Abstract
Three approaches to teacher education, each of which is characterized as "developmental" are examined. The first evolved from research developed at the Research and Development Center for Teacher Education at the University of Texas at Austin, and is based on a formulation of stages teachers pass through as they gain teaching experience. Identified as "stages of concern", this approach focuses upon the teacher's progress from concern for survival, through mastery of teaching tasks, to concern about their impact on pupils' learning. The second approach, based on theories of cognitive development resulting from research at the University of Minnesota, advocates emphasizing adult development and maturity as one key to increased teacher effectiveness. Higher stages of development are seen as involving greater complexity and differentiation of function enabling the individual to cope with a greater variety of situations in teaching. The third approach, known as "a developmental style of inservice", is largely the work of practitioners. Teachers' centers offer a contemporary expression of this orientation. For each approach an analysis of recommended goals and strategies is offered, and a critique of its justification is presented. (JD)