Thinking and acting both locally and globally: new issues for teacher education

Abstract

Over the course of education’s history, there have been four key shifts in the way in which education has been seen and organised. These are identified as Thinking and Acting Individually, Thinking and Acting Locally, Thinking Nationally and Acting Locally, and Thinking Internationally and Acting Locally. Each shift has seen a new set of imperatives for schools and teacher education. These changes now seem to be coming more frequently and the paper argues that, since we still have not achieved a quality education for all students, one further shift is needed, to Thinking and Acting both Globally and Locally. Such a move has implications for educational policy, and for both school and classroom practice. In turn, this shift identifies implications for the education of teachers and school leaders. The paper identifies what some of these changes might be and what teacher education needs to do to prepare teachers and school leaders for an increasingly complex future.

Keywords:

• teacher education
• school leadership
• educational change
• global thinking
• teacher capability
• leadership styles

Acknowledgements

This paper is based on a keynote speech given at the Universities’ Council for the Education of Teachers at Hinckley on 12 November 2010.