Abstract

Following the 2013 European Commission’s publication ‘Supporting Teacher Educators for better learning outcomes’, this paper will focus upon issues related to the professional knowledge and education of teacher educators. In line with this paper, the assertion is that “to strengthen the professional awareness and identity of teacher educators, it is necessary to identify and acknowledge the areas of competence (knowledge, skills and attitudes) that underpin teacher educators’ diverse, multifaceted roles.” (2013: 39).

International Forum for Teacher Educator development (InFo-TED) is a recently established forum of European experienced academic-teacher educators, with an associate from USA, aiming at creating a coherent set of strategies to support the development of the professional identities and knowledge bases of teacher educators. InFo-TED acknowledges that, within the European context, there is also a need to embrace fluidity, flexibility and complexity when exploring teacher educators’ work and learning in different national locations. At present there are few systemic routes for Teacher Educators’ ongoing learning and little research documentation of these routes (Berry in press; Smith 2012). This paper informs about InFo-TED which seeks to re-position teacher education practices and the professional education of teacher educators within the academy. Our contribution will offer a short history of InFo-TED, discuss national initiatives in the participating countries, and present how InFo-TED works to establish a European platform for co-learning and sharing of experiences. The InFo-TED platform is planned as on line as well as physical space in the form of an academy for teacher educator learning and development. InFo-TED explores how teacher education as a ‘boundary-crossing’ profession might establish its professional identity in the face of potentially shifting terrain.

Presentations

The Dutch Situation: Teacher Educator Research & Development (PDF)

International Forum for Teacher Educator Development (PDF)

When dreams come true. NAFOL, A Norwegian Doctoral School in Teacher Education (PDF)

References

Berry, A. (in press). Teacher Educators’ Professional Learning: A necessary case of ‘on your own’? In, A. Aelterman, B. De Wever, M. Tuytens & R. Vanderlinde (Eds.). Professional learning of teacher educators, teachers, and student teachers: Research based practices. Academia Press, Ginkgo-imprint.

European Commission. 2013. Supporting Teacher Educators For Better Learning Outcomes. Brussels, October 2013.

Smith, K. 2012. The multi-faceted teacher educator- a Norwegian perspective. Journal of Education for Teaching, 37 (3), 337-349.

Authors

Mandi Berry, Leiden University

Donald Gray, University of Aberdeen

Kari Smith, Norwegian University of Science and Technology

Presentation

Partnerships in Support of Teacher Education (PDF)

Author

Kari Smith, Norwegian University of Science and Technology