Innovations in Teacher Education: A Social Constructivist Approach

Presents key principles of teacher education and concrete examples from successful programs.

This book offers a comprehensive, "social constructivist" approach to preservice education. Written in a clear, accessible style, it presents key principles of teacher education and concrete examples from eight successful programs in Australia, Canada, and the United States. It extends constructivism beyond Piaget and Vygotsky to more recent theorists such as Barthes and Derrida, indicating how such an approach can lead to engaging, effective education. Clive Beck and Clare Kosnik advocate an approach to teacher education that is highly original, linking integration, community components, and inquiry to a degree not commonly found in preservice programs, and they show in detail how to implement these elements.

At the Ontario Institute for Studies in Education (OISE) at the University of Toronto, Clive Beck is Professor of Education. Clare Kosnik is Associate Professor of Education at OISE and is currently the Executive Director of the Teachers for a New Era project at Stanford University. Their books include Making a Difference in Teacher Education through Self-Study: Studies of Personal, Professional, and Program Renewal.