Reimagining Teacher Expertise

Internationally, teacher education is facing many changes and challenges. In a rapidly changing world, teachers need an increasingly broad range of skills and expertise to act appropriately and in an innovative way. The development of student teachers’ expertise in the context of higher education is a topical and central issue. Building expertise is identified in a previous study as a process with four dimensions: theoretical, conceptual, and factual knowledge; practical and experiential knowledge; self-regulatory knowledge; and socio-cultural knowledge. The key objectives of teacher education are the development of student teachers’ expertise in their field and the acquisition of a lifelong learning attitude and expertise. This study examines the perceptions and visions of student teachers about future teacher education and expertise. The data consists of focus group interviews with classroom student teachers (N = 35). The analysis of the qualitative data was theory-driven and followed the dimensions of expertise identified in previous research. The results indicate that student teachers possess a broad understanding of teaching expertise, emphasizing theoretical, practical, and socio-cultural knowledge. They value educational renewal, individuality, community, and experiential learning, while acting as teachers who develop and innovate. This research will help to reform teacher training while demonstrating that student teachers have an important role to play as innovators and experts in their profession.