Reform of teacher education is en vogue worldwide today due to the widespread belief that teacher education has the power to change traditional modes of schooling, educating new teachers who will be capable of improving the knowledge standard of children and boost the economic power of nations. The Struggle for Teacher Education brings together conceptual, comparative and empirical studies from Australia, England, Finland, The Netherlands, Norway, South Africa and South America to explore the ways in which professional education has been positioned in a reactive mode. The contributors discuss how teacher education is a contested division in higher education and look at how current reform efforts may limit the potential and work of teacher education, highlighting why this point needs more attention. Moreover, the collection reveals how teacher education's authorship on teacher professionalism may be weakened or strengthened by current reform drives and offers alternative models on how to rethink reforming teacher education.

This book outlines the notion of 'lived democracy in education', bringing together interdisciplinary educational research on young citizens' democratic practices in kindergartens, schools, and teacher education. Presenting both theoretical and empirical studies, and drawing on a variety of approaches, the book investigates participatory education practices where young learners are given the opportunity to influence a course of action or a discussion through expressing arguments, information and critique. Lived democracy in education is understood as opportunities for young learners to influence a decision or line of thought through enacting the values of freedom of speech and equality, and the book shows how such opportunities can be positioned in educational practices. Chapters also investigate what kind of pedagogical situations promote lived democracy and what qualities are present in these situations. The book will be of interest to academics, researchers, graduate students and post-graduate students in the fields of educational theory, educational philosophy and democracy in education concerning several school subjects.

This book outlines the notion of ‘lived democracy in education’, bringing together interdisciplinary educational research on young citizens’ democratic practices in kindergartens, schools, and teacher education. Presenting both theoretical and empirical studies, and drawing on a variety of approaches, the book investigates participatory education practices where young learners are given the opportunity to influence a course of action or a discussion through expressing arguments, information and critique. Lived democracy in education is understood as opportunities for young learners to influence a decision or line of thought through enacting the values of freedom of speech and equality, and the book shows how such opportunities can be positioned in educational practices. Chapters also investigate what kind of pedagogical situations promote lived democracy and what qualities are present in these situations. The book will be of interest to academics, researchers, graduate students and post-graduate students in the fields of educational theory, educational philosophy and democracy in education concerning several school subjects.

Reform of teacher education is en vogue worldwide today due to the widespread belief that teacher education has the power to change traditional modes of schooling, educating new teachers who will be capable of improving the knowledge standard of children and boost the economic power of nations. The Struggle for Teacher Education brings together conceptual, comparative and empirical studies from Australia, England, Finland, The Netherlands, Norway, South Africa and South America to explore the ways in which professional education has been positioned in a reactive mode. The contributors discuss how teacher education is a contested division in higher education and look at how current reform efforts may limit the potential and work of teacher education, highlighting why this point needs more attention. Moreover, the collection reveals how teacher education's authorship on teacher professionalism may be weakened or strengthened by current reform drives and offers alternative models on how to rethink reforming teacher education.