Reimaging Pre-Service Teachers? Practical Knowledge: Designing Learning for Future (China Perspectives)

Drawing from the discourse of practice-oriented teacher education, this book investigates the state of pre-service teachers’ practical knowledge in mainland China, providing insights into the reform of initial teacher education programmes for teacher educators.

Conducting empirical studies at a university in Beijing, involving 400 pre-service teachers, the author investigates factors influencing pre-service teachers’ practical knowledge. Five innovative methodologies, namely concept mapping, visual metaphors, video analysis, epistemic network analysis, and formative interventions are employed to make pre-service teachers’ practical knowledge visible, helping to increase our theoretical understanding of practical knowledge and proposing practical guidelines for the reorganisation of initial teacher education.

While the study is grounded in mainland China, the methodological thinking and theoretical discussions can inspire international scholars and teacher educators, and therefore contribute to the global reform of teacher education.

Ge Wei is Associate Professor and Director of Research Centre for Children and Teacher Education, Capital Normal University, China. His research interests centre on teacher education, teaching, and learning. He has published a monograph about teacher practical knowledge (Education Science Press, 2020).