Stages of professional development

We welcome new blogs on teacher educators and teacher educator development (500-750 words). For more information see our Blog submission policy or contact your national moderator.


February 1, 2022

Long-COVID-19 – The need to (re-)research about teacher educators’ professional learning needs

The COVID-19 pandemic has encouraged us to rethink about the long-lasting implications for teacher education and how the traditional approaches to educate teacher candidates have evolved. This unexpected scenario has become a living laboratory for teacher educators who have had to transfer to solely relying...

June 23, 2020

Mentoring as support for professional development

Mentoring is acknowledged as a means to support professional development for teachers. However, mentoring has multiple meanings and may be practiced as supervision, support or collaborative self-development for new as well as experienced teachers. As researchers we were curious to find out what expectations newly qualified teachers, their mentors and their school-leaders have to mentoring and professional development and thereby to identify what kind of mentoring is needed...

September 8, 2019

Looking at Educational Improvement from a Lifelong Learning Perspective

A decline of a country’s test scores in international comparative tests (PISA, TIMSS) usually initiates a nationwide discussion that eventually results in questioning the quality of teacher education and teacher educators. To explain the lower achievement of pupils on these tests, a couple of things come under attack, firstly, the curriculum and the school system, secondly the quality of teachers...
June 3, 2019

Standards – promoting or preventing professional development?

One of the major quantum leaps in teaching and teacher education in the last 50 years is, in my opinion, related to what Cochran-Smith (2004) calls the learning focus period which took place between 1980–2000. Teacher education focused mainly on developing teachers’ critical reflections on theory, practical skills, and teaching experience, to prepare them to make independent, situated decisions in the classroom. Teachers were encouraged to engage in systematic reflection such as action research...
March 18, 2019

Student teachers learning in the practice field

Teacher education takes place in two learning arenas, the university and the practice field. It is however the practicum that is most valued among student teachers (Korthagen 2010, Kvernbekk 2012). We, the three authors of this text, wanted through a study to learn more about what and how students learn during field practice and to understand how practice can interact with the university coursework to enhance professional competencies.
March 5, 2019

The professional development of higher education-based teacher educators

Current literature suggests that while teacher educators perform a multitude of complex roles, they receive minimal preparation or possibilities for professional development to fulfil these roles. As a result, they need to acquire relevant knowledge and skills after taking on the position of teacher educators. Therefore, it is important to learn what skills and knowledge teacher educators need and...
January 20, 2019

Exploring the PGT Student Experience

Student experience has a central focus in higher education as institutions strive for retention, attainment, and growth; acknowledging students as both consumers and participants (Muijs et al. 2017). Consequently, universities pursue active engagement of student voice to inform quality enhancement as a route toward improving educational experiences. Within the Scottish sector, quality enhancement is defined in part as the deliberate steps taken...
March 7, 2018

Teacher Educators as Researchers: Two stories

Teacher educators increasingly become involved in research as research is considered an important way to develop professionally as a teacher educator. However, teacher educators struggle to integrate research with their work as teacher educators.
February 14, 2018

The induction of teacher educators

As an educator at the largest teacher education institution in the Netherlands, I feel privileged to work with many inspiring, passionate colleagues across 20 school subjects. At Fontys University of Applied Sciences (Fontys Hogescholen), BEd and MEd programmes are currently taught to over 4,000 students.