1st Edition
Linking Practice and Theory The Pedagogy of Realistic Teacher Education
Although the idea of the reflective practitioner is embraced by many, there is still a need to understand how teachers' practical experience and the theoretical insights of researchers can be linked in teacher education. This book offers a framework for addressing this problem. It brings together 15 years of experience in teacher education and research, based on Korthagen's concept of "realistic teacher education" which is well known in Europe and gaining interest in North America. Set up as a journey back and forth between practice and theory, this book is not only about linking them but models how it can be done, providing both practical solutions and research-based theoretical foundations. Linking Practice and Theory: The Pedagogy of Realistic Teacher Education:
* serves as a guidebook for teacher educators, with many practical ideas and guidelines;
* prepares the reader for a fundamental shift in thinking about teacher education; and
* uses an international perspective in analyzing real, practical experience in teacher education, in the Netherlands and in other countries.
Biography
Korthagen, Fred A.J.; Kessels, Jos; Koster, Bob; Lagerwerf, Bram; Wubbels, Theo
"My immediate reaction to this well researched and scholarly text was excitement at the ways in which Korthagen and his colleagues have addressed key teacher education issues that have for too long been sidelined in the research literature. Within this text, Korthagen expertly questions traditional approaches to teacher education and challenges teacher educators to pursue a more realistic approach to the preparation of beginning teachers....In getting to the heart of how teachers learn to teach, Korthagen offers a powerful way to help us not only to think more productively about the goals and purposes of teacher education but also to re-form our practice of teacher education. This book is challenging, as it requires us as teacher educators to examine critically our goals, our purposes and our practices. It should be required reading for all teacher educators."
—Teaching and Teacher Education"This is a thoughtful and engaging volume, its research-based chapters and practice-oriented chapters alternate, and the latter incorporate vivid, particularized accounts of how strategies, principles and theories have actually been fleshed out. With obvious enthusiam and wisdom, Korthagen has systematically fashioned for us the building blocks for a pedagogy of professional education, while at the same time addressing the concrete difficulties encountered in constructing such programs."
—Journal of Education for Teaching"Interesting and well structured....Provides both theoretical justifications and illustrations of practice."
—Christopher W. Day
University of Nottingham, United Kingdom"Unique...Ahead of its time....Captures the direction that research has been pointing teacher education practice....These are very competent research-practitioners who have pursued the 'realistic' perspective in their research and practice, with impressive results....It is essential that this perspective be made widely available, to challenge the teacher education community to take its own efforts seriously and to demonstrate that change is not only possible but also successful....This is a much needed book that will make a difference."
—Tom Russell
Queen's University, Canada
