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Those who become teacher educators in the Republic of Ireland do so without any requirement to register with a professional body, without any formal period of study of the foundation disciplines of teacher education, without engagement with appropriate pedagogical strategies for teaching adults and with no formally supervised practice of teaching. This is not unique to Ireland. In almost all European countries one becomes a teacher educator without any formal qualification, preparation or induction into the role (Kosnik, 2008). Two key European Commission policy documents, The Green Paper on Teacher Education in Europe (Buchberger, Campos, Kallos & Stevenson, 2000) and Supporting Teacher Educators for Better Learning Outcomes (European Commission, 2012) have highlighted concern about the lack of training for and induction into the teacher education profession, including appropriate methodologies for working with adult learners. This module focuses on the cognitive and practical processes of transitioning from first-order to second-order practitioner, with specific emphasis on the knowledge and capabilities required.
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