Toward Student-Centered Teacher Education Programs

Abstract

The impetus for this conceptual article was the authors’ reflections on their experiences as teachers and teacher educators in various Asian countries (China, Indonesia, Malaysia, Japan, Philippines, Singapore, and Vietnam), combined with their support for Social-Cognitive Theory and student-centered learning. Of course, great variations exist within and between countries in terms of development programs for educators. The present article examines actions by lecturers, policy makers, and other stakeholders which might enhance teacher education by helping it evolve to be more student-centered, thereby better preparing teachers to be lifelong learners and for those teachers to use a student-centered approach with their own students. These actions involve five possible areas: (1) students doing more research; (2) increasing learners’ roles in course design; (3) going beyond basic teaching skills and the basic curriculum; (4) building the social side of learning; and (5) searching for new knowledge and learning tools.