Collaborative Teacher Educator Professional Development in Europe: Different Voices, One Goal

• In Event: Roundtable Session 19
  In Roundtable Session: International Collaboration in Self-Study

Abstract

In 2013 we co-founded the International Forum for Teacher Educator Development (InFo-TED). Coming from four different countries, we look into our personal and collective motivation and learning during Info-TED’s first two years, and discuss what these can mean for others.
To do so, a collaborative self-study approach was applied. We found four shared personal features, of which the first was genuinely wanting to strengthen teacher educators’ professionalism and identities and to empower teacher educators. The analysis also disclosed three central themes across the four countries that require InFo-TED’s attention in the professional development of teacher educators. Our main recommendation for other communities of teacher educators is to acknowledge and productively use the tension between being different and developing common goals.

Authors

• Kari Smith, Norwegian University of Science and Technology

• Ruben Vanderlinde, Ghent University

• Mieke L. Lunenberg, VU University Amsterdam

• Jean M.F. Murray, University of East London