Teacher education

Teacher education refers to the policies and procedures designed to equip prospective
teachers with the knowledge, attitudes, behaviors and skills they require to perform their
tasks effectively in the classroom, school and wider community.
Teacher education is often divided into:
initial teacher training / education (a pre-service course before entering the classroom as
a fully responsible teacher); induction (the process of providing training and support during the first few years of
teaching or the first year in a particular school); teacher development or continuing professional development (CPD) (an in-service process for
practicing teachers). The process of mentoring is also relevant.
There is a longstanding and ongoing debate about the most appropriate term to describe these
activities. The term 'teacher training' (which may give the impression that the activity
involves training staff to undertake relatively routine tasks) seems to be losing ground to
'teacher education' (with its connotation of preparing staff for a professional role as a
reflective practitioner)