Learning Educational Theory in Teacher Education

Abstract

This chapter uses the theory of practice architectures to disrupt common framings of the problem of teacher education as centrally about a theory-practice ‘gap’, and of the solution as integrating the two. Despite the fact that a persisting criticism is directed towards the ‘academic’ part of teacher education, we know little about student teachers’ academic learning practice as learners in higher education. The chapter reports on a Norwegian study of 78 student teachers and shows how the theory of practice architectures can usefully illuminate some of the difficulties student teachers encounter when engaging with educational theory as part of their initial teacher education. It also offers a more nuanced understanding of the claim that teacher education is ‘too theoretical’. Drawing on the findings from the study, the chapter argues that the ‘project’ of ‘integrating theory and practice’ might sustain the (inappropriate) dichotomy of theory and practice. It also suggests that the ‘project’ should rather be to support students in navigating how different practices hang together, not expecting coherence, but learning the skills to anticipate and respond productively to differences and tensions.