1 IntroductionWhy educate teachers?

David T. HansenTeachers College, Columbia University

Every philosophy of teacher education presupposes underlying assumptions about teach-ing and education. These assumptions are not easy to keep in view. As every seasonedteacher educator can attest, the work is all-encompassing, sometimes exhaustively so.The press of time, of building programs, of dealing with bureaucracies, of endless meet-ings with collaborators, of countless hours with candidates, of getting from one school toanother, of applying for grants, and more, can make philosophical reflection seem like aremote luxury, perhaps for sabbatical or a weekend retreat. Moreover, the politicizedenvironment surrounding teacher education generates anxiety, anger, distraction, andconfusion. The environment places relentless pressure on teacher educators to showcaseand defend their work, however experimental and in transition it may properly be(because dedicated teacher educators, like good teachers everywhere, are constantly seek-ing to improve their work, it often has an experimental character). This pressure can leadteacher educators to dig in their heels and dogmatically cling to particular values andaims, rather than to subject them to ongoing criticism and judgment. All of these factorsmilitate against calm, tenacious, and honest reflection on purpose.

Even in settled moments it is not easy to return to one’s philosophical starting points.And yet, this kind of inquiry can be a source of immense intellectual satisfaction andpersonal growth. On the one hand, it can trigger fresh, revitalized thinking for programs,policies, and practices. On the other hand, it can spin out new and stronger threads forthe fabric of one’s work as a teacher educator. The effort to philosophize makes itpossible to articulate why teacher education is worthwhile. It positions teacher educatorsto gauge whether their views and values have matured over time. Such inquiry makes itpossible to consider alternative outlooks, an experience that in itself can have significantconsequences for educational thought and action.

The goal of this section of the handbook is to undertake an intellectual excavation.The authors of the chapters that follow identify bedrock values that underlie the statedpurposes of teacher education most prominently in circulation today. The authors alsodescribe additional values, outlooks, and programmatic approaches that might be ofservice to teacher educators as they ponder their reasons for being. All three authors arephilosophers of education who have played sometimes intensive roles in the practicalwork of teacher education. As they elucidate concepts and ideas, they aspire to be critical,clear, and analytic. Their concerns and values will be apparent, even as they seek to keepopen to question their own assumptions and those that characterize the current ethos inteacher education.

In Chapter 2, I discuss the educational values of (1) preparation for productive life, (2)academic learning, (3) human development, and (4) social justice, with the latter some-times associated with multiculturalism, at others with civic and democratic education.I identify core meanings that advocates perceive in these values, and I raise questions