Innovations in Teacher Education: A Social Constructivist Approach Alice Schutz

The intention of this book is “to propose certain goals and standards for pre-service education, and continue a conversation about directions for our field” (Beck & Kosnik, 2006, p. 5). The authors believe that social constructivism can provide an important, practical direction for achieving such meaningful and practical goals and standards. They see social constructivism, not only as a theoretical construct, but passionately advocate its use as a strategy for addressing educational problems such as the gap between university culture and the classroom and between academic knowledge and popular culture. They also believe that the implementation of social constructivism can address the attrition rate of teachers, the drain of resources by universities, and the enhancement of the profession. This is a tall order but the authors have provided theoretical as well as practical ways in which this focus can make a significant contribution to these areas.