Teaching as a Clinical Profession: Adapting the Medical Model

• In Event: Researching and Innovating in Teacher Preparation Programs

Abstract

One influential way of thinking about teaching is to conceive of it as a clinical profession, similar to medicine. However, fundamental differences between doctors' and teachers' practice limit the usefulness of the medical model. How can we adapt our understandings of clinical practice in light of the unique aspects of teaching? We explore the requirements of the central clinical activities of diagnosis, treatment and inference in teaching, how teachers tend to perform them, and how their performance is shaped by the context of teachers' work. In order to account for teaching's unique qualities, we propose adapting the clinical acts of diagnosis, treatment and inference to include, respectively, prioritization and noticing; disciplined improvisation; and room to maneuver.

Authors

• Ayelet Becher, The Open University of Israel

• Adam Lefstein, Ben-Gurion University of the Negev