Teacher Educators and the Practical Component In Teacher Education

Abstract

The aim of the research was to identify the characteristics of the roles and work of teacher educators responsible for the practical component in teacher education. The research was conducted as a narrative case study by collecting the narratives of a veteran teacher educator who served as pedagogical instructor, responsible for the teaching practice. The conclusions call for pedagogical instructors to form solid professional world-views in order to ensure that their performance will be professional; they should possess specific skills, engage in perpetual study, and demonstrate a mastery of the latest pedagogical instruction theories. Furthermore, they should function competently in two diverse work environments, namely, the school, which is the practice field, and the teacher education institution. These characteristics imbue pedagogical instruction with the status of a profession, and the teacher educators with the status of expert professionals.

Keywords: teacher education, practice, pedagogical instruction, teacher educator