The role of general education in teacher education

Abstract

Teacher education aims at good teaching. However, research findings concerning good teaching and good teachers are ambiguous. The paper reflects on the Finnish curriculum for teacher education. In this curriculum, there are two levels, one focussing on a basic domain of teacher education, i.e. methodology, subject matter instruction, pedagogical content knowledge et cetera. This level is enriched by a second level which is identified as general teacher education. In this respect, teacher education focuses on the intricate mix of normative and descriptive elements in the interaction between teaching and learning, on the combination of declarative and procedural knowledge and their relation to professional beliefs and attitudes, on ethics of education et cetera. For both levels, it is assumed that instruction should be research-based, and that a research-based approach should be practiced for everyday teaching as well. Practice teaching, therefore, is closely linked to curriculum studies, to teacher research (in the German sense of Lehrerforschung durch die Lehrerinnen und Lehrer, not in the American sense of teacher research), and educational theory.