Theme and structure

During its 2005 conference, ATEE focussed on the debate on standards for teachers, their underlying foundations and their aims, on a national and an international level. Defining explicit criteria for quality is not only important for teachers, but also for teacher educators and for institutes for teacher education. The following questions were addressed:

• What standards?
  What standards for teachers are used in different countries, what are the underlying concepts, what are the differences in standards and concepts between different countries?
• Whose standards?
  Who is involved in the development of standards, what freedom have (student)teachers in setting their own personal standards?
• What for?
  What role do the standards play in schools and teacher education? Are standards used in a static way, controlling quality of teachers and teacher education, or are they used to stimulate learning and professional development of (student)teachers, both in the curricula of teacher education and in the human development policy of schools?
• Teach what you preach!
  What standards define the quality of teacher educators? What experiences are available?

The 2005 conference programme was structured around three types of activities:

• First, there are keynotes by specialists on the opening and closing days, which elaborate on the conference theme from different viewpoints to provoke discussion. Opportunities for discussion and debate are scheduled after each keynote and will take place in random groups, with the results being presented on a poster wall.
• Second, there are four rounds of parallel sessions, in which papers will be presented. These will be presided by the RDC chairs. Based on the subjects of the papers submitted, they decide what will be the most effective form of presentation within the parallel session (round table, symposium, paper presentations, etc.). In addition there will be a poster session. Representatives from organisations working with standards for teachers and educators will also present themselves.
• Third, there will be the traditional business meetings of the RDC's, for the ongoing work on
  RDC-projects.