Pre-service Teacher Training Programs: Outcomes of recent reforms and new trends towards effective professional training

Abstract

The key question in this report is the following: Given the current state of knowledge and the experience of over a decade of teacher training reform in North America, how can we design and implement, in education faculties and/or departments, pre-service teacher training programs that are fully appropriate to the needs and realities of today’s classroom training, and therefore that reflect the roles and competencies required today of teaching practitioners at the elementary and secondary levels? To answer that question, our group of researchers focused on a multidisciplinary angle, including the latest research in the various scientific disciplines that have in recent years addressed the issue of teacher training programs. Methodologically, the report takes into account four fundamental dimensions of the curriculum, highlighted by research: 1. the institutional environment and program resources; 2. program content and the underlying epistemological concepts; 3. training systems and processes; 4. and finally, expected competencies and program evaluation. For each dimension, our research and review of official literature allows us to present convincing findings on what we know today about creating, implementing and managing effective pre-service teacher training programs. We have also taken the opportunity to highlight certain themes and issues that we feel ought to be studied in greater depth.