What is teacher education in policy terms? Different imaginaries of the teacher and teacher education in England and France

The purpose and characteristics of a teacher are interesting socio-cultural imaginaries with important implications for education. Such imaginaries influence and even dictate the purpose and imaginary of teacher education. The imaginaries are often enshrined explicitly or implicitly in teacher education policy. In this article, we deconstruct the taken-for-granted imaginary of what a teacher is in England and France and relate this ontological concern to teacher education. A comparison between England and France is of interest due to the crossing trajectories of the two countries and their contrasting histories of teacher education. Results of our analysis show that even though the teacher education systems and socio-cultural imaginaries have different origins, in today’s world, they appear to be approaching each other, whilst the concerns over what the teacher is and how they ought to be educated remain similar in the political discourse. Interestingly, where teachers are to be educated, who are to educate them, and what purpose teachers are to serve are discussed equally in both places despite their different origins and current systems of teacher education.