Teaching Prospective Teachers About Research Based And Experience Based Knowledge

Author(s):

Liv Gjems (presenting / submitting) Inge Vinje (presenting)

Conference:

ECER 2013

Network:

10. Teacher Education Research

Format:

Paper

Session Information

10 SES 04 D, Student-Teacher Competencies

Paper Session

Time:

2013-09-11

09:00-10:30

Room:

A-105

Chair:

Ann Devitt

Discussant:

Mavis Haigh

Contribution

Teacher educators represent important opportunities for prospective teachers to learn how to teach (Hammerness, K., Darling-Hammond, L., Bransford, J., Berliner, D., Cochran-Smith, M. M., & Zeichner, K., 2005). The importance of suitable problem-solving and research skills has been increasingly recognised in teacher education programs in Europe the last decade. However, there are usually few detailed guidelines for teacher educators for how to follow up these knowledge areas in their pedagogical work with teacher students. The teacher educators have to make many of the decisions about what to teach and how to teach themselves. Another repeated discourse in teacher education in the last decades has been about the linkage of theory and practice. There is some evidence that the acquisition of professional competence is influenced by the way this linkage is accomplished (Blömeke et. al, 2008). In this study we examine what conceptions teacher educators have about research based, theoretical and practical elements in the subject of pedagogy and what they emphasise in their teaching. We ask the research questions: What kind of conceptions do teacher educators have about educational science in their work? What do they say about the relation between educational science and practical experience in their teaching?

Method

We have interviewed five teacher educators in the subject of pedagogy at four university colleges in Norway. The interviews are built upon research and theories about the two pedagogical dimensions that are of importance for future teachers (Grossman 2008): (1) pedagogical content knowledge and (2) general pedagogical knowledge. Though it is impossible to mark exactly the lines between these two dimensions, because they flow into each other, we have asked the teacher educators how they teach the students about theoretical and research based theories and experience bBecause the information from the teacher education about theoretical and science based teaching in teacher colleges were insufficient, we complement the data collection with four focus group interviews. The argument for adding this method is to inspire the informants to think aloud and illuminate different views upon this under-researched area. We will use the focus group data to develop a broader understanding of how teacher educators perceive of and reflect upon these subjects the teacher education reforms emphasize so strongly. The focus groups consist of two teacher educators teaching students for work in primary schools and two teachers teaching prospective teachers for work in kindergarten. We have interviewed one focus group and will interview three more, all from different university colleges. ased knowledge.

Expected Outcomes

All the teachers answer that they try to find illustrating examples from pedagogical work in classrooms to support the prospective teachers in their understanding of the relation between theory and practice. When they were asked about whether and how they the present and discuss the foundation of pedagogical content knowledge, for instance how knowledge about children and students learning have been developed in different theories, they all give limited information. Their answers primarily deal with the shortage of time they have to teach each subject in the curriculum. The question whether or how they teach about educational research to the teacher students, they all answer that they inform the students about some relevant research. When they are engaged in research projects themselves, they present their work to the students.

References

Blömeke, S., Felbrich, A., Müller, C., Kaiser, G., & Lehmann, R. (2008). Effectiveness of teacher education - State of research, measurement issues and consequences for future studies. Mathematics Education, 40, 710 – 734 Grossman, P., & McDonald, M. (2008). Back to the Future: Directions for Research in Teaching and Teacher Education. American Educational Reseach Journal, 45(1), 184-205 Hammerness, K., Darling-Hammond, L., Bransford, J., Berliner, D., Cochran-Smith, M. M., M., & Zeichner, K. (2005). How Teachers Learn and Develop. In L. Darling-Hammond & J. Bransford (Eds.), Preparing Teachers for a Changing World. What Teachers should Learn and Be Able to Do (pp. 358- 389): Jossy Bass, Whiley

Author Information

Liv Gjems (presenting / submitting)

Vestfold University College, Norway, Norway

Inge Vinje (presenting)

Vestfold University Collage

Faculty of Humanities and Education Sciences

Tønsber

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