Teacher Education in the Global Era: Perspectives and Practices

331 Pages·2020·3.943 MB·English

by  Karanam Pushpanadham

Karanam Pushpanadham   Editor
Teacher
Education in
the Global
Era
Perspectives and Practices
Teacher Education in the Global Era
Karanam Pushpanadham
Editor
Teacher Education
in the Global Era
Perspectives and Practices
123
Editor
Karanam Pushpanadham
Faculty of Education andPsychology
TheMaharaja SayajiraoUniversity
of Baroda
Vadodara, Gujarat, India
ISBN978-981-15-4007-3 ISBN978-981-15-4008-0 (eBook)
https://doi.org/10.1007/978-981-15-4008-0
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DEDICATED TO MY BELOVED
PARENTS SHRI.KARANAM RAJARAO AND
SMT. KARANAM NIRMALA MARY
I grew up cocooned in your love, comforted
by your hugs and motivated by your lives…
Thank is a very little word to express. This is
a humble gratitude for you both….
Prof. Karanam Pushpanadham
Foreword
Globalization has been defined as‘the intensification of worldwidesocialrelations
which link distant localities in such a way that local happenings are shaped by
eventsoccurringmanymilesawayandviceversa’.Thisphenomenonofescalation
ofrelationshipsacrossnationshasbeenmadepossiblebyvariousfactors,themost
importantbeingtheglobalcommunicationnetworksupportedbyfastdevelopment
in digital connectivity in unbroken ubiquitous manner. Emerging socio-economic,
political and cultural processes in local communities can never be independent of
those happening elsewhere leading to a globalized society.
Impact of globalization in the entire spectrum of learning informal to all orga-
nizedsystemsoflearninghasbeenphenomenal.Formaleducationcurriculuminthe
globalized context should therefore explore alterations in its content as well as in
transactionalmodalities.Curricularcontentacrossalllevelsandsectorsofeducation
should focus on areas such as interdependence, identity and diversity, pluralistic
natureofcommunities,peacebuilding,povertyandwealth,sustainabilityandglobal
justicewhichareverycrucialinpeacefullivinginaglobalizedsociety.Thesethemes
will be appropriately linked with specific issues and problems in the local context,
andcurriculumtransactionshouldincludeinstructionalprocesseswherelearnerscan
be exposed to situations in different parts of the world and get opportunities to
interact with other learners across continents using the digital learningpossibilities
availabletoday.Teachingencompassesarangeofintereststhatcancoveranything
fromhowotherstudentsliveinanotherculturetoenvironmentalissues.Curricular
practices thus should incorporate activities that facilitate cooperative learning and
action and shared responsibility with emphasis on positive thinking and healthy
communication. Such an approach to global education would enable learners to
develop positive and responsible values and attitudes, important life skills and an
orientationtoactiveparticipation.Allteachersshouldbeequippedwiththerequired
mind-set and competencies to be effective facilitators in such a teaching–learning
context,andthisfocushastobereflectedinallformsofteachereducation.Aglobal
teachertodayandmoresointhefutureisexpectedtoincorporateglobalissuesinto
theschoolcurriculumincludingmulticulturalism,andeconomic,environmentaland
vii
viii Foreword
social issues. A teacher expands the scope of learner’s understanding and outlook
beyond boundaries of the local classroom, as students learn about pluralism and
diversity. Global teaching facilitates an open-minded approach; it implements les-
sonsthatillustratetheperspectiveofotherpeopleintheworldthatmaynothavethe
sameculturalvaluesandtraditionsasthestudents.Itisimportanttolearnaboutother
cultures to gain a deeper understanding of how to approach global issues and
communicatemoreeffectively.Astheworldbecomesmoreinterconnected,teachers
are diversifying their approach to education. Today, global teaching is applied not
onlyintheclassroom,butonsocialmediaplatformswhichexposestudentstoalarge
and diverse population of ideas and cultures.
Global teacher education is an emerging concept impacting on the manner in
which teaching and teacher education are perceived and organized with a
cross-cultural perspective. Teacher education needs to be viewed in a continuum
from initial teacher preparation, i.e., pre-service training, to induction training that
bridges the gaps in the pedagogy practices learnt in simulated and supportive
environmenttothoseintherealityofcontextsatalllevelsandmodesofeducation
followedbycontinuousprofessionaldevelopmentthatsharpensandstrengthensthe
previous learning and updates with the novel skills in the profession supporting
teachers in all aspects of the teaching profession throughout one’s career.
International policy documents have been stressing the global concern on the
scope and quality of teacher education, in terms of amending their contents,
delivery and effectiveness to the requirements of current societal demands.
UNESCO’s policy development guide on teachers recommends minimum
requirements to enter teacher training, as well as relevant curriculum contents and
practicumperiodsleadingtoqualification.Thisguide alsomentionsthepossibility
of carrying out a probationary period before certification or licensing and recog-
nizesthepotentialcontributionofnon-statepartnersinteachertraining.Inasimilar
line of argumentation, the main international teachers’ union declared in its 6th
World Congress that teacher training should be provided at higher education
institutions and an additional phase of induction should be offered for newly
qualified teachers in recruitment.
TheSustainableDevelopmentGoals(SDGs)2030adoptedbyUNin2015form
a program of sustainable, universal and ambitious development, a program of the
people,bythepeopleandforthepeople,conceivedwiththeactiveparticipationof
UNESCO. Education is a human right and is considered critical for sustainable
development and peace. Every goal in the SDG Agenda requires education to
empowerpeoplewiththeknowledge,skillsandvaluestoliveindignity,buildtheir
lives and contribute to their societies. Ambitions for education are essentially
captured in Sustainable Development Goal 4 (SDG 4) of the 2030 Agenda which
aims to ‘ensure inclusive and equitable quality education and promote lifelong
learning opportunities for all’ by 2030.
The quality and capability of a teacher to effectively perform in a dynamic
socio-cultural and communication context influenced by changing digital envi-
ronmentareconsideredtobethemostcrucialfactorinfluencingtheeffectivenessof
any organized educational endeavor, and hence teacher education programs for
Foreword ix
preparing teachers for all levels and sectors of education are of utmost priority.
Thus,itisimperativefornationstoinvestinthepreparationofteachers,sothatthe
qualityandhigherpublicparticipationintheeducationareachievedandsustained.
Pre-service teacher preparation programs, also called initial teacher training or
initial teacher education, vary greatly across countries. In spite of variations,
pre-serviceteachereducationprogramsarehighlyorganizedandregulatedglobally
and considered as obligatory for school teaching. The structure, coursework and
fieldexperiencesofpre-serviceprogramsareimportanttoconsiderwhendesigning
orreformingteachertrainingbecausetheyallcontributetothelevelofpreparation.
High-quality teachers need high-quality training, but many countries may need to
consider cost-effectiveness in deciding on the specific combination of pre-service
and in-service training experiences needed in order to deploy enough teachers for
growing education systems.
Thepresentpublicationattemptstobringtogetheranumberofcasestudiesfrom
different continents with specific focus on pre-service or initial teacher education
programsfromacrosscontinents.Countriesdodifferinthedurationandstructureof
teacher education programs. However, all such programs do aim at developing
certain common competencies including competencies in school subjects, founda-
tional aspects of education, pedagogy-related theory, teaching practice and school
organization and administration. The perspectives and practices in teacher educa-
tion have been undergoing transformation influenced by major developments
happening in the larger globalized context. It would be interesting to see how
different countries have responded to the demands of globalization to what extent
the teacher education programs of these countries are reflecting the required
transformation inthecontentandteachingpractices.The case studiesareexpected
toprovideacomparativeperspectiveandsomevaluableinsightsintothechangesin
the teacher education curriculum and practices influenced by global education
perspective and agenda within the Sustainable Development Goals.
Prof. Mohan B. Menon
Former Director & Chief
UNESCO Education Programme
for Pallestine Refugees
Amman, Jordan
Former Deputy Vice-Chancellor
Wawasan Open University
George Town, Malaysia
Kochi, Kerala, India
Preface
Teachingisaprofessionthatisleastpreferredbutmostrespected.Teachersareour
last and best hope to bring transformation in the society. The Education
CommissioninIndia(KothariCommission-1964–66)hadreportedthatthedestiny
ofanynationisshapedbytheteachersintheclassrooms.Teacherscaninspireand
influence the students to learn and develop desirable personality. The National
Education Policy of India (1986) advocates that there can be no nation which can
rise above the level of its teachers. Teachers are the most important resources for
improving quality in education.
The global concern today is ‘quality education.’ The system of education is
being criticized by everyone, no matter who they are and what profession they are
engaged. Existing educational systems are properly reviewed by the stakeholders
and comment on the new systems around the world and suggest new ways of
teaching and learning. Education has become the matter for all as the impact of
education on human life and social development is unquestionable. One of the
major challenges for quality education across the world is the teacher and teacher
professional practice. The transformation in education is only possible with effec-
tive teachers and efficient educational leaders who actually perform in the grass-
roots levels. How should these role models be educated and trained? What should
bethecurriculuminputs,deliverymechanismsandqualityassurance?Thishaslong
been debated, and no perfect model was found to address this argument.
Teacher educationhasbeenunfoldingamidarange ofdevelopments associated
with globalization. Global transformations in economic, political and cul-
tural spheres, that resulted in the growing global mobility of people, the impact of
rapid technological change such as Internet access and the use of social media,
increasing knowledge and information flows as well as rapid economic changes
necessitated the development of skilled, flexible and mobile labor forces
worldwide. Thehighlymobilenatureofinformationandtechnology,madepossible
by the widespread use of the Internet, is one example of how globalization pro-
cesses have influenced higher education in general and teacher education in
specific.
xi
xii Preface
Teacher education cannot be understood without consideration of the broader
processes associated with globalization. These global transformations have influ-
enced and, to some degree, driven a range of international initiatives implemented
in teacher education including the internationalization of curricula; the growth of
international service, field and internship experiences; cross-border initiatives; and
the increasing use of English as a medium of instruction and using a comparative
and case study methodology.
The teaching profession is one of the most profound in society because it is
called upon to underline, accompany and promote the spiritual value formation of
youngpeople,theirpersonalgrowthandtransformationintohighlyeducatedpeople
adequate to meet today’s global challenges. Thus, by actively contributing to the
development of younger generations, teachers as representatives of educational
institutions, together with parents and local communities, are becoming an
instantaneousfactorinensuringthesocio-culturalreproducibilityofthesocietiesin
which we live. The quality of education depends on many determinants and
components, butundoubtedly the most important among them is thequalityof the
initial preparation. The importance of teacher education for the quality of teaching
and the learning success of students has increased significantly in recent decades.
Education, and with it the question of good teachers and their professional edu-
cation, is also given high priority in Sustainable Development Goals.
The infusion of multicultural, global and comparative education content into
teacher education programs and increasing cross-border mobility of students have
enabled the process of internationalizing the curriculum, study abroad programs,
faculty and student mobility, international research partnerships, global rankings,
and intercultural extracurricular programming.
To capture these developments, this book is planned to present the experiences
of different countries of different continents to understand in a holistic way of the
emergence of Teacher Education in Global Era to facilitate the scholars and poli-
cymakers to gain insights on global trends in teacher education.
Theauthorshavepresentedindetailthenatureofteachereducationprogramsin
their respective countries. Summarizing these models of teacher preparation pro-
grams, one can understand that each model is unique and reflects the needs and
priorities of the respective countries.
Two things make Bhutan a fascinating country to study—its unique govern-
mental philosophy known as Gross National Happiness (GNH) and its education
systemthatisarelativelyrecentphenomenonstartinginthe1950s—transitingfrom
a monastic system to a modern secular Western-style education system. The
introduction of modern education opened a new chapter in the history of learning
andscholarshipinBhutan.Itsdevelopmenttookplaceinleapsandboundsaffecting
allsectionsofthesociety,bringingaboutunprecedentedchangesinsocial,cultural,
political and economic structures in Bhutan and in particular revolutionized the
country’s education system. Additionally, the national goal of self-reliance neces-
sitated the need to nurture and support teacher training as education is a key to