Teacher education and role of educators under the context of educational change in the twenty-first century: Prospects and challenges

There could be different interpretations of a teacher and an educator from both Western and Eastern (Chinese) perspectives as well as under the changing contexts of the twenty-first century. The notions of educare and educere under the western traditions are adopted to illuminate possible roles of a teacher and an educator. In juxtaposition, the meanings of jiaoyu under the influence of Confucian Heritage are explored to build up a tentative framework. In this chapter, there are several areas of attention in the twenty-first century in teacher education: twenty-first century skills and multiple literacies; diversified pedagogies; curriculum leadership, teachers' lifelong professional development, etc.