Developing pedagogies in pre-service teachers to cater for diversity: Challenges and ways forward in initial teacher education

Given the changing demographics of student populations in contemporary Western societies, the need for all teachers to better understand and work with difference productively has become increasingly critical. While the development of socially just pedagogies in pre-service teachers takes on particular significance in this context, much research suggests that in general, teachers are not well prepared to teach students whose cultural values and beliefs are different from the mainstream. This article explores challenges faced by one pre-service teacher education provider in developing pedagogies to cater for diversity in socially just ways in pre-service teachers. Drawing on longitudinal research with pre-service and beginning teachers, the paper offers ways forward in order to revitalise this emphasis in initial teacher education