This book makes a major contribution to knowledge and theory by drawing implications of teacher effectiveness research for the field of teacher training and professional development. The first part of the book provides a critical review of research on teacher training and professional development and illustrates the limitations of the main approaches to teacher development such as the competence-based and the holistic approach. A dynamic perspective to policy and practice in teacher training and professional development is advocated. The second part of the book provides a critical review of research on teacher effectiveness. The main phases of this field of research are analysed. It is pointed out that teacher factors are presented as being in opposition to one another. An integrated approach in defining quality of teaching is adopted. The importance of taking into account findings of studies investigating differential teacher effectiveness is argued. Another significant limitation of this field of research is that the whole process of searching for teacher effectiveness factor was not able to have a significant impact upon teacher training and professional development. For this reason it is advocated that teacher training and professional development should be focused on how to address grouping of specific teacher factors associated with student learning and on how to help teachers improve their teaching skills by moving from using skills associated with direct teaching only to more advanced skills concerned with new teaching approaches and differentiation of teaching. The book refers to studies conducted in different countries illustrating how the proposed approach can be used by policy and practice in teacher education. Specifically, the book provides evidence supporting the validity of the theoretical framework upon which this approach is based. Moreover, experimental and longitudinal studies supporting the use of this approach for improvement purposes are presented and suggestions for further research utilising and expanding the Dynamic Approach for teacher training and professional development are provided.

As educational standards continue to transform, it has become essential for educators and pre-service teachers to receive the support and training necessary to effectively instruct their students and meet societal expectations. However, there is not a clear consensus on what constitutes teacher effectiveness and quality within the education realm. The Handbook of Research on Professional Development for Quality Teaching and Learning provides theoretical perspectives and empirical research on educator preparation and methods for enhancing the teaching process. Focusing on teacher effectiveness and support provided to current and pre-service educators, this publication is a comprehensive reference source for practitioners, researchers, policy makers, graduate students, and university faculty.

For decades teacher education researchers, organizations, and policy makers have called for improving teacher education by creating clinically based preparation programs (e.g. CAEP, 2013; Goodlad, 1990; Holmes, 1986, 1995; National Association for Professional Development Schools, 2008; National Council for the Accreditation of Teacher Educators, 2001, 2010; Zeichner, 1990). According to the NCATE Blue Ribbon Report (2010), this approach requires extensive opportunities for prospective teachers to connect and apply what they learn from school and university based teacher educators. Similar to preparing medical professionals, clinical practice in teacher education requires the complex and time intensive work of supporting teacher candidate ability to link theory, research, and practice as well as on-going inquiry into best pedagogical practices. Therefore, clinically intensive programs expect prospective teachers to blend practitioner and academic knowledge throughout their programs as "they learn by doing" (NCATE, 2010, p.ii). However, most of the literature to date on clinical practice has been conceptual and often relies on describing program design. The purpose of this book is move past description to study and understand what teacher education programs are learning from research about innovative clinical models of teacher education. Each book chapter highlights research about how programs are studying a variety of outcomes of clinical practice. After an introductory chapter that helps to define and situate clinical practice in teacher education, the book is organized into four sections: (1) Outcomes of New Roles, (2) Outcomes of New Practices, (3) Outcomes of New Coursework/Fieldwork Configurations, and (4) Outcomes of New Program Configurations. The book wraps up with a discussion that looks across the chapters to find common themes, share implications for teacher educators, and set the course for future research.

This book addresses the past and changing contexts of Chinese and German teacher education under the impact of globalization and echoes "quality" issues of teacher education. This edited book provides a comprehensive discussion on other issues in the management and implementation of change in teacher education related to teacher education curricula for professional development of teachers. A combination of chapters provides an overview, a review of literature and research as well as offering examples of teacher education practice and updated empirical research on these topics co-edited by two senior scholars and written by experts from Mainland China (including Hong Kong ) and Germany. The volume addresses key issues on teacher standards, ICT in education and e-learning in teacher education, STEM education, vocational teacher education, university-school partnership in teacher education and teaching Chinese or German as a second language. This is an up-to-date academic book to look at profound issues related to quality in teacher education and teachers’ professional development in mainland China and Germany. It will be a useful reference for graduate students and researchers in the field of international and comparative education, teacher education and curriculum studies, teacher educators and practitioners to learn from trends, best practice and challenges that have been encountered in Mainland China and Germany.

How teachers may be better educated for a changing global world is a challenge that faces many systems of education worldwide. This book addresses key issues of quality and change in teacher education in the context of the new public management achievement agendas which are permeating teacher education structures, cultures and programmes and the work of teacher educators internationally. Graduate schools of education in the United States and the UK, for example, are making fundamental changes in the structures, courses, programs and faculties that prepare beginning teachers each year. Drawing upon examples from the United States, United Kingdom, China, Hong Kong, Australia and elsewhere, its authors provide a unique critical overview of emerging themes and challenges of raising the quality of teaching and the quality of student learning outcomes. They suggest possible ways forward for teachers, teacher educators, researchers and policy-makers as they seek to raise the quality of teaching and student outcomes whilst sustaining their moral purposes and values of equity, inclusion and social justice. Taken together, the chapters contain informed, critical discussions of “normal education” and “teacher education” of “professional standards”, “4+2/+1” post-degree training, “PGDE versus BEd”, integration of subject specializations and professional education. Each one provides new visions of the teacher as a professional and to cultivate high quality teachers in the West and the Greater China region. For all those interested in issues of quality, change and forward movement in teacher education in contexts of policy led reform, this is a must read.

Teachers are the most important single element of the education system but what does it take to create high quality teachers in today’s world? Around the world, countries are struggling to understand how to change their schools to meet global demands. International comparisons have shown that schools in Finland lead the league tables, but why is this, what new policies and practices in teacher education have they developed and how do they support the changes? A number of European and Asian countries also top the list when it comes to providing high quality teacher education, but there is little information about what and how they are doing the work and how they have made changes. The leading international contributors to this book describe the systemic policies and practices of teacher education in eight high-achieving countries and how they are dealing with teacher quality, equity, and the changing global society. Among the countries that are doing well – Finland, Singapore, the Netherlands, the UK, Hong Kong, Canada, Australia and the USA – there is an interesting diversity of policies and practices that support their changes in education, including: emphasis on the preparation, induction, support and assessment of new teachers focus on teacher retention, teachers’ professional knowledge and continuing professional development curriculum change and critical policies. In addition the chapters highlight the local cultural imperatives that influence and shape the preparation of quality teachers and make change both possible and problematic. Teacher Education Around the World examines what can be learned from the different countries, what policies and practices seem transferable; and which seem embedded in the particulars of the culture of the country. It describe themes that cut across all the countries, documenting not only what they are, but how the countries go about supporting and sustaining changes in teacher education. This book will prove itself an absolute essential for all those involved in teacher education, teaching and educational policy.

Teacher education in the United States is changing to meet new policy demands for centering clinical practice and developing robust school-university partnerships to better prepare high-quality teachers for tomorrow’s schools. PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT SCHOOLS (PDSs) have recently been cited in national reports as exemplars of high-quality school-university partnerships in the clinical preparation of teachers. According to the National Association for Professional Development Schools, PDSs have Nine Essentials that distinguish them from other school-university collaborations. But even with that guidance, working across the boundaries of schools and universities remains messy, complex, and, quite frankly, hard. That’s why, perhaps, there is such diversity in school-university partnerships. For the last thirty years, educators have been fascinated yet puzzled with how to build PDSs. Clinically Based Teacher Education in Action: Cases from PDSs addresses that perplexity by providing images of the possible in school-university collaboration. Each chapter closely examines one of the NAPDS Nine Essentials and then provides three cases from PDSs that target that particular essential. In this way, readers can see how different PDSs from across the globe are innovating to actualize that essential in PDS development. The editors provide commentary, addressing themes across the three cases. Each chapter ends with questions to start collaborative conversations and a field-based activity meant to propel your PDS work forward.