Constructing 21st-century teacher education
Journal of Teacher Education, 57 (3):
300-314 (2006)Abstract
Much of what teachers need to know to be successful is invisible to lay observers, leading to the view
that teaching requires little formal study and to frequent disdain for teacher education programs. The
weakness of traditional program models that are collections of largely unrelated courses reinforce this
low regard. This article argues that we have learned a great deal about how to create stronger, more effective
teacher education programs. Three critical components of such programs include tight coherence
and integration among courses and between course work and clinical work in schools, extensive
and intensely supervised clinical work integrated with course work using pedagogies that link theory
and practice, and closer, proactive relationships with schools that serve diverse learners effectively
and develop and model good teaching. The article also urges that schools of education should resist
pressures to water down preparation, which ultimately undermine the preparation of entering
teachers, the reputation of schools of education, and the strength of the profession.