Future Directions for Teacher Education. Trends, Needs and Alternatives Relating to Inclusion of New Content Areas in Teacher Education.

Overview & Synopsis

This report offers a comprehensive global view of future directions for teacher education. The first section discusses factors indicating the need for change. Education is seen as an agent of social change with various national approaches having common concerns and facing similar key issues to be resolved. In the second section, changes and responses in teacher education to societal concerns are considered. Among the major issues for resolution are the need for new approaches to teacher training, the career development of teachers, and the need for support services. Recruitment and selection of teachers is critically important worldwide, and the initial preparation of teachers and their continuing professional development are seen as key factors in improving education at all levels. Section 3 deals with the means of response to the need for change. Pre- and inservice training are discussed with a focus on the importance of an interdisciplinary approach to teacher education. Incentives and barriers in inservice education are considered along with different modes of inservice education. The final section discusses the importance of evaluation for program improvement, accountability, and the selection and promotion of teachers. (JD)