A Cultural Analysis of Trends and Directivity of U.S. Teacher Education and Educational Research : What Can We Learn from There?(International Symposium 2)

Abstract

This paper first introduces a set of recent trends of U.S. teacher education and educational research, and then discusses its directivity and structural issues that underlie the trends. Historically speaking, teacher education in the U.S. has dynamically shifted its focus as it involved a number of new initiatives and explorations to meet diverse needs of the dynamically changing society. This paper discusses some of the most important trends and discussions in U.S. teacher education and educational research, from which it points to meaningful educational and policy implications for future educational research, teacher education and subject education in Japan and other cultures.