International cooperation in teacher education : case study on an innovative model of language teacher training

This paper reports the development of a new teacher education model for international Chinese students who study at an Australian university as Master of Education research students at the same time as working in Australian school as voluntary Mandarin teachers. Document analysis and self-reflective study are used to collection data about the process of building the model, which involves international partnerships between Ningbo Municipal Education Bureau, the Western Sydney Region of the New South Department of Education, the University of Western Sydney and public schools in the Greater Western Sydney region. It argues that facing globalisation and rapid social change, teacher education reform needs to be supported by different education stakeholders. Teacher education students need to be prepared as educational researchers and their training model needs to integrate their teaching practice into their university learning and research.