Abstract:
Teacher education is more popular than ever as a career and employment rates for Australian graduate teachers are increasing. The impact of globalisation, however, disturbs any sense complacency. Teacher education in Australia continues to be under challenge from the inevitable disruptions created by yet another round of government reviews as well as the emergence of dynamic developments in schooling. The paper will argue against defensiveness as a strategy for teacher education in asserting its active place in higher education. It will outline a proposal for reform which locates teacher education within the reflexive relationships of student teachers and school students, their teachers and with teacher educators. Reconstructing teacher education so that its primary goal is the learning of school students will establish the school-university partnership as a powerful, institutionally reflexive actor in the proposition of new educational policy and organisational techniques. Reformed teacher education will result from the application of the theoretical understanding often derided in the good humoured dig at teacher educators, 'those who can't teach, teach teachers!' If framed by Bernstein's cautionary analysis of curriculum forms and power, theory can initiate teacher education characterised by the agency of 'those who can, do!'