Two working groups are to be set up to examine the education of primary and post-primary teachers in Ireland, the Minister for Education and Science, Mr Micheal Martin, announced yesterday.
He was officially opening the 23rd annual conference of the Association for Teacher Education in Europe (ATEE) at Mary Immaculate College, Limerick. More than 300 delegates from 30 European countries, the US and Australia are this week discussing the challenges which face both teachers and teacher educators as the new millennium approaches.
A review of training for second-level teachers is to be chaired by Prof Kieran Byrne, vice-president of the University of Limerick. Dr Thomas Kelleghan, director of the Education Research Centre, Dublin, will head a working group looking at primary teacher education.
The post-primary working group will carry out a review and make recommendations within six months on the content, organisation and structure - including teaching practice - of programmes in teacher education.
The working group on primary teacher education will also report to the Minister within six months on the content - including teaching practice - of the bachelor of education programme for teachers.
Mr Martin said the world in which teachers worked was changing all the time and the challenges faced by teachers continued to evolve.
"Adapting to meet these challenges is an essential part of the professionalism which I believe makes the teaching profession in this country so widely respected and acknowledged for its contribution. The particular challenge to those involved in teacher education to evolve and adapt is just as crucial."
In a special message relayed by video to the delegates, the world-acclaimed violinist, Yehudi Menuhin, spoke of the need to review the whole concept of teaching. "The senses have been coarsened by modern living and it is important that we teach teachers to re-educate the senses. The teacher should be a creator, a craftsperson and someone who can inspire his or her class."
The theme of the conference is "Teacher Education in the 21st Century" and a keynote paper will be delivered today by Prof Bob Moon, of the UK Open University, on "Teacher Education in Europe: New Visions and New Ambitions".