China’s quest for world-class teachers: National initiatives and institutional pathways

Teacher education has been undergoing significant transformations worldwide in recent decades, and China has made continuous efforts in quest for world-class teachers. This presentation aims at a comprehensive investigation of the emerging Chinese model of teacher education for world-class teaching force, with reflections on the historical trajectory of Chinese teacher education in comparison with those in other countries. It focuses on policy contexts, system transformations and development challenges with case studies on different pathways of institutional changes. Two theoretical lenses are applied for analysis: comparative and historical. The comparative lens places it in comparison with conventional models used by developed countries, and the historical lens looks deeply into the Confucian mission of education at the world stage. The presentation also sheds new light on international policy actions in teacher education and their role in fostering global citizenship for cultural dialogue among civilizations.