Norwegian Teacher Education Research Articles

ノルウェーの教師教育における反省的メンタリング ―「行為と省察モデル」が直面する問題―

ノルウェーの教師教育における反省的メンタリング ―「行為と省察モデル」が直面する問題―

On a math mission: The time and space compression of professional identity and values in prospective mathematics teachers’ stories

This article analyzes and discusses the professional values of prospective mathematics teachers. Theoretical approaches to the understanding of teachers’ professional values, such as critical mathematics education and relational perspectives, are well developed. Still, there are few empirical contributions to the field. Here, professional values are understood as interwoven with professional identity. The article raises the question of how prospective teachers construct their identity and values in time and space, and the analysis is based on data material from mathematics teacher students at two Norwegian teacher education institutions. The main finding is that the teacher students construct their professional identity and values in a compressed timespace. Their professional responsibility is located in and restricted to themselves and the relation to the individual student, not including concern for, for instance, social justice. The students do not express opposition to ideals of social justice, but it is beyond their constructed professional timespace identity, values and responsibility.

Perspectives on the tensions in teaching with technology in Norwegian teacher education analysed using Argyris and Sch\xf6n\u2019s theory of action

Teachers’ professional digital competence (PDC) is of increasing importance in classrooms in the majority of EU countries. Norway is one of the countries that has been exposed to a strong top-down implementation of information and communication technology in education. However, despite national efforts, practitioners in the education system do not seem to work in line with the given policy. There is therefore a gap between the micro and macro levels, necessitating the need for a closer exploration of the issue. We have conducted a quantitative study of teacher educators and their students in Northern Norway (N = 112). Amongst the staff, professional attitudes have a stronger impact than PDC regarding the extent of the educational use of digital tools, whereas amongst students, PDC has a stronger influence. These results are interpreted using Argyris and Schön’s theory of action in learning organisations.

In Pursuit of Coherence: Aligning Program Development in Teacher Education with Institutional Practices

ABSTRACT This article examines program development in teacher education, with an emphasis on how teacher educators pursue coherence. The analysis contributes to existing literature by investigating how coherence is pursued as part of program development and by analytically situating coherence as an emergent achievement that requires the alignment of program design with institutional practices. The empirical data derive from four Norwegian teacher education institutions that were redesigning their programs in response to expectations of increased program coherence. Cultural historical theory and the concept of institutional coherence are used to examine how coherence is pursued at the intersection of institutional practices and emergent developmental processes. The findings highlight how institutional practices inform program development, requiring program leaders to navigate complex organisational, epistemic and political landscapes in their efforts toward coherence. Implications for the conceptualisation of coherence and for program leadership in teacher education are discussed.

Science teacher education for sustainable development: from intensions to realisation

Teacher education programs have an especially important role in reorienting education to realise education for sustainable development (ESD). In this paper, we investigate how ESD can be realised in science teacher education and we present findings from a case study in a Norwegian teacher education institution that has the overall aim of educating teachers who can contribute to sustainable development. Data was collected through participant observation and interviews, and, together with instructional artefacts and student assignments, analysed based on a model for science ESD. The paper provides an example of how ESD can be realised through a strengths model where ESD is founded in the strengths among the teacher educators and existing teaching practices. The results indicate that an emphasis on experiential learning and sociocultural learning theory builds a thorough foundation for ESD. However, the teaching has to be explicit in order to reach all student teachers.

Begynnaropplæring i teikning

Artikkelen har begynnaropplæring i teikning som tema. Ved å studere fagstoff om teikneopplæring nytta ved norske grunnskulelærarutdanningar, utviklar denne teksten tre ulike teoretiske kategoriar som skildrar teiknemetodiske tilnærmingar. Kategoriane er forma med støtte frå lese- og skriveopplæringsfeltet og omgrepa analytiske og syntetiske tilnærmingar, samt kunnskapsteoretiske og læringsteoretiske posisjonar. I tillegg blir omgrepet progresjon ved Ralph Tyler (1948) nytta for å utdjupe det som kjem fram. Bidraget er meint å vere ein forsiktig start på å utvikle ei teikneteoretisk plattform til støtte for dei institusjonane som utdannar lærarar for dei minste i skulen. 

The Double Meaning Making of the Term Cultural Diversity in Teacher Educator Discourses


 
 
 Cultural diversity is assumed to be a central component of Western education and even though it has been extensively investigated in international research on teacher education, little knowledge exists about its usage and meaning making in teacher educator discourses. This article provides insights into the usage and meaning making of the term cultural diversity based on semi-structured individual interviews with a total of twelve teacher educators from two Norwegian teacher education institutions. Drawing on the theoretical perspectives of discourse theory and critical Whiteness studies, we find that the term cultural diversity is used in a double meaning making pattern: Cultural diversity is presented as desirable and positive by teacher educators, yet it is also aligned with the notion of otherness. We discuss some possible methodological tools with which teacher educators can detect meaning making patterns and thus counter the production and reproduction of socially unjust discursive patterns. 
 
 
 

Patterns of racialised discourses in Norwegian teacher education policy: Whiteness as a pedagogy of amnesia in the national curriculum

This article adds to new ways of understanding the institutionalisation of Whiteness as subtle workings of race and racism within education policy. It presents a critical discourse analysis of how Whiteness works through the use and meaning making of the term ‘cultural diversity’ in six Norwegian teacher education policy and curriculum documents. These documents are positioned as promoters of social justice. This article, however, aims to contest this position. Framed under the theoretical perspectives of critical Whiteness studies, discourse analysis and Goldberg’s theorisation of racialised discourse, the findings indicate that Whiteness is embedded in the usage of the term ‘cultural diversity’, manifested in discursive patterns of (1) three hierarchically arranged pupil group categories, (2) descriptions that place the pupil group categories as either superior Norwegian or as inferior non-Norwegian, and (3) the role of student teachers as ‘political actors of assimilation’. I argue that despite these educational documents being explicitly positioned as promoters of social justice, they are nonetheless both a product and producers of racialised discourses of Othering and exclusion – a result of the Norwegian ‘imagined sameness’ ideal and a socially accepted ‘pedagogy of amnesia’ that blinds itself to the current workings of the imperial and colonial legacy of race and racism.

Placement schools as professional learning communities in teacher education

This article investigates how schoolteachers’, school leaders’ and college teachers’ involvement affects placement schools as professional learning communities. Norwegian teacher education is used as a case. The first part builds on a survey among schoolteachers and mentors at 111 placement schools in Norway. It documents great variety in the level of engagement. Interviews with mentors, school leaders and college teachers reveal how cooperation between colleges and placement schools, as well as the school leaders’ commitment, influences the quality of placement. The school leaders’ role proves to be important in developing the schools as professional learning communities, and they seem to have a significant impact on the work of the mentors. The data also show that there is a need for a more substantial cooperation between college teachers and mentors about the student teachers’ professional development as well as a need for a more systematic integration of learning in the two learning contexts.

What and how student teachers learn during their practicum as a foundation for further professional development

ABSTRACTThis study investigates how work placement contributes to the integration of practical skills and theoretical knowledge in teacher education. The lack of connection has commonly been criticised in teacher education as well as in other professional studies. The aim of the study is to gain a deeper understanding of how practicum interacts with the university coursework to enhance professional competencies among student teachers. The context is three different Norwegian teacher education programmes that prepare for secondary school. In focus groups the students describe the placement context and the differences between learning on campus and in the practice field. Furthermore, they explain the outcome of field experiences. The findings show that the learning in practicum should not be taken for granted. The students experience great differences between workplaces related to attitudes, support, facilities, mentoring and possibilities to learn from experiences. Practicum should be recognised as an important part of student teachers’ education. It should not be left to chance, but have a binding framework related to the quality of mentoring and the working conditions student teachers are offered.

Science teacher education for sustainable development: a case study of a residential field course in a Norwegian pre-service teacher education programme

ABSTRACTIn this paper, we explore how a Norwegian teacher education institution promotes education for sustainable development (ESD) through a residential field course. The residential field course was located in a mountain area and data were collected through participant observation. The data included—together with instructional artefacts—evaluation schemes and assignments written by the student teachers, and the analysis was based on categories for science ESD. Through exemplary teaching experiences in an outdoor environment and pupil-active teaching methods, such as inquiry learning and phenomenon-based teaching, the student teachers gained experience in outdoor education and of stepping into the unknown in a safe learning environment. This was further connected to ESD pedagogy.

Endringer i lærerstudenters kompetanser? En casestudie fra en ny lærerutdanning ved UiT Norges arktiske universitet

From 2017 the Norwegian teacher education in primary and lower secondary school will be a five-year master education. UiT - The Norwegian Arctic University started a master education already in 2010. The main differences between the old and new program are: increased credits in both pedagogy and the master subject, more emphasize on pedagogical content knowledge (PCK) and more focus on the master subject early in the education. In this case study, teacher supervisors evaluate students’ knowledge in their school practice. All teacher supervisors in the study with practice from both former and new education, experienced that the master students had increased subject matter knowledge and PCK. These changes in preservice teacher knowledges can possibly be explained by changes in the education program. Our results show that early emphasize on subject, increased focus on PCK and subject matter knowledge are important features in the development of the pre-service teachers’ professional knowledge.

‘(Dis)empowered by what we see … ’: exploring the use of video-stimulated reflection in physical education pedagogy and practice

ABSTRACTReflexive accounts of physical education (PE) pedagogy and practice offer potential to reveal much about the intended and unintended learning, for both students and teachers, that can result from certain pedagogic encounters. Despite the promotion of reflective practice/s as a possible ‘panacea’ for improved teaching and learning, there is widespread concern that such approaches have relatively little influence in ‘shaking or stirring’ the deep-seated notions of effective pedagogy that are held by many physical educators [Mordal-Moen, K., & Green, K. (2014). Neither shaking nor stirring: A case study of reflexivity in Norwegian PE teacher education. Sport, Education and Society, 19(4), 415–434]. Inherent here are concerns that an increase in critical awareness alone does not necessarily lead to pedagogic translation [Hickey, C. (2001). “I feel enlightened now, but … ”: The limits to the pedagogic translation of critical social discourses in PE. Journal of Teaching in Physical Education, 20(3), 227–246]. Against that backdrop, we continue to support the use of reflective practice techniques as tools through which to interrogate the socio-cultural conditions and power relations that install enduring notions of effective pedagogy and dominant professional identities [Coia, L., & Taylor, M. (2017). Let’s stay in the swamp: Poststructural feminist reflective practice. In R. Brandenburg, K. Glasswell, M. Jones, & J. Ryan (Eds.), Reflective theory and practice in teacher education (pp. 49–62). Singapore: Springer Singapore]. In this paper, we explore PE pedagogy and practice through reflective practice with two female teachers in all-boys’ schools. Specifically, we critique the use of video-stimulated reflections from a feminist poststructuralist perspective to make visible the possibilities, challenges and tensions inherent in this methodological approach.

Positionings in an immature triad in teacher education

This article presents and discusses experiences from an intervention project in Norwegian teacher education focusing on a triadic collaboration between student teachers, mentors and lecturers. The aim of the project was to establish a written, digital meeting place supporting the student teachers’ professional development. The question explored in this article is why some of the members in the triad virtually disappeared, and thus why the established digital meeting place collapsed. The findings are discussed through the lenses of positioning theory. Although the members positioned themselves differently, we identified three common traits in their stories: enhanced competition, preference of theory-informed writing, role confusion.

The first-year as a mentor in Norwegian teacher education – asking for the authoritative word

I artikkelen beskriver og tolker jeg hvordan en første års praksislærer, Anna, savner støtte i sin nye rolle som veileder for lærerstudenter i norsk lærerutdanning. Selv om hun er ansatt på det som blir kalt praksisskole, føler hun seg alene i arbeidet med lærerstudentene. Det er ingen til å besvare hennes spørsmål om hvordan hun skal utføre sin nye rolle. Jeg argumenterer for at mangelen på en arena hvor hun kan diskutere spørsmålene sine, bidrar til at Anna posisjonerer seg som en som skal gjøre det andre har bestemt. Hun spør derfor etter det autoritative ordet fra høyskolen.

Prepared to teach ESL with ICT? A study of digital competence in Norwegian teacher education

The purpose of this study is to examine how secondary student teachers are educated to teach with ICT through an English as a Second Language (ESL) didactics course offered at a teacher education program in Norway. Using a case study methodology, four cohorts of postgraduate student teachers were examined over 4 academic semesters. The students were qualifying to teach ESL in secondary school. Data were collected through surveys, participant observations, and semi-structured interviews. A theoretical model for digital competence development was used as an analytical lens in the data analysis. Findings indicate that the mastery and appropriation of teaching ESL with ICT varies amongst student teachers. Through their studies, the overall digital competence development is both enabled and inhibited by a number of factors such as modeling, scaffolding learning experiences, linking theory and practice, reflection, access to resources and support, innovative assessment practices, and collaborative learning. The implications that these findings have for teacher education are discussed.

Responding to the challenge of providing stronger research base for teacher education: research discourses in the Norwegian national research school for teacher education

Background and purpose: The purpose of this article is to shed light on how the research projects of 140 PhD candidates in the National Research School for Teacher Education in Norway (NAFOL) respond to the challenges faced by Norwegian teacher education regarding the demand for higher competence and a stronger research base. The concept of NAFOL is of interest from an international perspective because of its focus on facilitating teacher educators to achieve a PhD. Since 2001, Norwegian educational policy has had a strong focus on strengthening teacher education and making it more research-based than before. From 2017, all new teachers in Norway are expected to take a master’s degree. In order to accomplish this, there is a need for many new supervisors with a PhD in teacher education institutions. NAFOL is a unique project: a consortium of 23 participating network institutions within teacher education. The research school includes 140 research fellows, all of whom wish to achieve a PhD suitable for work in teacher education. The research school is funded by the Norwegian Research Council, originally for a project period from 2010 to 2016. The research school has had a positive external midway evaluation, and the project period has been extended with four cohorts of students to the end of 2021. However, this study is the first one looking into the research projects of this young generation of teacher education researchers. The research question posed in this article is: how do the research projects of the NAFOL PhD candidates contribute to the research base in teacher education? Main argument: The main argument in this article is that the potential impact of this research school is dependent on the quality of the large number of PhD projects connected to teacher education and education in general developed within the research school. The quality is likely to be good because, among other reasons, these projects are scrutinised by the research school community. The challenges these research projects face, located as they are between solidarity regarding grants from the funds financing the PhD candidates, solidarity with the aims of education, and the wish to contribute to innovation, might prove to be able to be met. These research projects have the potential to create innovation in teacher education research through ‘border crossing’ between different educational discourses, as well as through creating new knowledge in meta-studies based on the results from several projects. Sources of evidence and method: In this article, project abstracts from 140 PhD candidates participating in NAFOL are analysed in terms of their theme and problem formulation. The analysis is inspired by discourse analytical thinking – namely that in a certain situation, several conditions for action exist. In this study, these conditions for action are made apparent in the choice of theme and problem formulation in the research projects. The content analysis is focused on ‘signal words’, because these words might signal positioning in different educational discourses. Results: In the study, three main discourses can be seen as influencing the choice of topic and the problem formulation in the projects: a goal-oriented educational discourse, a ‘Bildung’ (i.e. character formation, or personal growth – ‘danning’ in Norwegian) and democracy discourse, and a critical knowledge-producing discourse. These discourses are constituted when the PhD candidates start their research projects but the conditions for action are ever-changing and, hence, the findings in this study cannot, of course, be considered as ‘final’. The development of these discourses within the research community of NAFOL is one way of scrutinising the research projects in order to make a contribution to qualified teacher education research. Conclusion: ‘Border crossing’ between discourses in research projects concerned with what might be, and what can make a difference in a knowledge society could be a key way of enhancing the future for a young generation of researchers in teacher education. The research projects carried out by the PhD candidates in NAFOL have the potential to develop both new knowledge and new discourses of importance for Norwegian teacher education, as well as for a broader international context regarding professional development in teacher education and education in general. The view of the teacher education profession – and on what a teacher educator can be – could become more fully informed than before the candidates’ participation in the research school.

Guidelines and Regulations for Teaching Digital Competence in Schools and Teacher Education: A Weak Link?

Teacher education has recently been criticised for not fulfilling its obligation to adequately prepare teachers to utilise digital tools in the classroom. In this paper, we raise the question of why Norwegian teacher education does not prepare student teachers to integrate digital tools into their teaching as required by the Norwegian curriculum. We question the formal premises governing the development of digital competence in teacher education and how they correspond with the requirements of the Norwegian national education curriculum. To gain insight into this question, we analysed how digital competence is presented in the official key documents that create the framework for teacher education, and compared them to the requirements of the Norwegian National Curriculum. Our findings indicate that there is a weak link between the curriculum and the premises for digital competence in teacher

Lesson study in teacher education: Learning from a challenging case

Whereas most studies of lesson study in teacher education seem to report on success stories, this article investigates a challenging case. From an implementation of lesson study in Norwegian teacher education, we analyse data from a mathematics group that struggled with implementation. Analysis of data from group interviews, mentoring sessions and teaching the research lesson indicates that several crucial aspects of lesson study were missing. The student teachers did not formulate a research question for their research lesson, they did not focus on observing pupil learning, and their lesson was not organised to make pupil learning visible.

Building Teacher Identity in a New Partnership Project, - Multiple Perspectives

This paper explores the process of identity building among novice student teachers enrolled in a newly established partnership project embedded in a four-year Norwegian teacher education program. The empirical evidence in the study is drawn from a case study where interviews were the main method of gathering data. The analysis of narratives from the interviews is premised on multiple perspectives. The findings are presented as a reconstructed story with a plot in which the novice student teachers are the chief protagonists. The study