Reimagining teacher education in light of the teacher shortage and the aftershock of COVID-19: adjusting to a rapidly shifting world

ABSTRACT

In this article, we examine current and future challenges of the teaching profession by reimagining teacher education using Portugal and the USA (i.e. Texas) as examples. Our comparative analyses in this area began in 2016 when we discovered our common research interests and the relevance of these topics for our contexts. In this paper, we particularly focus on challenges related to i) the teacher shortage, ii) the nature of teachers’ work, iii) approaches to teacher education in the aftermath of the COVID-19 pandemic. We argue that times of crisis may present opportunities to enhance the profession, to recognise its increasingly complex and dynamic nature, and to produce solid, multifaceted knowledge of social and educational significance for the future.

KEYWORDS:

• Teacher education
• teacher shortage
• teachers’ work
• post-covid times
• comparative teacher education

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the author(s).

Additional information

Notes on contributors

Maria Assunção Flores

Maria Assunção Flores completed her doctoral studies at the University of Nottingham, UK and currently works at the University of Minho, Portugal. Her research interests include teacher professionalism and identity, teacher education and professional development, curriculum, assessment, leadership and higher education. She is the recipient of the ICET Research Award (International Council on Education for Teaching) and the Michael Huberman award (American Educational Research Association).

Cheryl J. Craig

Cheryl J. Craig is a Professor and Endowed Chair of Urban Education at Texas A&M University. She is an AERA Fellow and the recipient of outstanding career awards from AERA’s Division B (Curriculum) and Division K (Teacher Education).