A paradigm of teacher education can be thought as a matrix of beliefs and assumptions about the nature and objectives of school education and classes, teachers and teacher education. The second purpose is to discuss theoretically organizational culture of the school in which teacher education is developed. This book describes two school organizational cultures that are loose system and tight system of the school. The former culture produces the new paradigm of teacher education and the latter keeps the old one. A changing society needs the former culture.
Teacher education can be successful under the new paradigm in loose system of the school.
In contrast to this, the new paradigm says that teacher education is seen as a continuous process of teacher development and that the new method of teacher education implies a school-based approach in which teachers observe and reflect on their own practices in the classroom. The third purpose is to point out the characteristics of teacher education in Japan from the view point of paradigms of teacher education and organizational cultures of the school. Roughly speaking, Japanese teacher education has still been keeping the old paradigm in tight system of the school. Four principles of Openness, Flexibility, Intimacy and Self-improvement should be necessary for loose system culture in which teacher education can be successful. The End and the Subject of Teacher Education 1.