Preparing Teachers as Democratic Professionals

Abstract: In this talk, I will assess the current condition of teacher education in the U.S., examine several possibilities for its future, and argue for the growth of hybrid teacher education programs that involve authentic collaboration among college, university, or independent program staff and faculty, P-12 educators and leaders, local teacher unions, and families and local communities. I also will argue for the concept of democratic professionals as a frame for the kind of teachers to be prepared in this new less hierarchical and more democratic space. I will illustrate my vision for the future of U.S. teacher education with existing examples of programs that reflect various elements of my vision. I will also discuss a few policies that would support the enactment of this vision on a larger scale.

Bio: Ken Zeichner is the Boeing Professor of Teacher Education at the University of Washington-Seattle and Professor Emeritus in the Department of Curriculum and Instruction at the University of Wisconsin-Madison. He is a member of the National Academy of Education and a Fellow of the American Educational Research Association, and has received Lifetime Achievement awards from the Association of Colleges for Teacher Education and Division K of the American Educational Research Association. Zeichner’s work focuses on issues of teaching and teacher education in the U.S., and internationally in countries like Namibia, Canada, China, and Thailand where he has done research. He is the author of Teacher Education and the Struggle for Social Justice (Rutledge, 2009) and The Struggle for the Soul of Teaching and Teacher Education (Rutledge, 2017).