Initial Teachers’ Education and Training: An Amazing Challenge

Abstract

The article is focused on initial teacher training and illustrates the historical features and the institutional and political background that should be considered in order to understand how initial teacher education and training has developed. To design policies which allow to educate and train teachers is an incredible challenge. In today‘s context, with the undergoing economic and social changes, high-quality schooling is more important than ever. Teacher education is essential since teacher quality is more and more being identified as decisive to student outcomes. It is now acknowledged that teachers are the school variable that influences the most student achievement (OECD, 2005). To teach is a complex and intellectual work, one that cannot be accomplished without the adequate preparation. Teacher education not only ensures that teachers are – and remain competent, but it also allows to assure that they stay motivated (Eurydice, 2004). Research shows that the effective way to increase educational quality is to modify initial teacher education and recruitment, and to develop the means to train teachers that are already in-service; indeed, teacher education has a significant impact on teachers‘ behaviors and teaching skills, and on the student outcomes. A complete teacher education combines strong subject-matter and pedagogical knowledge, the ability to collaborate with different actors (students/colleagues/administrators), and the capability to continue developing these skills and to understand the indepth context of the schools in which they teach.

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Author Information
Rosanna Tammaro, University of Salerno, Italy
Anna D'Alessio, University of Salerno, Italy

• Category: Professional Concerns, Training and Development

Posted by James Alexander Gordon

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