Towards an ‘international forum for teacher educator development’: an agenda for research and action

Abstract

The outcomes of an international collaborative project are presented, involving experienced teacher educators and researchers from eight different countries, who engaged in a series of structured discussions on the professional development of teacher educators. We start with an overview of the needs in practice and policy, as well as the research interests, making structured opportunities for teacher educator development necessary. As a first outcome, we present a model to conceptualise teacher educator development, grounded in a study of the international literature and the systematic critical discussion of its findings by the participants in the project. The model facilitates international (research) collaboration, mapping and guiding initiatives in policy and practice by providing both an overview of the complexities of teacher educator development and a language to discuss them. The second –structural- outcome is the establishment of InFo-TED – the International Forum for Teacher Educator Development.