Teacher Education in Plural Societies

The educational implications of cultural pluralism attracted a good deal of attention in Western societies in the 1970s and 1980s, on the grounds of equality and human rights, maximising national talent, and maintaining social cohesion. Maurice Craft and the international contributors to this book highlight the potential of teacher education, and in this wide-ranging analytical review for its key role in providing for ethnic minority children, in respect of access and achievements, and also for all children to acquire informed and tolerant attitudes. This book makes an important contribution to a small but growing literature, concentrating on initial rather than in-service teacher education, and it brings together papers from experienced specialists from eleven countries worldwide: Australia, Britain, Canada, Israel, Malaysia, Northern Ireland, South Africa, Spain, Sweden, The Netherlands and the USA. The papers are concerned with the needs both of diverse classrooms and diverse societies, and also consider general principles and comparative perspectives. Of interest to the specialist and non-specialist alike, Teacher Education in Plural Societies: An International Review deals with an important and timely issue – how best to prepare teachers to meet the needs of both minority – and majority – culture pupils who are growing up in plural societies.

Examining initial rather than in-service teacher education, this book looks at ways of educating teachers faced with a multicultural classroom audience. It analyzes the role of teacher education in providing for ethnic minority children, considering access and achievement and the necessity for all children to acquire informed and tolerant attitudes. Authors write from the perspectives of countries which are in the early stages of social policy in this area, where policy is ongoing, and where policy is weakening. The focus is on diverse classrooms, rather than diverse societies.