Teacher educators as gatekeepers: Deciding who is ready to teach

Abstract

Without a doubt, the issue of teacher quality is currently one of the most pressing concerns expressed by policy makers, the media, the public at large, and by educators themselves. Within the national educational discourse, there are a multitude of opinions about how teacher quality should be defined, and these opinions are not only varied but often contradictory. We are immersed in debates regarding what teachers should know and be able to do, the qualities and preparation teachers should have, where teacher preparation should take place (if at all), and what this preparation should include—or exclude (Berry et al., 2004; Cochran-Smith, 2001b; Cochran-Smith & Fries, 2005; Lasley et al., 2002). The widespread perception that teaching ability is more innate than learned continues to fuel arguments that pedagogy is unnecessary and that good teaching relies primarily on content knowledge and “verbal ability” (Goldhaber & Brewer, 1995; Hess, 2004; Kanstroroom & Finn, 1999; U.S. Department of Education, 2002; Walsh, 2001). In contrast, others—particularly educators—are of the opinion that learning to teach is complex and difficult and requires the acquisition of specialized knowledge and professional methods through formal study and apprenticeship (Cochran-Smith, 2004; Holt-Reynolds, 1999; Monk, 1994; National Commission on Teaching and America’s Future (NCTAF), 1996, 1997; Shulman, 1987).