From teacher student to
professional teacher
Professor
Anne Grete Solstad
Bodø University College
Norway
The task of teacher education
Develop teacher students´competence to teach in a
responsible and accountable way.
Two legitimate learning arenas
- Theoretical studies at universities / schools of education
- Practical experiences as student teachers i
(In Norway 4 years; pedagogy 30 ects over the first two years which are common for all
teacher students – from 2010: 60 ects over three years including a bachelor thesis.
Practice 20 weeks: 6+8+4+0)
What is ”responsible and accountable” in
professional teaching?
NOKUT 2006; White Paper No. 11 2008-09:
- critical reflection / self-reflection
- participation in discussions on educational issues based on
scientific knowledge and thinking
- questioning traditions and routines, and actively working
for improvement and innovation in their own and the
school´s practice
Professional identity
- a more or less conscious apprehension of what constitutes good and
professional teaching and learning (Heggen 2005)
- delvelops through participation in professional communities in
cooperation with others on concrete tasks (Wenger 1998)
- knowledge and skills are transmitted through language and
communication (Vygotsky 1978; Säljö 2006)
This implies that
• Theoretical perspectives and the habit to reflect must be
experienced by teacher students as normal teaching
activities
What do student teachers actually learn
through pre-service teaching? (Solstad 2009)
•
Students starting their 4 year teacher education 2006 at BUC (43 in 2006, 34 spring
2008)
•
Survey over the two first years and four practice periods (14 of 20 weeks)
•
Themes: Ways of working, Evaluation, Adapted education, Active learning and pupil
participation, Reflection and mentoring, Relationship between theory-practice
•
Method:
- Enquete, mainly open questions distributed after each practice period. Response 8590%
- Anonymity very important: a number following each teacher student
- Themes repeated, but variations in formulations
•
Manuel categorising as themes whitin themes emerged
Focus on the relationship theory – practice, and reflection and mentoring
(professional aspects of teacher qualifications)
Theory and practice
The students´ view after the 1. practice period:
• The theoretical perspectives opened my eyes for how children
learn and why they react as they do (S15)
(Quote representative for 45% of the students)
• No! No theoretical perspectives have helped me or meant
anything for me, as a student teacher, or as an observer (S19)
(Quote representative for about 30% of the students)
Theory and practice
The students´ view after the 2. practice period:
• Theory creates confidence and is important for my planning
and co-operation with the pupils
• Theoretical knowledge helps me to reflect on own choices and
decicions, and promote discussions (S22)
•
Quotes representative for 60% of the students
• The change-over of theory at the university and practice in
schools are regarded as very important
Theory and practice
The students´ view after the 3. practice period:
• Theoretical insight helps me to to argue for what I think is
important, and to reflect on my descisions (S14)
• I could have written a thesis on this matter. Theoretical
knowledge is the first building block we need (S23)
(Representative for about 80% of the students)
But also
• I will not say that theoretical insight is not necessary, but I do
believe much more in experiences – both my own and those of
others (S16)
Theory and practice
The students view after the 4. practice period:
• 90% of the students argue that the theoretical insight and
knowledge they have acquired is necessary
– for argumentation in planning so that decisions can be
rooted in theory
– as a base for reflection and innovation
Reflection in teacher education
( Dale 2001, Ulvik 2007)
Practice oriented reflection (practice as training)
– based on experiences and ”what works”
– theory is not important.
Professional reflection (practice as education)
– critical reflection, self-reflection
– theory is an important tool
Professional reflection in pre-service teaching is necessary to
educate authoritative, independant teachers – as described
in official papers
Reflection ”in advance” is central to intellectual and
professional growth (Dewey 1904, Brüsling 1994, Rodgers 2007)
Reflection in teaching practice –
as experienced and described by the students
• Reflection is mainly done after a lesson
• Reflection is mostly instrumental /practice oriented, focusing
on ”technical” aspects and what the students could have done
better in the preceding lesson
– Tutoring has helped me to be more clever … I have tried to change
what she wanted me to change (13)
What about reflection ”in advance”?
- reflection in advance (professional reflection) was often
neglected because of ”lack of time”,
- functioned mostly as an acceptance of what the students had
planned, just before starting the lesson
- functioned as security
The students´ experiences
(Solstad 2009)
Only few students
– experienced professional and critical reflection
– met mentors who challenged their ideas and thinking, or
engaged them in professional discussions and
argumentation
The mentor´s role students´ perceptions
• The practice teachers mean a lot. We had a good one who
encouraged us to critical analysis and reflection, of self and
others
• The reason why it is difficult to relate theory and practice is
that the practice teachers never mention theoretical
perspectives …(S41)
• Theory has not been in my mind one single day (S19)
Developping professional identity
• Meaning is constructed through communication and
cooperation i concrete situations
(Wenger 1998, Säljö 2006)
• By participating in normal teacher activities together with
competent others as legitimate peripheral members
(Lave og Wenger 1991, Wenger 1998)
Learning through pre-service teaching
Mentors are competent teachers serving as models for student
teachers
Professional growth, thus, implies that student teachers
- meet practice teachers who focus on professional
aspects of teachers´ work
- experience critical reflection/thinking and pedagogical
argumentation as part of professional
teaching practice
- former assumtions are verbalised and challenged
• Experiences with theory based practice will inform the
students that critical reflection and theoretical perspectives are
normal parts of professional competence
• Such experiences will, thus, be expressions of competence and
good teaching (prof. identity)
From teacher student to professional teaching
Cultural perspectives
• Meaning is constructed through communication and cooperation in
concrete situations (Wenger 1999, Säljö 2006)
• Profesional identity develops and will be stabilised when the new teacher
starts working as a teacher (Heggen 2005)
• If the new school does not focus on critical reflection and
scientific thinking, such perspectives will not be looked at as
part of the culture the new teachers are going to be part of
• Theoretical perspectives which may be meaningful and give
membership at the university, may be considered irrelevant
and farfetched when entering a new school culture
Professional growth
(Solstad 2009, 2010)
• If the habit to reflect on own and others´ practice is established
through experiences in pre-service teaching, the students will more
likely integrate such perspectives into their future teaching
• If teacher students are to develop and stabilise a professional
identity, theory must be related to practice, and practice must
include theoretical perspectives and critical reflection
• When entering the profession, new teachers have to meet a culture
and a mentor that values the balance between challenge and support
and appreciate and encourage critical thinking and reflection
- if not, mentoring may accelerate adaption to and acceptance of
existing culture, without questioning
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