Center for Educational Policy Studies Journal (Dec 2014)
The European Teacher: Transnational Perspectives in Teacher Education Policy and Practice
Abstract
The future role of teachers in Europe will contribute to raising the awareness of a new expectation of what it means to be a “European Teacher”. If there is unity in diversity through national identities, the question remains: what makes a teacher “European”? Answering this unusual question, one encounters several aspects that have strong national traits of what it means to teach in a particular country (e.g. political culture), which still does not enable teachers to easily move their employment from one country to another because of differences in career structure, teacher education, selection and recruitment, etc. However, there are many similarities in general teacher competences that are required throughout Europe and beyond. This paper looks at teacher professionalism from various perspectives, attempts to discern the “Europeanness” in teachers’ work and mobility as a goal, and highlights particular policy development areas necessary to stimulate further discussions. The depiction of a European Doctorate in Teacher Education concludes the paper.
