Danish University Colleges
Teacher-intentionality in lower secondary school under the inuence of nal assessments in writing literacy
Troelsen, Solveig; Iskov, Thomas
Publication date:
2015
Link to publication
Citation for pulished version (APA):
Troelsen, S., & Iskov, T. (2015). Teacher-intentionality in lower secondary school under the inuence of nal assessments in writing literacy.
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Bring ideas to life
VIA University College
Teacher -intentionality in lower secondary school under the influence of final
assessments/examination in
writing literacy
A collaborative research project…
A small project under a research program called Teachers’ General Competencies, VIA University College.
Contact information:
– Solveig Troelsen: Associate Professor, Master of Arts, VIA University College, Department of Teacher Education, Aarhus, sotr@via.dk
– Thomas Iskov: Ph.D.-Student, Master of Education, Aarhus University, Department of Education & VIA University College, Teacher Education, tisk@via.dk
Agenda
1. Research question and field of knowledge 2. The theoretical framework
3. Data
4. Preliminary interpretations.
The aim of the project
To develop knowledge about …
how and to what extend the didactical intentionality of teachers in
lower secondary school is influenced by the final exam in writing
literacy.
Research questions
- How can
didactic intentionality
be conceptualized and made functional as an analytical term?- How do teachers understand the exam in writing literacy?
- How does the final exam influence the didactic intentions of teachers prior to teaching?
Methodological framework and design
– The empirical study is ideographic and based on hermeneutic phenomenology
– Operationalized through IPA (Interpretative Phenomenological Analysis, Smith, et al, 2009)
– A case study, carried out among two teachers in lower secondary at the same school
– Observations of collaboration among the teachers and semi structured, qualitative explorative and descriptive interviews
Cases: Jon and Jane
Teachers from a medium size public school in Jutland. Both teaching at 9th grade – in end of which there are the final exams.
Jon: Has been a teacher in lower secondary (7th, 8th, 9th grade) for 7 years.
Teaches Danish, English, geography, and history.
Jane: Has taught Danish, German, religious education and arts in lower secondary for 8 years.
The concept of ‘Teacher intentionality’
The teacher’s didactic intentions: The essence of pedagogy and general didactics is normative and about the teacher’s telos – his or her didactic intentions.
The teacher’s didactic attention: What the teacher is preoccupied with and attentive to in relation to upcoming lessons
The teacher’s awareness of own intentions and attentions
– Reflexive didactic intentions and attention: The teacher’s awareness of own intentions and attention to something specific, which can be made explicit and objectified.
– Pre-reflexive didactic intentions and attention: What the teacher is unaware of, that she is directed by and towards. Intentions and attention on an implicit, functioning level.
Teacher intentionality
Didactical intention Didactical attention Reflexive
awareness Pre-reflexive awareness
Teacher
intentionality
The final exam in writing literacy
– 3½ hours exam
– students choose among 6 different assignments
– each assignment involves a genre and some inspirational material
– the genres are: an essay, a contribution to a newspaper debate, a short story, a
commentary, a manuscript for a radio program, and a letter to a friend.
– an example: “3 Hands”:
In Danish, there are many phrases about hands, e.g.:
• Put out one’s hand
• Wash one’s hands
• Tied on hands and feet
• Life in your hands
Write a realistic short story that can be illustrated by the painting. The short story
should have one of the phrases above as title and theme
.
The concept of the exam
The idea of the exam is that the students should show their ability to write a text in a genre, form and language suitable for the situation.
Because it is considered important that the students have something to write about, they get a choice between different possibilities.
How do the teachers experience the exams
1. The exam
appears naturalized
, a fact that can not be questioned:Ja ne :
• Whe n a s ke d t o im a gine how he r t e a c hing would be if t he re we re no fina l e xa m : “That’s a difficult question. There is!”
• Whe n a s ke d a ga in, s he be c om e s s ile nt for quit e a long t im e a nd t he n s t a rt s t o int e rrupt he rs e lf a nd be re dunda nt a nd im pre c is e .
Jon:
• S a m e t hing: Sile nc e … a nd t he n ra m bling
2. The exam is seen as a condition that
has to be handled
– mostly in a strategical way:Ja ne :
• is ins t ruc t ing he r s t ude nt s individua lly t o avoid s pe c ific ge nre s a t t he
e xa m , be c a us e t he y a re no good a t t he m . She is t e a c hing t he m t o c hoos e s t ra t e gic a lly
• is t ra ining t he s t ude nt s t o re a d t he que s t ions t horoughly in orde r t o s a t is fy t he de m a nds of t he e xa m
• t e a c he s s pe c ific ge nre s because t he y m ight be pa rt of t he e xa m – not for a ny ot he r re a s on – a nd avoids ot he rs (port ra it )
“Te a c hing t o t he t e s t ”
3. The exam is
constitutive for the topics they teach
Jon:
• “We need to have certain kinds of literature, movies, nonfiction… ”
Jane:
• when asked if she teaches topics that she would rather avoid but which might
occur at the exam: “Yeah… such a thing as folk songs … they are not really my favorite ….”
4. The exam seems to be the one pole in a
conflict
between what the teachersshould do
and what theywould rather do.
Metaphors reveal that: They feel pressure, hastiness and tied up – and would rather have no rules.
On the other hand Jane says that she actually felt lost when teaching a 5th grade because there was no exam to guide her.
Am biva le nc e :
Our inform a nt s fe e l a gre a t de a l of pre s s ure . But t he y do not a c t ua lly e xpre s s wa nt ing t o do a nyt hing be s ide s m a king t he ir s t ude nt s do we ll a t t he e xa m !
The exams and the teachers’ didactical intentionality
The exams drag a lot of attention and affect the teachers’ intentions. What they are made accountable for appears to be identic to what their intentions are
about.
Jon: all the way from 7th grade I know, what is important. Uhmm … you could say, I know what is important in relation to the exams
Ja ne : …and we have said to the students: this is something you have to know and master ( Thom a s : Do you tell them, that they might meet it to the
exams?) Yes! Yes we do – because they have to know, that it is important.
The exam as a starting point for the teachers’ planning activities
Jon:
We have this final goal that is called the exam… and then you have to see: what
subject matters do we have to go through. We need to have certain kinds of literature,
movies, nonfiction… these areas we are
oriented towards, because we know… in the summer
(the exam is waiting, red.) …and when we make our study plan, we also need certain methods, and some objectives…
The fra m ing of t he e xa m s a re t ra ns fe rre d t o t he s t udy pla n for t he ye a r, t ha t is a ls o na t ura lize d a nd be c om e s a c ondit ioning
fa c t or for fut ure c hoic e s
The e xa m s a re t hought of a s a s t a rt ing point from whe re
c hoic e s a re de rive d in a line a r logic of pla nning .
Teachers reasoning their intentionality
Teachers’ practical arguments (Fenstermacher, 1994, Smyth, 1989) regarding their didactic decisions are extensively based on instrumental norms (Wallander
& Molander, 2014):
…and on local evidence; personal experiences and situated, tacit knowledge Jane: But I think it’s better (small writing exercises) because it becomes a more
natural part of the teaching… and the learning for the students… well I think… I keep Jane: Well, you are working towards it all the time…. (Thomas: Do you teach certain
genres because they appear to the test?) Yes. I do that! You know, for instance folk songs are not really my favorite…
The exams make teacher’s intentionality
structural…
References
– Fenstermacher, G (1994): The knower and the known: The nature of knowledge in researching on teaching, Review of research in education, vol. 20, pp 3-53
– Jank& Meyer (2006). Didaktiskemodeller, Gyldendalslærerbibliotek – Klafki, W. (2011). Dannelsesteoretiskdidaktik, ottendestudie, Klim
– Lakoff, G. & Johnson, M. (2003). Metaphors we live by. Chicago University Press.
– Molander, A., & Grimen, H. et al. (2012). Professional Discretion and Accountability in the Welfare State. Journal of Applied Philosophy, Issue 3 (Vol 29); 214–230.
– Smith, J. et al. (2009). Interpretative Phenomenological Analysis, SAGE.
– Smyth (1989): Developing and sustaining critical reflection in teacher education. Journal of teacher education, 1989, 40. 2.
– Van Manen: Researching lived experience, The Althousepress, 2. Udg. 1997, Kapitel2: Turning to the Nature of Lived Experience.
– Wallander, L. & Molander, A. (2014): Disentangling Professional Discretion: A Conceptual and Methodological Approach, Professions & Professionalism, Volume 4, No 3, 2014
