Abstract
This paper investigates an institutional practice of the educational conversation that is a part of the undergraduate kindergarten teacher education program at a Norwegian university. The formal goal connected to this practice is to facilitate students coping with their courses of study. Thus, this paper reconstructs the perspectives of the teacher educators and the students regarding this practice and reconstructs its various supportive qualities. The core of the support derived from the educational conversation stems from transforming the formal, professional, and institutional expectations of the kindergarten teacher education program into the personal motivation of the students. Reflecting on better conditions for the educational conversation is connected to ethical reflections on the power relations and influence that face-to-face meetings with experienced teachers who listen can have on students particularly in the era of mass education.
Highlights
The national guidelines for kindergarten teacher education in Norway [1] (Norwegian Ministry of Science and Education, 2012) stipulate that education must safeguard interactions between academic, didactic, and social competences and the ability to reflect professionally on pedagogical work with children in kindergartens
In the case of this study, we look at individuals—both teacher educators and students—at a higher education institution that offers the particular activity setting of the educational conversation
Trust and feeling secure in the relationship with the teacher were important for the students, while the teacher educators reflected on facilitating trust and security in the students with whom they conducted conversations
Summary
The national guidelines for kindergarten teacher education in Norway [1] (Norwegian Ministry of Science and Education, 2012) stipulate that education must safeguard interactions between academic, didactic, and social competences and the ability to reflect professionally on pedagogical work with children in kindergartens. The educational conversation is a 45-minute meeting between teacher educators and students during the first year of their course of study that is held after the first practical training. The phenomenon of professional sustainability is not reported on following the educational conversation unless the teacher receives the impression, signaled in various ways, that a student is not right for earning a teaching qualification. In this instance, the case is reported to higher offices that deal with suitability issues at university, college and regional levels. The focus of this paper, is the educational conversation’s role in supporting students to succeed in their courses of study
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