Hanne Tack

Teacher Educators’ Professional Development: Towards a Typology of Teacher Educators’ Researcherly Disposition

ABSTRACT Since the beginning of the twenty-first century, the need for teacher educators’ – or those who teach the teachers – professional development became increasingly recognised in both policy and research literature. In this respect, a growing body of publications highly stress the teacher educators’ task of engaging in research and becoming a teacher educator-researcher. This article assumes that teacher educators’ professional development can be conceptualised as the development of a ‘researcherly disposition’. A researcherly disposition is defined as the tendency to engage in research, and involves an inclination towards research (affective aspect), an ability to engage in research (cognitive aspect) and a sensitivity for research opportunities (behavioural aspect). Twenty in-depth interviews with teacher educators were conducted and analysed in order to empirically explore the concept and assess differences in teacher educators’ researcherly disposition. The findings indicate a typology with three types of teacher educators: ‘the enquiring teacher educator’ (Type 1), ‘the well-read teacher educator’ (Type 2) and ‘the teacher educator-researcher’ (Type 3). Based on the proposed definition of a teacher educator’s researcherly disposition, each type’s disposition towards research is presented. Finally, implications for further research and for future programmes that focus on teacher educators’ professional development are discussed.

InFo-TED: bringing policy, research, and practice together around teacher educator development

This chapter is contributed by InFo-TED, the International Forum for Teacher Educator Development. This newly established community brings together people from across the world to exchange research, policy, and practice related to teacher educators’ professional learning and development. We define teacher educators broadly as those who are professionally involved and engaged in the initial and on-going education of teachers. Our contention is that while there is general agreement about the important role played by teacher educators, their professional education is under-studied and under-supported. Here, we elaborate the rationale for this initiative, delineate our conceptual framework, and provide examples of steps taken in Belgium, Ireland, and Norway to develop the professional identities and knowledge bases of those who educate and support teachers, and conclude with implications for a implications for a scholarly study agenda having to do with research, policy, and practice relating to teacher educators’ professional development.

Uncovering a hidden professional agenda for teacher educators: A mixed method study on Flemish teacher educators and their professional development

Abstract Taking into account the pressing need to understand more about what teacher educators’ professional development characterises, this article adopts a mixed method approach to explore Flemish (Dutch-speaking part of Belgium) teacher educators’ professional development needs and opportunities. Analysis results of a large-scale survey study with 611 teacher educators and analysis of five qualitative focus groups (with 24 teacher educators) are presented. The results confirm the lack of attention for teacher educators’ professional development in the Flemish teacher education system. Moreover, the findings indicate a structural need for participation in professional development activities that are linked to teacher educators’ own practices, organised as long-term sustainable professional development trajectories, and formally recognised. To conclude, a professional development agenda for research, policy and practices related to teacher educators’ professional development is discussed.

Interlude: Towards a Better Understanding of Teacher Educators’ Professional Development: Teacher Educators’ Researcherly Disposition as a Promising Concept

This chapter introduces the concept “researcherly disposition” (Tack H: Towards a better understanding of teacher educators’ professional development: theoretical and empirical insight into their researcherly disposition. Ghent University Press, Ghent, 2017) as a promising concept to enhance theoretical and empirical understanding of teacher educators’ professional development. In so doing, we first explore two important questions related to the wider debate on teacher educators’ engagement in research. The first question is related to what teacher educators’ engagement in research entails. The second question concerns why teacher educators should engage in research. Subsequently, the concept “researcherly disposition” is introduced and discussed as a means to better understand teacher educators’ professional development. Next, some reflections are formulated relevant for the larger S-STEP community. This chapter ends with a general conclusion.

Teacher educators’ professional development in Flanders: practitioner research as a promising strategy

The goal of this article is to explore a Flemish intervention designed to support teacher educators’ professional development in general, and teacher educators’ role as researchers in particular. First, the article briefly describes how teacher educators’ professional development in Flanders (Belgium) is currently organised, and elaborates on the relevance of practitioner research to support teacher educators’ professional development (conceptualised as the development of a researcherly disposition). Then the results of an explorative qualitative study are presented. In particular, 16 institution-based Flemish teacher educators participated in a six-month intervention on practitioner research specifically designed to support their professional development. Semi-structured interviews were conducted to advance insight into the impact of the intervention. The findings suggest positive changes in teacher educators’ practice and professional development; and show the potential of individual practitioner research to the broader knowledge base on teacher education