Professional learning in pre-service and in-service teacher education

When specifically asked about the similarities and differences between pre-service teacher educators’ and in-service teacher educators’ jobs and functions, both groups highlighted a broadly similar range of similarities and differences. Both groups tended to describe and compare their jobs in terms of teacher education as practical activity, organisation and as content or knowledge, espcially when discussing their similarities. They talked about both groups having a common knowledge base, and especially the need to have expertise and knowledge about pedagogy and the curriculum as elements of both jobs. When discussing the differences there was consensus about what those differences might be, but also a tendency to see such differences  in the mechanical, organisational and structural aspects of the job, or the functional accountabilities involved rather than in the fundamental nature of the relationship between teacher educator and learner.

The broad conclusion drawn from the analysis of the two groups of teacher educators’ comments on the similarities and differences was that they had very similar visions of what they would like their roles, practices, prioritiies, mentoring/pedagogical ‘styles’ and relationships with their teacher-learners ideally to be, but that quite different sets of institutional and professional ‘culture’ enablers and constraints operated on those roles, practices, pedagogies, priorities and relationships. They were basically doing the same job, and holding similar values and philosophies, but in different organisational and operational contexts.