Inservice education

Teacher education during the last decade cannot be accurately characterized in simple terms. It is readily apparent, however, that it has experienced the growing pains of a developing profession. As a result, it has been inundated with new approaches, techniques, strategies, and jargon. As would be expected, critics have flourished during this period which has seen teacher education respond to the innovative era of the mid-sixties and to more recent calls for relevance and accountability. While significant improvements and changes have been made, teacher education has been preoccupied with its preservice function. This is not a startling proclamation nor is it an unexpected focus because the demands in this function, until recently, have been beyond the capabilities of teacher preparation institutions. It is interesting to note, however, that inservice education has received new impetus, particularly during the seventies. This leads to some interesting questions. Why is inservice education a new developing thrust? How can it be made an integral component of teacher education? What relationship does it have to the preservice function? What are the major characteristics of inservice education? What does it take to make it work? The responses to these questions provide the basic context for this article. Inservice Education: Why Now

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