Competence, Teaching, Thinking and Feeling

The debate about competence‐based teacher education is in its early stages and is hampered by lack of conceptual clarity. This article emphasises the importance of considering competence within a framework that includes what we know about thinking, particularly higher order thinking. Furthermore, competence is described as a state whereby behaviour, cognition and feeling are in synchrony. It is stressed that learning to become and remaining a professional teacher demand that experiential learning approaches are refined, with particular attention given to supporting students and teachers through periods of planned self‐evaluation and behavioural change.