This book reflects on the most appropriate methods of teacher preparation for contemporary Catholic schools and on possible contributions to wider teacher preparation from cogitating the history of the Catholic tradition. The authors offer exciting and innovative opportunities to inform contemporary practice from international examples.

The onesize-fits-all model of traditional teacher education programmes has been widely criticized, yet the most popular alternative - fast-track programs - have at best a mixed record of success. There is a third option: "grow-your-own" teacher preparation programmes tailored to specific school contexts and the needs of the populations they serve. In Inspiring Teaching, Sharon Feiman-Nemser and her colleagues investigate this "context specific" approach to teacher education.

This book charts the origins and development of teacher preparation in Scotland from 1872 onwards, covering key milestones in policy and practice, and looking ahead to the future. It is a truly comprehensive record of the historic, current and potential evolution of teacher preparation in Scotland.

This book addresses the history of teacher preparation in Northern Ireland, paying particular attention to the distinctive political and religious influences in the country and how these have impacted teacher education.

This book explores in a theoretical and practical sense the challenges and opportunities arising in the initial and ongoing formation processes for teachers in Catholic schools. It showcases a range of international perspectives on how prospective teachers for Catholic schools are prepared both academically and pastorally for their professional role. Divided into two parts, Part 1 of the book focuses on certain countries in the Anglosphere; each country with a dedicated chapter in which the academic and pastoral approaches to teacher formation are examined in the context of its particular cultural, political and religious landscape. Part 2 of the book examines specific areas of interest with particular reference to what it means for the Catholic Church’s mission to offer suitable formation to its corps of teachers. Building on the editors' previous work, this book offers a fresh perspective on this subject by bringing together observations from selected local contexts on what Catholic teacher formation looks like as a set of organised processed and structures. It also shows how the study of educational themes offers challenges to current practices, but also opportunities for fruitful engagement with other educational perspectives.

This book reflects on the most appropriate methods of teacher preparation for contemporary Catholic schools and on possible contributions to wider teacher preparation from cogitating the history of the Catholic tradition. The authors offer exciting and innovative opportunities to inform contemporary practice from international examples.