Embracing the Social and the Creative: New Scenarios for Teacher Education

The guiding idea of this book concerns the nature of teacher education in the future, viewing the understanding of the history of teacher education in different context as the basis for future development. Special emphasis is given to matters of race and gender as well as on the special status and roles of teacher education in a globalized, uncertain, and anxiety-ridden world. Viewing teacher education as drama provides lenses and insights for the construction of teacher education. The book is divided into two parts. Part I is entitled Teacher education in the service of change. This part presents cases of the role of teacher education in reform movements in different cultures, and the impact of social changes across time on teacher education. Part II, A look into the future: societal issues in teacher education, focuses on several critical societal issues such as racism, feminism and environmental sustainability.

Table of Contents:
Contents Foreword Acknowledgements Introduction PART I: Teacher Education in the Service of Change 1. General Issues in Teacher Education Lilian G. Katz 2. History, Policy, and the Professional Lives of Teacher Educators in England David Crook and Gary McCulloch 3. Three Decades of Teacher Education in Israel and Their Impact on the Professional Development of Teacher Educators Yuval Dror 4. Teacher-Educators in the Midst of Scottish Educational Reform Sally Brown 5. Teacher Educators as Agents of Change: A Hong Kong Perspective Teresa Tsui-san NG, John Chi-Kin LEE and Chun Kwok LAU PART II: A Look into the Future: Societal Issues in Teacher Education 6. Teacher Education as Drama: Possible Roles for Teacher Educators Miriam Ben-Peretz and Efrat Toov Ward 7. Feminine Culture and Teacher Education Michal Zellermayer and Esther Herzog 8. Preparing Teachers for Teaching Dilemmas Raised by Race and Racism: One Case Example of Teacher Education for Social Justice Anna E. Richert and Colette Rabin 9. Environmental Education for Sustainability as Values Education- The Challenge for Teacher Educators Sara Pe’er, Bela Yavetz and Daphne Goldman 10. Teacher Education for the 21st Century: Are We Preparing Teachers for Obsolete Schools? Debbie Samuels-Peretz About the Contributors Index

About the Author :
Miriam Ben-Peretz, PhD, is professor emeritus at the faculty of education, University of Haifa, Israel. She has served as the head of the Department of Teacher Education and Dean of the School of Education, University of Haifa. Her research interests are curriculum studies, teacher education, professional development and policy-making in education. Among her books: The Teacher-Curriculum Encounter: Freeing Teachers from the Tyranny of Texts (SUNY, 1990) and Learning from Experience: Memory and the Teacher's Account of Teaching (SUNY, 1995). Her latest book is entitled Policy Making in Education: A Holistic Approach in Response to Global Changes (Rowman & Littlefield, 2009). Received the Lifetime Achievement Award, Division B, Curriculum Studies, of the American Educational Research Association (1997). Recipient of the Israel Prize for Research in Education (2006). She is the recipient of the American Educational Research Association, Division K, Legacy Award and an Honorary Fellow of the Open University of Israel (2012). Sara Kleeman completed her PhD at the Institute of Education, University of London in 1999 and became the head of the Elementary Teachers' Department at Oranim. She serves as the head of the Center of Resource, Consultation and Training at Oranim Academic College and as a Coordinator of the Pedagogical Instruction specialization at the MOFET Institute. She is currently focused on the issue of professional development of teacher educators at Oranim and the MOFET Institute, as a researcher and lecturer. Rivka Reichenberg completed her PhD at the School of Education, Bar – Ilan University in Israel (1996). She has served as the Head of Special Education Department at Beit-Berl Academic College of Education, as a senior lecturer and researcher. Her research interests are teaching and teacher education, induction and professional development. She presently serves as the head of the Pedagogical Instruction and Mentoring Specialization Program in Mofet Institute, focusing on the issue of professional development of teacher educators in the colleges and in the Mofet Institute as a lecturer and researcher. Sarah Shimoni, PhD, is a teacher educator and a counselor in research methods and academic writing. Dr. Shimoni is a lecturer at the Levinsky School for graduate studies and does editing work for the MOFET Publishing House in Tel Aviv, Israel. Her research interests are: teachers' and teacher educators' professional development, professional discourse and inclusion of children with learning difficulties in the general education system.

Review :
The education of teachers has always presented problems. The essays in this book address the issue in terms of the educational needs of the 21st century. In the first section, contributors review some of the challenges and proposed changes in the US, UK, Israel, Scotland, and Hong Kong. The second section of the book addresses issues more broadly, such as feminine culture, racism, and environmental education. Educating both new and experienced teachers in the role of technology as an educational tool is acknowledged as necessary. Balancing content and methodology in educating teachers is a long-standing problem. There is recognition throughout the book about the differing needs of teachers throughout their professional careers. Beginning teachers seem to need practical, classroom-oriented learning; more-experienced professionals require a more theoretical and ethical approach. The most informative parts of the book are the examples of specific educational dilemmas. The authors stress the importance of collaboration among elementary schools, secondary schools, and higher education institutions as well as the importance of lifelong learning for teachers. The problem of educational funding is continuously mentioned and hovers over every innovative idea. Summing Up: Recommended. Research and professional collections. At last we have a comprehensive book about teacher education in different cultures and countries around the world and a marvelous compendium of teaching approaches, beliefs and knowledge as well as an approach to the future of teaching. This is a must read for all those concerned with elevating teacher quality to its proper focus—how to educate great teachers! Miriam Ben-Peretz has assembled an impressive range of international contributors in one of the best edited collections on the roles and practices of teacher educators. Focusing on their work as agents of change dedicated to building a strong, high quality teaching profession in times of change, this is a must read for all who care about education. Adopting an ample international perspective, and stressing the professional development of teacher educators as critical to the quality of education, Embracing the Social and the Creative: New Scenarios for Teacher Education offers a broad, in-depth examination of the dynamic and multifaceted complexities inherent in the roles of teacher educators in different countries, contexts and cultures. Conceptually and empirically grounded, each chapter provides a critical analysis and discussion of relevant burning issues related to teacher educators’ professional learning and development. The book succeeds in drawing together a vast scholarship of research, illuminating on current dialogues in the field from a wide spectrum of international contributions from Europe, Australia, Hong Kong, North America and Israel. As such, it is an excellent, comprehensive resource for scholars, researchers and teacher educators.