Session Information
ERG SES D 13, Education and Teachers' Learning
Paper Session
Contribution
Topic
The professional ideals of first year student secondary school teachers.
Research questions:
1. What do the professional ideals of first year student teachers entail?
2. Which experiences have shaped the professional ideals of first year student teachers?
Objective
This study is part of a larger research project which aims to gain insight into the process of the formation of professional ideals of student teachers. The results of this research project may be conducive to the development of educational settings in which professional ideals are subject for dialogue.
Theoretical framework
Teaching is considered an inherently moral practice since the ultimate end of teaching is to influence another human for the better (Hanson, 2001; Cambell, 2008). However, in policy and research in the educational field in various European countries, the main focus is on the technical aspects of teaching (Webster-Wright, 2009; Biesta, 2010b; Opfer & Pedder, 2011). There is less interest in the normative question to what general ‘good’ education should contribute. This moral question is related to educational aims, purposes and values (Mockler, 2011;Campbell, 2008; Hansen, 2001) and can be answered in relation to both the benefit to the individual learner and to that of society (Biesta, 2010a). Professional ideals refer to the intrinsic value and the raison d’etre of a profession. De Ruyter & Kole (2010) conceive of professional ideals as the ultimate and regulative ends of a profession. In educational research and policy, the emphasis is on qualification and socialisation rather than on subjectification (Biesta, 2010a). Subjectification entails supporting learners to give their own meaning to their qualification and socialisation.
Until the present day, questions about the formation of professional ideals of student teachers related to both the individual learner and society are seldom encountered in studies on teacher identity (Beijaard, Meijer & Verloop, 2004).Teacher identity is conceived of as both multiple and individual, both continuous and discontinuous, and both individual and social (Akkerman & Meijer, 2011; Beijaard, Meijer & Verloop, 2004; Beauchamp & Thomas, 2009). Professional identities are expressed by the stories people tell. Within these stories people can take multiple positions, stories are influenced by the context in which they are told and stories from others can become internalised stories. People give meaning to their experiences according to their beliefs. At the same time experiences shape their beliefs. Various experiences and views on education may shape the professional ideals of student teachers.
During teacher education student teachers should be offered different visions of ‘good’ education and be supported to become conscious of their professional ideals.To be able to position oneself as a teacher, self-reflection should not only involve the technical aspect of teaching, but its moral, political and emotional dimension as well (Kelchtermans, 2009). Attention given to professional ideals during teacher education might encourage student teachers to take a stance as teachers both within the school context and within society (Kelchtermans & Ballet, 2002) and contribute to the student teachers’ commitment and resilience in the future (Sammons et al., 2007).
Research into the formation of professional ideals of student teachers can help clarify the content and the origin of the beliefs of student teachers. By this understanding teacher educators may be better prepared to develop educational settings in which the professional ideals are subject for dialogue. From a humanist perspective on education professional ideals of teachers should include a vision of a ‘good’ life and a ‘just’ society (Veugelers, 2011).
Method
Expected Outcomes
References
Akkerman, S.F. & Meijer, P. C. (2011) A dialogical approach to conceptualizing teacher identity. Teachers and Teacher Education, 27, 308-319. Beauchamp, C. & Thomas, L. (2009) Understanding teacher identity: an overview of issues in the literature and implications for teacher education. Cambridge Journal of Education, 39(2), 175-189. Beijaard, D., Meijer, P.C. & Verloop, N. (2004) Reconsidering research on teachers’ professional identity. Teaching and Teacher Education, 20, 107-128. Biesta, G. (2010a) Good education in an age of measurement: ethics, politics and democracy. Boulder: Paradigm Publishers. Biesta, G. (2010b) Why ‘What Works’ Still won’t work: from evidence-based education to value-based education. Studies in Philosophy & Education, 29, 491-503. Campbell, E. (2008) Review of the literature. The ethics of teaching as a moral profession. Curriculum Inquiry, 38(4), 357-385. Sammons, P., Day, C. & Kington, A. et al. (2007) Exploring variations in teachers’ work, lives and their effects on pupils: key findings and implications form a longitudinal mixed-method study. British Educational Research Journal, 33(5), 681-701. Hansen, D.T. (2001) The place of ideals in teaching. Philosophy of Education, 2000, 42-50. Kan, C. van (2013) Teachers’ interpretations of their classroom interactions in terms of their pupils’ best interest: a perspective form continental European pedagogy. Leiden University. Kelchtermans, G. (2009) Who I am in how I teach is the message: self-understanding, vulnerability and reflection. Teachers and Teaching: theory and practice, 15(2), 257-272. Kelchtermans, G. & Ballet, K. (2002) The micro-politics of teacher induction. A narrative-biographical study on teacher socialization. Teaching and Teacher Education, 18 ???, 105-120. Miles, M.B. & Hubermann, M. (1994) Qualitative data analysis: An expanded sourcebook. Thousand Oaks: Sage Publications. Mockler, N. (2011) Beyond ‘what works’: understanding teacher identity as a practical and political tool. Teachers and Teaching: theory and practice, 17(5), 517-528. Opfer, V.D. & Pedder, D. (2011) Conceptualizing teacher professional learning. In: Review of Educational Research, 81(3), 376-407. Patton, M. Q. (2002) Qualitative Research & Evaluation Methods. Thousand Oaks: Sage Publications. Ruyter, D.J. de & Kole, J.J. (2010) Our teachers want to be the best: on the necessity of intra-professional reflection about moral ideals of teaching. Teachers and Teaching: theory and practice, 16(2), 207-218. Veugelers, W. (Ed.) (2011) Education and Humanism, Linking Autonomy and Humanity. Rotterdam: Sense Publishers. Webster-Wright, A. (2009) Reframing professional development through understanding authentic professional learning. Review of Educational Research, 79(2), 702-739.
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