Danish University Colleges
Professional inquiry in teacher education
Educational development based on stakeholders’ ideas and experiments Nielsen, Birgitte Lund; Jepsen, Claus Baagø; Wiskerchen, Mikkel
Publication date:
2021
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Nielsen, B. L., Jepsen, C. B., & Wiskerchen, M. (2021). Professional inquiry in teacher education: Educational development based on stakeholders’ ideas and experiments. Paper presented at NERA 2021, Odense, Denmark.
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Professional inquiry in teacher education:
Educational development based on stakeholders’ ideas and experiments
NERA 2021
Birgitte Lund Nielsen, Claus Baagø Jepsen &
Mikkel Wiskerchen, VIA University College,
Aarhus, Denmark
Background: The LULAB initiative
§ Research from the context of a Danish large-scale and collaborative
initiative (2019-2023) for systematically developing teacher education :
‘Teacher education as a laboratory for developing excellent teaching and education’(acronym LULAB) https://www.via.dk/samarbejde/lulab ; Nielsen & Jensen, 2021
§ LULAB is an organizational and professional-pedagogical initiative supporting teacher educators and other actors in teacher education (student teachers and cooperative partners e.g. from schools) in LULAB projects/professional inquiry Boyd and White, 2017
o Professional inquiry as a middle position between the `normal ´ reflected
development of teaching based on evaluation and genuine practitioner research.
o The initiative is furthermore inspired by Scholarship of Teaching and Learning (SoTL) approaches in higher education Kreber & Cranton, 2000; Mårtensson et al., 2011
§ ‘Laboratory' is used in a Dewey inspired understanding Staunæs et al. 2014 ,
o The inquiry-based approach emphasizes the vision of developing teacher education
through collaborative experiments
Anden information
LULAB projects – criteria and an example
§ A range of different projects running – participants apply
referring to the criteria
§ Not all teacher educators have at present a LULAB project, but the initiative is for all – experiences are shared etc. (SoTL as an approach to development in the full organsiation)
§ Outdoor teaching in the German language
§ A researcher in outdoor pedagogy in cooperation with a teacher edcuator, students teachers and pupils from a school
§ Student teachers’ microteaching in the outdoor
environment - later analysed at the college and
used in a new iteration (school placement)
Background: Professional agency
§ Human agency at work Goller, 2017
o ..capacity to make intentional choices and to act on these choices in ways that makes a difference in their professional lives [..] skills, attitudes, and beliefs which support individuals to act independently in order to transform workplace practices
§ We challenge the individual capacity aspect - agency as an emergent phenomenon situated in a specific context Priestley, Biesta, Robinson, 2015
§ Teacher educators’ professional agency in bottom-up initiatives in the collegial community Hökkä, Rasku-Puttonen & Eteläpelto, 2008; Hökkä & Eteläpelto, 2014
§ 3-dimensional model of agency in working life contexts Vähäsantanen et al., 2019
o 1) Influencing at Work
o 2) Developing Work Practices (Participation in Shared Work Practices and Transforming Work Practices)
o 3) Negotiating Professional Identity
§ Agency as unfolded in a concrete dynamic context implying a research approach with also qualitative and nested data Priestley et al., 2015
§ Relational agency as an emergent capacity to work with other practitioners and
draw on resources distributed across the system Edwards, 2005; 2015
Anden information
Research questions + Mixed Methods design
(Creswell & Clark, 2018)
Research questions Interviews
§ With both teacher educators and student teachers, at different points in the LULAB
projects.
OBS: Main focus on teacher educators in this presentation
Repeated survey
§ Agency items & open reflections
§ First round October 2020 (repeated 2023)
§ Survey distributed to all teacher educators from the university college (N= 212), answers from 97 (46%).
§ 51% have themselves LULAB- projects, 49% have not yet.
§ Non-response analysis
indicating that the answers are relatively representatively
distributed
Miscellaneous
• Observation at organisational
knowledge-sharing events with
discussion across projects
• Observation in the context of LULAB projects.
• Memo-logs
• “Case-artifacts”
§ In what ways and to what extent do the teacher educators’ self-reports indicate professional agency as conceptualized in the 3-dimensional model of professional agency in work contexts?
§ In what ways do the teacher educators unfold and develop professional agency in the dynamic context of LULAB as an
educational development initiative and in
the professional inquiry projects in LULAB?
Some findings
§ The teacher educators (TE) experience to a relatively high degree to be included in decisions about their work, BUT …
§ Answers about cooperation and realizing professional goals are more divided AND OBS: open reflections
28%
8%
23%
26%
43%
32%
28%
43%
27%
41%
35%
27%
1%
16%
11%
3%
0%
2%
3%
0%
0% 20% 40% 60% 80% 100%
I try out new ideas in my work I can realise my professional goals in my work I actively collaborate with others in my unit I can make decisions regarding my own work
Teacher educators experiences related to elements of agency in their working life context
Very high degree High degree Some degree Low degree Very low degree
Anden information
§ The teacher
educators rated their experience of being heard and contribute higher in the context of the
“close”
collaboration around subjects than in the
organisation as a whole
22%
14%
16%
45%
38%
41%
21%
34%
28%
7%
7%
1%
1%
3%
3%
3%
14%
0% 10% 20% 30% 40% 50% 60% 70% 80% 90% 100%
I'm heard and my views are acknowledged I have opportunities for participating
in decision-making processes I make developmental suggestions
in collaboration with others regarding my teaching subjects
Teacher educators experience of collaboration and development related to teaching subjects
Very high degree High degree Some degree Low degree Very low degree Don't know
8%
2%
7%
28%
13%
28%
41%
43%
33%
12%
25%
18%
5%
11%
2%
6%
6%
12%
0% 10% 20% 30% 40% 50% 60% 70% 80% 90% 100%
I'm heard and my views are acknowledged I have opportunities for participating
in decision-making processes I make developmental suggestions
in collaboration with others regarding my teaching subjects
Teacher educators experience of collaboration and
development in teacher education in general
Some quotes from open reflections
§ In many cases there are not any possibilities to participate in decision making or having influence at the decisions regarding the education
§ The developmental dimension is very much ”colonialised” by the organisation, there are not much real dynamic left
§ I actually think there are good possibilities for having influence in the organisation, but this is not supported by resources and time
§ We do to a very low degree meet process-plans for initiatives and decisions
§ It is not clear what is decided at what levels
§ There is in no way enough time to discuss development of teaching (and approaches to teacher education) when you think about the importance of this – related to e.g. engagement
§ In general I miss rooms, possibilities and initiatives for something like
pedagogical development projects. LULAB appears to be a way forward
Anden information 10%
14%
20%
12%
29%
42%
34%
23%
5%
9%
2%
0% 10% 20% 30% 40% 50% 60% 70% 80% 90% 100%
No participation in a LULAB
project Participation in a LULAB project
Experience of collegial collaboration in the work community in general
Very high degree High degree Some degree Low degree Very low degree Don't know
28%
8%
47%
11%
21%
8% 14%
2%
58%
2%
0% 10% 20% 30% 40% 50% 60% 70% 80% 90% 100%
No participation in a LULAB
project Participation in a LULAB project
Experience of collegial collaboration in relation to the LULAB as an organisational initiative
Very high degree High degree Some degree Low degree Very low degree Don't konw
§ In the generic question there are no significant differences between those having a LULAB project and those not, so no bias in the sense of TE applying for
LULAB being more collaboratively minded
§ Based on answers about collegial collaboration in
general and in LULAB it is evident, that the TE being in “the machine room” in the
professional inquiry
projects experience
new possibilities for
collaboration and
influence
Anden information 23%
5%
32%
45%
36%
31%
2%
12%
5%
2%
0% 10% 20% 30% 40% 50% 60% 70% 80% 90% 100%
Deltager eller har deltaget i LULAB-projekt Har ikke deltaget i LULAB-projekt
I have the possibility for participating in decision making in cooperation in subject related teams
25%
7%
41%
40%
27%
29%
0%
2%
7%
21%
0% 10% 20% 30% 40% 50% 60% 70% 80% 90% 100%
Deltager eller har deltaget i LULAB-projekt Har ikke deltaget i LULAB-projekt
I contribute myself with proposals for development in cooperation in subject related
teams
No participation in a LULAB project
Participation in a LULAB project
No participation in a LULAB project
Participation in a LULAB project
§ So, the TE’s in LULAB-projects experience to a high degree this initiative as a frame for collegial
cooperation
§ Agency related factors are mainly about the
possibility for participating in – and contributing yourself – in
decision making
§ Not as strong vicarious
experiences
(colleagues not in
the machine room)
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This is elaborated in the open reflections from those having LULAB-projects
§ A central theme is how the work practices of teacher educators develop and unfold through experimentation and collaboration with student
teachers (related to agency dim.2: developing work practices)
o An understanding of collaboration on developing activities or within a course framework
o Creation of a “other space”, where student teachers are “having a voice” and engage in pedagogical debates
§ Another theme is motivation: to be positioned as - and experience to be - competent, to experience autonomy and relatedness Ryan & Deci, 2017
o The projects have given time and room for concrete development, professional dialogues and the experiments with new pedagogical approaches
o Inspiration and courage to experiment
o Collegial collaboration – possibility for deep involvement and discussions
Experiments in co-creation – teacher educators and student teachers
§ Experiments are approached by teacher educators as either a method for educational development OR as a way of teaching within a course Knudsen &
Adriansen 2014
§ Regarding the character of the cooperation in LULAB-projects there are indications of co-creation.
o co-creation is occupying the space in between student engagement and partnership Bovill 2020
o Either a whole-class activity or a few selected students
o In dialogues about the projects terms like this are used: “astounding
together”, “throw ourselves into”, “talking through to an understanding”
Anden information
Knowledge sharing events – teacher educators and student teachers (November 2019 +2020)
§ Teacher educators
o The bottom-up perspective in LULAB is central. LULAB is at the moment the only context where we can find room for collegial dialogues. There are both directions and freedom at the same time. We need to nurture and keep rooms like that
o It is a part of the DNA of teacher education that we are all the time concerned with developing and qualifying the learning-processes to educate wellqualified teachers.
This represents a process of ‘Bildung - an approach to professional learning where we are experimenting and exploring together”.
§ Student teachers
o ..it has been exiting to be a part of this – also hearing how the educators talk about this …really cool to participate …
o So lovely to participate – being engaged together
o It is cool as a student to be enrolled, because it is cool to feel you are heard - this is spreading among our peers
o LULAB-projects are practice-oriented, and this is a crucial request from our side as
student teachers
Data from cases (interviews etc.)
§ Teacher educators across cases: a positive experience of outcomes– to feel recognized as a professional teacher educator (positioned as competent)
o Professional inquiry as a middle position! R & D close to their teaching
o Cooperation as co-creation
o Examples of negotiation of professional identity
§ Cooperation teacher educators – student teachers
o Variation, not all phases in all projects
§ Positioning of the student-teachers as co-developers and their (somewhat tacit) positioning of themselves
o The experimental approach - professional inquiry for the teacher educators – a way of approaching and developing the education – the new possibilities they are given appear to be mirrored in the way they position the student teachers
o The experimental approach is for the student teacher more related to the concrete project – e.g. outdoor teaching in German language
1) Influencing at Work
2) Developing Work Practices (Shared Work Practices /Transforming Work Practices)
3) Negotiating Professional Identity
Vähäsantanen et al. 2019
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Conclusions – so far
§ The teacher educators experience in the LULAB projects a positive possibility to participate in shared work-practices and in developing these (educational) work practices. This is experienced as meaningful and motivating
§ Being part of a LULAB-project affect the experience of opportunities for participating and contributing in decision making – and by so affecting the professional agency as a teacher educator
§ The findings show the importance of yourself having hands-on in a LULAB
project, the vicarious experiences are not as strong so far – even though there have been a range of arrangements with sharing and discussions by all
§ The possibilities to take a position as educational developer as teacher educators appears to have been under pressure
o The teacher educators feel positioned as competent co-developers in LULAB projects
o This is mirrored in the way they position the student teachers
§ Institutionalization is a critical challenge – to involve the full education – a
change of culture
Discussion/reflection
§ THANK YOU ! Contact for slides and more information BLN@via.dk
§ Discussion/reflection
o There are different models of teacher education in the Nordic countries, but all countries experience the top- down demands accentuating the relevance of sharing ideas about how to acknowledge practitioner - teacher educator, student teacher and teacher – perspectives.
o Professional inquiry as an approach to do so?
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References
§ Knudsen, H., & Adriansen, H. K. (2014). Eksperimenterende ledelsespraksis - en monstrøs undervisningsform. In D. Staunæs, H. Adriansen, K. Dupret, S. Høyrup, &
N. C. M. Nickelsen (Eds.), Læringslaboratorier og -eksperimenter (pp. 127–155). Aarhus Universitetsforlag.
§ Biesta, G., Priestley, M. & Robinson, S. (2017). Talking about education: the significance of teachers’ talk for teacher agency. Journal of Curriculum Studies 49(1), 38-54.
§ Bovill, C. (2020). Co-creation in learning and teaching: the case for a whole-class approach in higher education. Higher Education, 79(6), 1023–1037.
§ Boyd, P. & White, E. (2017). Teacher educator professional inquiry in an age of accountability. I P. Boyd and A. Szplit (eds). Teachers and teacher educators learning through inquiry: International perspectives, 123-142. Krakow: Attyka.
§ Cochran-Smith, M., & Lytle, S. L. (2009). Inquiry as stance: Practitioner research for the next generation. New York: Teachers College Press.
§ Creswell, J.W. & Clark, V.L.P (2018). Designing and Conducting Mixed Methods Research, third edition. Los Angeles: SAGE.
§ Edwards, A. (2005). Relational agency: Learning to be a resourceful practitioner. International Journal of Educational Research 43, 168–182.
§ Edwards, A. (2015). Recognising and realising teachers’ professional agency. Teachers and Teaching - theory and practice 21 (6)
§ Eteläpelto, A., Vähäsantanen, K., Hökkä, P. & Paloniemi, S. (2013). What is agency? Conceptualizing professional agency at work. Educational Research Review 10, 45-65
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§ Hökkä, P., Rasku-Puttonen, H., & Eteläpelto, A. (2008). Teacher educators’ workplace learning: the interdependency between individual agency and social context.
In S. Billett, C. Harteis, and A. Eteläpelto (Eds.) Emerging perspectives in workplace learning. Rotterdam: Sense Publishers.
§ Hökka, P. & Eteläpelto, A. (2014). Seeking new perspectives on the development of teacher education: A study of the Finnish context. Journal of Teacher Education, 65(1), 39-52.
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Rotterdam: Sense Publishers.
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§ Priestley, M., Biesta, G., & Robinson, S. (2015). Teacher agency: An Ecological Approach ecological approach. London: Bloomsbury Academic
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§ Staunæs, D. et al. (eds) (2014). Læringslaboratorier og - eksperimenter. Aarhus: Aarhus Universitetsforlag.
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§ Vähäsantanen, K. et al. (2019). A novel instrument to measure the multidimensional structure of professional agency. Vocations and Learning, 12, 267–295.
