Quality Assurance and Teacher Education in Europe: Challenges and Expectations

Brian Hudson

Wednesday 25th August 2010

Joint Workshop NW 10 and NW 27

ECER 2010, University of Helsinki

How did this Workshop arise?

Network Project Funding Application to EERA Council from Teacher Education Research Network (10) and Didactics – Learning and Teaching Network (27) to support a Colloquium on “Teacher Education in Europe: The Question of Quality Assurance” in collaboration with Teacher Education Policy in Europe (TEPE) Network

Venue: School of Education, University College Dublin, 21-22 June, 2010

The aims of the colloquium included the promotion of a research agenda on quality assurance in teacher education at the European level

Teacher Education Policy in Europe Network

http://tepe.wordpress.com/

Origins of TEPE

http://tntee.umu.se/

Origins of TNTEE

TNTEE Green Paper on Teacher Education in Europe (2000)

http://tntee.umu.se/publications/greenpaper.html

Partnership with South East European Educational Cooperation Network

http://www.see-educoop.net/

Just published and freely available online – further details are at http://tepe.wordpress.com/

Quality Assurance and Teacher Education in Europe Colloquium (21-22 June 2010)

http://cms.ucd.ie/education/qualityassuranceandeuropeanteachereducationcolloquium/

Research Questions

1. What kinds of QA methods are used at a national level and what kinds of consequences do they have on objectives, contents and structures of teacher education, resources, and effectiveness?

2. What kinds of QA methods are used at a HE institutional and what kinds of consequences do they have on teacher education curriculum, organizational culture, resource allocation and infrastructure, teachers’ professional development and their competencies. 

3. How do national and institutional QA methods ensure teacher competence in certain critical areas such as active and collaborative learning and knowledge creation, ICT pedagogical applications, and inclusive education?

4. How are QA methods applied to the continuum of teacher education as life-long learning?  How are teachers’ competences supported and promoted in the induction phase and in-service training and what kinds of QA methods are used after pre-service TE?