Teacher education
In some countries, it is possible for a person to receive training as a teacher by working in a school under the responsibility of an accredited experienced practitioner.
In the United Kingdom there is a long tradition of partnerships between universities and schools in providing state supported teacher education.
This assists to make an attitudinal change in the teacher trainees in order to eliminate segregation within the school community.
[5] The question of what knowledge, attitudes, behaviours, approaches, methodologies and skills teachers should possess is the subject of much debate in many cultures.
[12][13][14][15] In addition, the United Nations Sustainable Development Goal 4 aims to substantially increase the supply of qualified teachers by 2030 through international cooperation.
[16] These three areas reflect the organization of most teacher education programs in North America as well as Asian countries like Sri Lanka.
However, the question of necessary training components is highly debated as continuing increases in attrition rates by new teachers and struggling learners is evident.
[18] The debate of how best to prepare teachers for teaching in today's demanding environments will continue to be an important focus of the United States, where the education of all children successfully is priority.
A number of countries and states have put in place comprehensive systems of support to help beginning teachers during their first years in the profession.
[22] However, numerous authors[23][24] suggest that current teacher education is highly flawed and primarily geared towards a western dominated curriculum.
Jabbar & Hardaker (2013)[26] argue that this is an essential process in helping students of ethnicity, colour and diversity achieve and attain.
A growing research base suggests that to be most effective, continuing professional development activities should: However, a systematic review published in 2019 by the Campbell Collaboration, summarizing evidence from 51 studies, finds no clear evidence that continuing professional development in education improves student academic outcomes.
[36] The 'no fault' approach is believed by some to be satisfactory, as weaknesses are carefully identified, assessed and then addressed through the provision of in house or school based training.
These can, however, be seen as benefiting the institution and not necessarily fully meeting the continuing professional development needs of the individual as they lack educational gravitas.
[41] The complexity of the tasks of the teacher educator arises in part because, as research has shown, they have multiple professional identities.
'[42] But the key duality of identity that lies at the core of the teacher educator profession is that of first-order and second order teaching.
[43] It is the objective of FAMT & L Comenius project, conducted at the University of Bologna, designed with the aim of promoting the correct use of formative assessment in mathematics education for students aged from 11 to 16.
Reaching this goal supposes to design training programs for teachers of mathematics, starting from identifying their needs, believes, expectations and the use of formative assessment.
Just as teaching is no longer seen as simply transferring factual information, so educating teachers also requires a more sophisticated approach, based upon professional awareness[49] that comes from reflective practice.
In some parts of the world (notably the United States, Flanders and the Netherlands) specific standards of professional practice have been developed for, or by, teacher educators.
Caena (2012)[54] found that some of the consequences of this situation can include a teacher educator profession that is poorly organised, has low status or low formal recognition, has few regulations, professional standards – or even minimum qualifications, and no coherent approach to the selection, induction, or continuing professional development of Teacher Educators.
It calls for preparing a 'humane and reflective practitioner' and for fostering the agency and autonomy of the teacher, who can interpret the curriculum meaningfully to the contextual needs of the learners, than merely focus on 'teaching the text book'.
