Teacher education: science or art?

Abstract

While being a teacher-educator is a complex task, the mode to train teacher-educators is yet unclear. This question is even more relevant because education colleges thriving for academic accreditation recruit PhDs with no field experience. The present study examines students and faculty perceptions on the strengths and weaknesses of the learning process of student-teachers. Using qualitative research tools we found that developing a professional identity is not seen by most of the disciplineoriented lecturers as part of their role, and they also do not know how to perform it. The results emphasize the importance of an appropriate balance between the theoretical foundation and practical learning in order to provide novice teachers with the mental flexibility enabling them to act correctly and productively in complex situations that arise in the act of teaching. Further, the study offers guidelines for teacher-educators' professional training.