Innovating teacher education in a complex era

Abstract

The meteoric increase in technological advancement in the last few decades has dramatically transformed how people live their lives. Innovation is seen to be essential as it ensures sustainable growth in a knowledge-based economy and a competitive global marketplace. Consequently, enabling innovation to occur becomes of prime concern to educators and policymakers. Education for the twenty-first century is about developing multiple intelligences and this demands for a holistic education system committed to enabling a learner to achieve his/her maximum potential. The learning environment in the twenty-first century needs to encompass a multiplicity of places, ideas and people that is technologically driven and often, a virtual rather than a physical space. The responsibility for creating such an environment lies in the teacher. This paper focuses on the role that teachers play in designing a powerful learning environment to drive twenty-first century learning and how teacher education must be re-designed to bring about possibilities of innovation. Possible design features of innovative teacher education programmes are outlined, including the need for a university-based teacher education programme, a strong emphasis on values and the changing role of teachers as mediators and designers of the learning environment. In order to nurture a future generation of strong thinkers, innovative problem-solvers and responsible and active local and global citizens, teachers need to consider teaching as a high calling. Finally, the paper emphasises the need for there to be strong partnerships and systemic coherence between key stakeholders of Education in order for the innovations to bring about transformation.