Teacher Education for the Changing Demographics of Schooling: Pathways for Future Research

In this chapter we reflect on the contributions made by our contributing authors and the stakeholders who participated in a UK Economic and Social Research Council seminar series, Teacher education and the changing demographics of schooling, designed to consider these questions in support of developing an agenda for future research in the field. Drawing on research in various areas of diversity, as well as teacher education more generally, the seminar series positioned a broad concept of diversity within the larger frame of research and policy on teacher education. Six seminars addressed issues of inclusive pedagogical practice and teacher agency across a series of topics. They considered how teacher education could be strengthened by reframing the issue of diversity as one of multiple overlapping identities relevant to each and every student in school rather than as unitary markers of identity (e.g. bilingual or disabled) for some. Discussions and key questions were summarised in a set of briefing papers produced after each seminar (http://www.ed.ac.uk/education/rke/centres-groups/rten/esrc-te-seminars). In the sections below we synthesise the issues raised across the seminars in order to outline some pathways for future research.