The tension in turkish teacher education: Conflict and controversy during the transformation from an academic approach to a professional approach

Most of the reforms, which have been undertaken in the last 30 years in the Turkish educational system, are about teacher education. When we examine the teacher education curriculum from the perspective of these reforms, it has been observed that there is a controversy between the academic and professional approaches used in these curricula. While the reforms undertaken in 1982 and 1997 were in favor of the academic approach, the latest reform undertaken in 2006 was made to strengthen the professional aspects of teacher education curriculum. In this paper, Turkish teacher education reforms are introduced in the light of the professional and the academic approaches, which have always been the topic of discussions about teacher education.     

Teacher educators for new times? Redefining an important occupational group

Teacher educators are an occupational group currently experiencing increased scrutiny by international policy makers and researchers alike. This occupational group however is increasingly difficult to define and identify in a complex, internationally changing teacher education policy reform environment. The question posed is an enduring one: who is a teacher educator? The answer is more complicated. To better understand this occupational group, a literature review and local policy analysis study using the Australian context was conducted to reveal more about their identity; career trajectories and; professional learning needs. Analysis revealed that three sub-groups belonging to the broader teacher educator occupational group have emerged as a result of shifting teacher education policies. Namely, university-based; school-based and community-based teacher educators, each with an important role to play and each positioned differently within the research and policy landscape. Findings suggest that all three groups are important to educating teachers across their career and to best meet the needs of all students for new times. Recommendations are made for future research and practice into how these groups can work collectively together, within and across the multiple sites of learning to teach.     

Policy reform: testing times for teacher education in Australia

In Australia as well as elsewhere, initial teacher education has become centre stage to a political agenda that calls for global competitiveness in the knowledge economy. The common problem cited has been declining educational standards linked with the quality of teaching and teacher education. The avalanche of review and policy reform has exposed teacher education to neoliberal demands as well as political and public scrutiny. A policy web of interconnected concerns related to selection, curriculum, professional practice, graduation as well as employment fuels current reforms.     

‘It’s not that easy to solve’: edTPA and preservice teacher learning

This three year qualitative study of a university pilot of the edTPA, a performance assessment for preservice teachers, questioned candidates’ learning at the nexus of claims that the edTPA serves a dual role as both a formative assessment for candidates’ ongoing learning as well as a summative assessment of their readiness to teach. The analysis highlighted affordances and constraints of the assessment in the areas of: (1) depth of professional learning, (2) differentiation for diverse learners, (3) focus on school, community and family context, (4) professional reflection within classroom realities, and (5) as an evaluation tool. The discussion positions the findings alongside other published implementation studies of the edTPA in terms of current reforms. It especially problematizes the positioning of preservice teachers as professional learners in light of pressures for compliance and standardization.     

“国培计划”十年研究综述与展望

"国培计划"十年研究既涉及对"国培计划"宏观价值、政策文本和培训成效的思辨分析,又关注对教师培训各核心要素的实践反思。虽然"国培计划"实施十年间产生了大量研究成果,但研究视域尚待拓展。有关"国培计划"今后研究值得关注以下四个方面:一是高站位,系统谋划"国培计划"的研究内容与主题;二是低重心,有效践行"国培计划"的行动研究范式;三是多维度,跨界寻找"国培计划"研究的适切性理论与方法;四是大格局,凝练构建"国培计划"的中国特色与本土化经验。     

教师专业化与教师应对教育改革的能力

本文论述的是中国教育改革发展变化过程中的教师专业化问题,所以提出这一问题的背景,是联合国教科文组织讨论了“全民教育”的各项活动和中国教育改革.当前教育改革的目的,在于提高个体和全民发展的能力.因此,教育质量成为人们日益关注的重要问题.教师的工作职能是要推动教育改革的各项措施得到实施.本文认为,“信息时代”的要求和“知识经济”的兴起,使人们对人才的特点有了新的理解,也证实了在教育儿童和青少年成为未来工作者和公民方面存在的不足.综观中国教育改革,它是一个被迫出现的过程,导致学校对教育改革的反应不灵敏.教师作为专业人员,应该支持改革,但是他们的效能还是存在一定的问题.本文进一步认为,中国教师当前面临的主要问题是不具备应对改革的能力.有关研究表明,教师工作的本质及其关注的问题与教育改革的预期大相径庭.这一问题即使通过行政命令、在职培训、或者投入更多的教育资源也难以解决.本文认为,进行全面改革的同时,要改革学生评价和选拔制度,从文化和社会层面上来思考教师职业,树立新的教师专业发展理念.     

Competition, economic rationalization, increased surveillance, and attacks on diversity: Neo-liberalism and the transformation of teacher education in the U.S.

This paper discusses recent developments in U.S. teacher education that are tied to the global neo-liberal project. The focus is on how changes experienced throughout the world have played out in the U.S. Three areas are addressed in particular: the commodification of teacher education, hyperrationality and increased accountability, and attacks on multicultural education. The paper closes with a look at the future for teacher education in the U.S.     

Restructuring reforms in Turkish teacher education: Modernisation and development in a dynamic environment

The paper examines the effectiveness of recent reforms in teacher education in Turkey, specifically the restructuring of programmes in university faculties of education. It first, briefly, sets the reforms of the 1990s in an historical context, prior to the 1997 Act which increased the length of compulsory schooling from 5 to 8 years, and the 1998 restructuring of faculties of education. It considers the national need for the restructuring of teacher education and the issues involved. The thrust of the paper is a study of how teacher educators across the country perceive both the changes and their effect on the quality of teacher education, methodology as a discipline, school partnerships, and relationships with the Ministry of National Education.     

Perception of the accomplished teacher among teacher educators in “research oriented” and “teaching oriented” institutes in Israel

The purpose of this study is to examine the perceived components of effective teachers among teacher educators in research and teaching-oriented institutes in Israel.     

云南省县域内教师交流轮岗意愿调查:基于3115份数据的分析

对云南省5个县3115位教师的调查显示,县域内教师交流轮岗意愿较低。无法照顾孩子和家庭、轮岗地点离家远与交通不便、岗位适应困难是教师参与轮岗的主要顾虑。结合实地调查发现,城乡二元发展格局及相应的文化心理,导致教师意愿与政策初衷背离;复杂的自然地理环境和交通条件,使教师轮岗面临现实难题;城乡学校师资数量与结构的差异,造成交流轮岗落入练兵和补缺困局;政策执行过程不规范导致教师存在岗位适应顾虑。为实现政策目标,应致力于消除县域内教师交流轮岗面临的结构性、制度性障碍,补齐乡村学校师资数量与结构的短板,因地制宜探索多元化交流轮岗形式,并在政策实施中做到规范选拔和人文管理。     

What and how do student teachers learn during school-based teacher education

This study looks at how student teachers learn to teach during school-based teacher education. It explores the changes that occurred in the practical theories of the student teachers and how the student teachers made these modifications. Eight student teachers were closely monitored during their training. The study's findings show that all student teachers developed broad, well-structured practical theories that focused on pupils' learning processes. Their learning processes displayed considerable individual variation. As a result of these findings, several questions have been formulated for further research concerning the impact of learning style on learning outcomes and learning in a work-based context.