The global significance of teacher education has never been greater than it is today. In this world
where migration, inequality, climate change, political upheavals and strife continue to be manifest
in many locations around the world, governments and scholars alike are increasingly considering
what role education systems can play in achieving stability and managed, sustainable economic
development. With growing awareness that the quality of education is very closely related to the
quality of teachers and teaching, teacher education has moved into a key strategic location in
international debate and discussion. This proposition is as true and pertinent in the global south
and east as it is in the northern and western worlds. All of these concerns have been amplified by
the impact of the global viral pandemic. There are many moral challenges to be faced by teacher
educators, policymakers and researchers.
Author : Ian Menter
Defining teachers’ professional knowledge: the interaction of global and national influences
This paper draws on a cross-national study1 of definitions of teachers’ professional knowledge. The
paper seeks to link what has been revealed about international influences and trends to the broader
literature on the processes of globalisation and internationalisation. The concepts of ‘glocalization’
and ‘vernacular globalisation’ are critically reviewed in the light of the emergent findings. Six emergent
themes are identified that form a typology through which teacher education systems may be
categorised. These themes enable us to clarify both global trends and local distinctiveness within the
systems under review.
Becoming a teacher in the United Kingdom in the 21st century
In this article I seek to explore how teacher education policy has been shaped and influenced by
political interventions. The main focus is on the UK, but I argue that this approach to teacher
education as a ‘policy problem’ is part of a wider global phenomenon. Part of this discussion
necessarily needs to differentiate between what has been happening in different parts of the UK,
for in spite of the globalising influences, there appears to have been some divergence between the
trajectories of the four jurisdictions in relation to developments in teacher education. In drawing
on recent developments in ‘clinical practice’ within teacher education, I draw attention to the
importance of a research oriented approach to teacher education.