Teacher educators' professional growth as researchers

Abstract

Promotion and tenure requirements in higher education call faculty members to invest in professional development activities continuously to achieve full mastery of skills, content, and unique features of their profession. Participation in such activities is seen as contributing to teacher educators building their professional identity as teacher education professionals, and is perceived to influence ways of teaching, and thus also students’ learning achievements. A three stage Model of Scholarly Growth - ISE presents the features of teacher educators’ conduct and activities at different stages of their career development, and their professionalization as professional researchers and as experts. The ISE Model highlights the important place of teacher educators functioning both as excellent and quality teacher educators and as expert researchers.