Teacher education in the Latin American region: an unfinished business - Beatrice Avalos

This article will consider some of the issues faced by the teacher education systems of Latin America, from the perspective of the frames that affect their development. It begins with a description of the systems of teacher education: requirements, types, length of training and institutionalization. Then, using the concept of 'school grammars', it considers the lingering effect of the 'normal school' tradition versus the 'higher education' or university tradition on the modes in which teacher education is organized, delivered and valued. The article considers the match between the structures of the educational system and the structures of teacher education using some country examples, as well as the ways in which teacher education is regulated and monitored. Assuming that the condition of teachers does affect how the profession and teacher education are perceived, the article refers to how recent studies explore this condition. In the concluding section, the article considers some of the policy frameworks and their intended effects on the improvement of teacher education in the Latin American region.
From: SARE, Vol. 14 no. 1/2 (2008)