What does it mean to re-envision teacher education? This is the question that the faculty at the newly named School of Education at Shepherd University have been asking and exploring. More than a quixotic pursuit, the purpose of this inquiry has been to re-design what we think of as classroom space, to re-construct an educator preparation curriculum, and to model both the distinct art and distinct science of creative teaching. According to Freire (1998) there is a unique “art and science” to teaching and it should be considered as a deep, reflective thought and practice. Setting aside the hubris of a formulaic approach to improvement in the wider field of teacher education, we recognize that a major challenge to re-envisioning teacher education is overcoming the systemic notions of “what school is supposed to look like” including “what teaching is supposed to look like.”
