Redesigning a Teacher Education Program in Norway: Enhancing Opportunities to Study and Practice Teaching

• In Event: 66.046 - Global Perspectives on Practice-Based Teacher Education

Abstract

Objective. This study describes the restructuring of a secondary university-based teacher education program in Norway intended to strengthen a practice-based profile and an emphasis on candidates’ future classroom teaching. Our focus here is on how campus course work provides candidates with opportunities to study and practice and rehearse actual classroom practices.

Theory. Our one-year (post bachelor) program was redesigned in 2011/12 followed by the five-year (integrated) program in 2013. Building on research on vision and coherence (Darling-Hammond et al., 2005), as well as research on core practices of teaching (Author et al., 2009), the program was structured around four overarching professional domains. Further, research on enactment (Kennedy, 1999) and ‘pedagogies of practice’ (Author et al., 2009), focusing on candidates’ opportunities to rehearse, simulate and approximate specific practices, motivated an increased attention to practice-based pedagogies within the program’s coursework. Building on these theories, we developed a conceptual framework with 8 dimensions and supporting instruments (student survey and observation rubrics), measuring candidates’ opportunities to practice and study teaching. The survey captured perceived extensiveness of these opportunities, while observation rubrics provided information about their quality and duration.

Methods and Data Sources. 372 candidates from three different cohorts (2014; 2016; 2018) completed the survey with a 97-98% response rate. Candidates indicated on a 4-point Likert scale to what extent they had the opportunity in their coursework (e.g. methods course) to enact teaching practices, such as planning for teaching, or see their teacher modeling. The 9 items tapping these opportunities were internally consistent (α=.83). Observations in the form of field notes were conducted in methods courses (mathematics and language arts) for a period of three weeks (n= 15 hours) and analyzed using a four-point scale on the eight dimensions of candidates’ opportunities to practice and study teaching.

Findings. Survey data indicate extensive opportunities to study and enact teaching practices such as planning for teaching, but fewer opportunities to analyze student learning. Further, survey data indicate extensive opportunities to engage in pedagogies of teacher education such as analyzing teaching materials, talking about field placement and examining national curricula. Candidates report fewer opportunities to watch classroom videos, analyze classroom discussions or see models of teaching. Observation data reveal quite similar findings. Analyses of the observation data also reveal that the duration (length of time) and the degree of specificity of these opportunities, as well as their explicit linkage to theory are critical for candidates’ learning.

Significance. Our findings reveal extensive attention to what might be described as ‘distal classroom practices’ such as planning for teaching and/ or analyzing teaching materials and national curricula/standards, perhaps at the expenses of studying and enacting teaching practices closer to the student (e.g., analysis of student learning). Our findings also reveal that even with extensive opportunities to practice, the quality of such opportunities needs to be scrutinized. Finally, our findings indicate that positive development requires the continuous monitoring of the reform efforts.

Author

• Kirsti Klette, University of Oslo