Teacher Education

Teacher education refers to the policies and procedures designed to equip prospective teachers with the knowledge, attitudes, behaviors and skills they require to perform their tasks effectively in the classroom, school and wider community.

Although ideally it should be conceived of, and organised as, a seamless continuum, teacher education is often divided into these stages:

• initial teacher training / education (a pre-service course before entering the classroom as a fully responsible teacher);
• induction (the process of providing training and support during the first few years of teaching or the first year in a particular school);
• teacher development or continuing professional development (CPD) (an in-service process for practicing teachers).

There is a longstanding and ongoing debate about the most appropriate term to describe these activities. The term 'teacher training' (which may give the impression that the activity involves training staff to undertake relatively routine tasks) seems to be losing ground, at least in the U.S., to 'teacher education' (with its connotation of preparing staff for a professional role as a reflective practitioner).