“Reforming Teaching and Teacher Education” Book Discussion

The Department of Teacher Education and Learning Sciences will host a book discussion with the editors of “Reforming Teaching and Teacher Education: Bright Prospects for Active Schools” Monday, Feb. 27, 1-2 p.m in Poe 512.

The visiting scholars and editors are Dr. Eija Kimonen of the University of Eastern Finland and Dr. Raimo Nevalainen of the University of Jyväskylä, Finland. Dr. Sarah J. Carrier and Dr. Kathryn T. Stevenson authored the book’s third chapter on outdoor education.

A synopsis of the book

What are the prerequisites for reforming education, and how can these reforms be seen in school development and culture? How should teacher education support this reform process? What are the principles and questions are examined in this unique volume.

The authors in this book argue that the central function of teacher education and education in general is to respond to the challenges brought on by the twenty-first century. According to this approach, the competencies and skills needed in the future are not merely a new addition to school activities, but rather something requiring a comprehensive reform of school culture encompassing teacher education, curricula, and teaching methods. Such a fundamental process of change in the action and thinking models used by schools would be an effort to achieve a complete transformation, the result of which would be schools developing into organizations that are both creative and imbued with a strong sense of community.

A central attribute is that the creation of new knowledge is not just restricted to the classroom but also takes place in out-of-school environments. This would link learning to its natural context, eventually leading to an ideal instruction that is actively problem oriented, holistic, and life centered.