere on Mar 09, 2007

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Teacher Education Policy in Europe — Presentation Transcript