Developing fundamental principles for teacher education programs and practices

Korthagen et al. point out seven basic principles that could improve teacher training.

“Regarding the programs that have been successful in bringing together teaching theory and practice analysed by Korthagen et al. (2006), they point out seven basic principles that could improve teacher training.”

Theoretically based knowledge is generally traditional and university based, while experience-based knowledge is more school based and focused in and on classroom realities.

“While the theoretically based knowledge is generally traditional in nature and university based, the experience-based knowledge is more school based and more focused 'in' and 'on' classroom realities (Darling-Hammond 2006; Korthagen et al. 2006).”

Teacher educators in all three programs share the assertion that one does not learn through experience, but through reflection on experience and through interaction with others.

“'Teacher educators in all three programs share the assertion that one does not learn through experience, but through reflection on experience and through interaction with others' (Korthagen et al. 2006, 1025).”

In Korthagen et al.'s comparative study across three continents, while organisational structure was important, the central factor remains how to manage learning from practice.

“Their results show that while the organisational structure was important, the central factor still remains the question of how to manage learning from practice.”

Student teachers need opportunities to understand planning, doing, and reflecting on teaching, and to link these to the relationship between teaching and concurrent learning.

“'To fully illuminate the dynamics of a teaching situation, student teachers need opportunities to understand what is involved in planning the teaching, doing the teaching and reflecting on the teaching. Then they need to link all of these to the relationship between the teaching and the concurrent learning.'”

The amalgamation of theory and practice modalities should procure the development of a pedagogy of teacher education that is both empirically based and practically orientated.

“The amalgamation of these two modalities should procure the development of 'a pedagogy of teacher education that is both empirically based and practically orientated' (Korthagen, Loughran, and Russel 2006, 1022).”