Changing patterns of teacher education in Australia

This paper is designed to portray the historical development of teacher education in Australia. The paper is presented in three parts, each of which represents a ‘turn’ in the evolution of teacher education. The first details the historical development of teacher education prior to the establishment of the first teachers college in Australia in 1850. The second relates t the training of teachers from 1850 until 1988 and a focus on the ‘craft’ of teaching. The final turn, which was initiated in 1988, illustrates the emergence of a more scholarly approach with the embedding of teacher education into universities. In conclusion, the likely future turn is explored through an articulation of the tensions that currently permeate teacher education in Australia and which threaten the quality of teacher education in the future.

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