Teacher Education and Its Discontents

Book excerpt: This unique collection of essays from researchers and teacher educators from around the world presents innovative approaches to education theory, critical policy analyses, de-colonializing reformulations of teacher education and a “standard of dissensus” for teacher education. This first volume from the International Teacher Education Research Collective (ITERC) illustrates common themes and problems in the politics of education, in particular, standardization, marketization, governance and policy in education, with both country-specific cases and generally formulated theoretical discussions. The book has three primary aims: to illustrate and critique the ethical, epistemological and political discourses shaping teacher education; to identify and unravel the entanglements of politics, knowledge and ethics in teacher education in a range of international settings; and to revitalize teacher education by proposing and exploring alternative modes of thought and practice. The volume contributes to further reflection and in-depth discussion in education, to the formulation of new areas for educational research and to critical resistance to hegemonic discourses of education. Making an important contribution to contemporary education discourse, this book is a useful guide for education researchers and theorists, teacher educators and postgraduate and higher degree research students in education.