Teacher Education in Taiwan

Book excerpt: Since the Teacher Education Act was in place in 1994, student teachers were educated through diverse educational institutions instead of the traditional normal schools (Taiwan’s equivalent of teachers’ colleges). But such market-based teacher education has been altered by politics, society and culture in the direction of government-controlled teacher education, particularly in the quality evaluation of teacher education. Taiwan maintains teacher education quality by controlling the number of teachers, using teacher assessment to eliminate teachers who are not up to standard, evaluating teacher education institutions, evaluating professional development of teachers to raise elementary and secondary teacher quality. This book uses Taiwan as a case study to analyze the transformation of teacher education in a country which goes through political, economic and societal transitions, along the axis of state regulation vs marketization. It analyzes the uniqueness of Taiwanese teacher education for international reference, and draws implications for teacher education policies in the context of education reform. The Formation of Two Approaches to Teacher Education Teacher Education Policy and Policy Direction in Taiwan The Ideology, Implications, Applications of Teacher Profession Standards The Teacher Education Strategic Alliances in Taiwan This book will interest policy makers, researchers and students in the field of education, especially in teacher education and comparative education.