As we move from a period of “teacher training,” characterized by approaches that view teacher preparation as familiarizing student teachers with techniques and skills to apply in the classroom, to “teacher education,” characterized by approaches that involve teachers in developing theories of teaching, understanding the nature of teacher decision making, and strategies for critical self-awareness and self-evaluation, it is time for us to reassess current practices and issues in teacher training education and development.
An overview of recent studies shows that there has been less emphasis on prescriptions and top-down directives and more emphasis on an inquiry-based and discovery-oriented approach to teacher training and education. In addition, there seems to be an agreement that teachers and student teachers need to adopt a research orientation to their own classrooms and teaching to improve themselves as teachers.