The Many Meanings of Practice-Based Teacher Education: A Conceptualization of the Term

eacher education has received increased attention in recent decades and is not only well recognized, but also criticized. Critics argue that teacher education is fragmented and disconnected to practice. Globally, policymakers and scholars emphasize the importance of grounding teacher education more profoundly in practice, but although the terms practice and practice-based are extremely prevalent in teacher-education literature, the terms remain vague. This book chapter conceptualizes the idea of “practice-based teacher education” into four approaches – expertise, reflective, action research, and enactment – and discusses their theoretical grounding and pedagogical implications. By systematizing the field of theory and practice in practice-based teacher Teducation, this chapter contributes to reducing the complexity and vagueness of the concept, thereby nurturing a more specific and precise language and terminology when discussing the many meanings of practice-based teacher education.