Teacher educators in the life-Teacher educators in the life-long learning sectorlong learning sector

Their work and identityTheir work and identity

Anja Swennen, VU University Amsterdam

OutlineOutline

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A broken promiss: some history

Teacher educators as second-order teachers and what this means for their knowledge and work (in the LLL-sector)

Some ideas to professionalize the work of teacher educators

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Penny NoelThe secret lives of teacher educators

A general definitionA general definition

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Teacher educators are those who ccontribute formally to the development of teachers in pre-service and in-service education

Changing identity Changing identity of TEors as a result of TEors as a result of the changing context of the changing context of teacher educationof teacher education

Current types of TECurrent types of TE

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University-based

Professional Higher Education (Hogeschool, Högskolen)

Colleges of Further Education

Schools

Subject-based

Profession-based

Workplace-based

Who are the TEors?Who are the TEors?

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Teachers are first order practionersTeachers are first order practioners

TEors are second order practionersTEors are second order practioners

They should be aware of the second order They should be aware of the second order context of TE and the first order context of context of TE and the first order context of teacher teacher Murray & Male, 2005Murray & Male, 2005

Building a coherent identity as TEor

Building a coherent identity as TEor

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teacherThe experience as teacher and the reflection on that experience is part of the identity of TEors

teacher educator

But …..But …..

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TEors at universities (like Huddersfield TEors at universities (like Huddersfield university) are second order practioners in a university) are second order practioners in a second order contextsecond order context

TEors at Colleges of Further Education are TEors at Colleges of Further Education are second order practioners in a first order second order practioners in a first order contextcontext

Extending the identity of teacher

Extending the identity of teacher

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teacher

Their experience as teacher and the reflection on that experience is their core identity which they use to teach teachers

teacher educator

teacher educator

teacher educatorteacher educator

Knowledge of TEorsKnowledge of TEors

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Always aware of the second order context of TE and the first order context of the (student) teacher and can move easily between those two contexts

Have knowledge of pedagogy of teacher education (Loughran, 2007)

Are able to model, be explicit and legitimize their own teaching and that of other novice and experienced teachers

ModelModel

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It is modelling the processes, thoughts and knowledge of an experienced teacher in a way that demonstrates the ‘why’ or the purpose of teaching: it is not creating a template of teaching for unending duplication

John Loughran, 2001

Be explicitBe explicit

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Teacher educators need to make their teaching explicit, so the modelling is brought to a conscious level of the student teachers. This requires a high-level of meta-cognition, it is verbalizing the reflection-in-action, (Schön, 1983) the tacit part of professional knowledge in teaching

Kari Smith, 2001

legitimizelegitimize

Underpin your own and observed teaching with theory that teachers know or should know

Swennen, Korthagen & Lunenberg, 2007, 200

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Lack of knowledge and skillsLack of knowledge and skills

Some research suggests that TEors seem to lack the knowledge and skills needed to put explicit modelling and legitimizing into practice

Swennen, Korthagen & Lunenberg, 200

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TEor is an emerging identityTEor is an emerging identity

Meaning:Those who work in TE are only just recognised as a professional group and individual TEors only recently identity themselves as TEors

Therefore:TEors need to reconsider their identity in relation to their context

TEors need (to produce) professional and academic knowledge - to develop as individual and as a professional group

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There is an emerging knowledge base for teacher educators, but it is not easily accessible for TEors

TEACHER TRAINING (LIFELONG LEARNING) CERT ED PRE-SERVICE 2013-14TEACHER TRAINING (LIFELONG LEARNING) CERT ED PRE-SERVICE 2013-14

Liz Dixon: Dixon, L (2010) ‘Teacher Educators in Higher Education:aspirations, opportunities and challenges. Fear and Anxiety v Desire’. In: University of Huddersfield Research Festival 2010 , 8-18 March 2010, Huddersfield University

Alison Gorf: Gorf, A (2003) ‘Knowing how to move the Skills for Life Agenda forward – a reflection on current PCET teacher training initiatives within Basic Skills.’. In: RAPAL confere

Josie Harvey: Harvey, J (2008) ‘It's not just a game: educating the educators’. In: ESCalate ITE conference, 15th May 2008, Glyndwr University, Wrexhamnce, June 2003, University of Wolverhampton

Alison Iredale: Iredale, A., Bailey, W., Orr, K. and Wormald, J. (2011) ‘Confidence, risk, and the journey into praxis: work-based learning and the teacher education curriculum’. In: The Important Role of Higher Education in Teacher Education, 20th May 2011, Manchester Conference Centre , p. 22

Judith Kidder: Kidder, J (2010) ‘Effective Feedback in teaching practice observations’. In: ESCalate Good Practice Guide Launch, 20th April 2010, University of Huddersfield

John McNichol: Mentoring of trainee teachers

Bernard McNicholas: Skills for Life Practitioners Group

Martyn Walker :Cook, M., Fisher, R. and Walker, M. (2008) Teacher education at Huddersfield, 1947-2007: from technical teacher training college to university school of education . Huddersfield: University of Huddersfield . ISBN 9781862180697

Sarah Williamson:: Williamson, S (2009) ‘Developing Cross-institutional Virtual Learning Environments for Trainee Teachers ’. In: 5th ESCalate ITE Conference, 15th May 2009, Glyndwr University, Wrexham, UK

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Knowledge from ‘books’ is not enoughKnowledge from ‘books’ is not enough

The purpose and test of learning is whether it can be applied as an active part of the TEors intellectual equipment. It is not easy to bridge the gap between talking, telling, discussion and action within teacher education.

MacLennon, 1963

Michael Cook, Roy Fisher & Martyn Walker, 2008

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Professional development of TEorsProfessional development of TEors

Induction

Communities

Developing courses/curricula

Sharing in publications

Research

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To explore possibilities to be a second order practitioner

To contribute to the development of a

useful pedagogy of teacher education

To contribute to the body of knowledge for and about TEors

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