Universities and the preparation of teachers in the Mediterranean : cautionary tales from the global South

Abstract

The 'answer' to the question as to whether universities have a role to play in the education and training of teachers seems, at least at face value, deceptively simple. The global narrative about education is that, despite the continued importance of social background in explaining student success, the availability of adequately trained teachers, among other factors, also plays a highly significant role in enhancing achievement (Barber & Mourshed 2007; Hattie 2011). Part of that global narrative is also that learning is a complex activity requiring those who facilitate it to have a multifaceted set of know 1- edges, competences and dispositions (Bransford, Brown & Cocking 2000; OECD 2011).