Action and Reflection in Teacher Education

Throughout the world, teacher education is once more in the spotlight. This book focuses on recent trends and experiences in England and Wales, where external pressures have caused tension between the technician model of teacher education, in which teachers learn primarily on the job alongside colleagues, and traditional forms of teacher education based in higher education institutions. This tension superficially replicates an old dichotomy between practice and theory. The contributors to this volume reflect on ideas and attempts to integrate theory and practice. Key questions and themes recur: the balance and relationship between work done in school on the job and work away from the workplace, such as in universities; teacher education as a partnership activity; and the need to critically examine the institutional, cultural, and historical context in which they work.