Reconceptualizing the practice of teacher preparation: On not throwing out the concurrent model with the reform bathwater

In this article I call for a reconceptualization of practice in Canadian teacher preparation programs around the concurrent model. My criticism is not against consecutive programs per se, but against the American-influenced reform thinking that uncritically presumes the dominance of the consecutive model. I argue that teacher preparation must be located in collaborative partnerships between faculties of education and the field on the one hand, and between faculties of education and university faculties of arts and science on the other, and that such an arrangement calls for a reconceptualization of teacher preparation. I further argue that, provided faculties of education grasp the opportunity and reconceptualize both their mission and preparation programs in this way, Canadian teacher educators could lead the way in efforts to revitalize teacher preparation around the world. My purpose is twofold: to show how a reconceptualization of teacher preparation will involve partnerships around interdisciplinary study and teacher research in a reconceptualized concurrent preparation program bringing together discipline-based and practical knowledge, involving (a) the engagement of preservice teachers in action research into dilemmas of teaching, and (b) the rigorous integration of liberal arts and sciences with professional pedagogy.