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Teaching and Teacher Education pp 49–70Cite as

Palgrave Macmillan

Paradoxes in Teacher Education: Voices from the Indian Context

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Part of the book series: South Asian Education Policy, Research, and Practice ((SAEPRP))

Abstract

Indian classrooms, similar to its society, are plural, weaved by learners with distinct life-worlds derived from diverse socioeconomic, linguistic and cultural fabric. Teaching to maximize learning in such classrooms becomes a complex and demanding task for its teachers, especially in large class size situations and when additional responsibilities, either nonacademic or outdoor are allocated simultaneously. Apparently, the performance of the students at both the elementary and secondary level is not as expected and one tends to relate this to teacher performance and further implying teacher-education programs. Teacher-education programs have witnessed continuous reforms in terms of creating alternative paradigms responsive to sociocultural realities as well as global standards. It is unfortunate that these programs at some point have not been well conceptualized keeping in view the varied school contexts and multidimensional role of its teachers. This chapter primarily provides an overview of the social dynamics involved while teaching in Indian classrooms, which depends on the contexts of both learners and teachers. It underlines the discrepancies prevalent in teacher-education programs and also shares success stories of teachers who despite these discrepancies in preparation patterns and challenging contexts have succeeded in breaking social barriers and took painstaking efforts to stay committed and teach effectively in their schools. The chapter concludes with recommendations to bridge the predominant gaps in the system in order to strengthen the teacher-education programs and ultimately improve the performance of teachers.

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Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. CES, Indian Institute of Education, Maharashtra, India

    Jyoti Bawane

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  1. Jyoti Bawane
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Editors and Affiliations

  1. Setty & Associates International, Washington, DC, USA

    Rohit Setty

  2. Earth Institute, Columbia University, New York, NY, USA

    Radhika Iyengar

  3. University of Dayton, Dayton, OH, USA

    Matthew A. Witenstein

  4. University of North Carolina at Charlotte, Charlotte, NC, USA

    Erik Jon Byker

  5. Washington, DC, USA

    Huma Kidwai

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Bawane, J. (2019). Paradoxes in Teacher Education: Voices from the Indian Context. In: Setty, R., Iyengar, R., Witenstein, M.A., Byker, E.J., Kidwai, H. (eds) Teaching and Teacher Education. South Asian Education Policy, Research, and Practice. Palgrave Macmillan, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-26879-4_3

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-26879-4_3

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  • Publisher Name: Palgrave Macmillan, Cham

  • Print ISBN: 978-3-030-26878-7

  • Online ISBN: 978-3-030-26879-4

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