In recent attempts to address the notion of teacher identity, scholars have stressed how identity is dynamically evolving, intrinsically related to others, and consists of multiple identities. Though ...these postmodern characterizations represent radically new perceptions of identity, they are not extensively discussed in relation to previous assumptions on singularity or sameness of teacher identity. The emerging theory of dialogical self in psychology offers a more elaborate approach to teacher identity, conceived of as
both unitary and multiple,
both continuous and discontinuous, and
both individual and social. Based on this approach, teacher identity is re-defined and implications for research are identified.
► Offers a theoretical substantiation of the multiple, discontinuous and social nature of teacher identity claimed by others. ► Simultaneously nuances this view by emphasizing the unitary, continuous and individual nature of teacher identity. ► Provides a challenging definition of teacher identity and points out its implications for research. ► Suggests that teachers should not be labeled by single terms. ► Stresses that teacher development takes place in the form of self-dialogues between different parts of self.
The studies considered in this review of recent research on teachers’ professional identity can be divided into three categories: (1) studies in which the focus was on teachers’ professional identity ...formation, (2) studies in which the focus was on the identification of characteristics of teachers’ professional identity, and (3) studies in which professional identity was (re)presented by teachers’ stories. In the studies reviewed, the concept of professional identity was defined differently or not defined at all. Four essential features of teachers’ professional identity could be derived from the studies. Many of the reviewed studies appeared to be studies on teachers’ personal practical knowledge. However, in only a few studies was the relationship between this knowledge and professional identity made explicit. It is argued that, in future research on teachers’ professional identity, more attention needs to be paid to the relationship between relevant concepts like ‘self’ and ‘identity’, the role of the context in professional identity formation, what counts as ‘professional’ in professional identity, and research perspectives other than the cognitive one that may also play a role in designing research on teachers’ professional identity.
Controversial issues characterise life in democratic societies and they often arise unexpectedly in the classroom, without being planned for by the teacher. However, controversial issues are rarely ...addressed beyond a mandatory curriculum and are often avoided. The aim of this exploratory study is to investigate what teachers identify and address as unplanned controversial issues in the classroom and the content of such issues. Semi-structured interviews were conducted with a purposive sample of 12 teachers from primary, secondary and upper-secondary schools across Europe. Unplanned controversial issues identified fell into three categories (1) mainstream controversy, (2) teacher-initiated controversy and (3) controversial pedagogy. Mainstream controversies follow mainstream definitions of controversial issues. In teacher-initiated controversies, teachers reacted to statements made by students, taking a stand against examples of prejudice, stereotyping and discrimination. Controversial pedagogy refers to instances in which the teachers' behaviour was deemed controversial by the teachers themselves. The content of the unplanned controversial issues that teachers identified and addressed is multi-faceted and draws upon personal, current, cultural and historical dimensions. The findings suggest that more attention needs to be paid, among other things, to the political dimension of education, teacher vulnerability, and who the person in teaching is.
This study examines teachers' justifications for addressing unplanned controversial issues in the classroom. It builds on the premise that controversial issues arise unexpectedly in the classroom ...context and that some teachers actively choose to address such issues rather than avoid them. Through a series of semi-structured interviews with teachers from different school contexts in Europe, we found that the justifications need to be understood within a temporal framework characterized by the immediacy of the situation, encompassing the teachers' past experiences and a desired future, unfolding in a specific context in which emotions play a significant role. The justifications are, at the same time, intricately embedded in teachers' personal and professional beliefs and their task perception. Participants' justifications were also guided by their moral convictions so that their actions may be understood as morally motivated responses to what they perceive to be unjust. The results suggest that the extent to which teachers' personal and professional beliefs are aligned and anchored to a justice and equity framework, and what teachers understand by justice and equity, has implications in the classroom. The study proposes a model that can support teachers to reflect on their pedagogical decision-making when addressing unplanned controversial issues in the classroom.
Instructional differentiation within classrooms involves educators' adaptations of instructional elements to meet diverse learners' needs. It is usually regarded as a crucial component of ...high-quality education that promotes equal and inclusive opportunities for all students. However, defining and operationalising this complex construct is challenging, and important, in efforts to better understand instructional differentiation and support learners worldwide.
This paper aims to contribute to a better understanding of instructional differentiation. It discusses definitions and operationalisations of instructional differentiation in the educational research literature and argues for the inclusion of deliberateness and adaptiveness as two defining characteristics of instructional differentiation.
Using theoretical arguments and illustrations from empirical research, including a small-scale study of our own, we discuss and exemplify the value of considering deliberateness and adaptiveness in empirical research on instructional differentiation. Further, we consider the challenges and opportunities for research on instructional differentiation.
Studying the deliberateness and adaptiveness of instructional variation calls for conceptual and operational alignment, and research methodologies that take into account the multiple perspectives of teachers and students. Our investigations draw attention to the conceptual complexity of instructional differentiation, challenges in practice and the need for professional development to support teachers' embedding of instructional differentiation practices.
Teachers participating in curricular reforms, especially reforms based on constructivism, are expected to bring about change in their teaching approach. This is often a difficult, complex and ...intensive process, and demands a radical reculturing of the classroom. This is also the case for social constructivist reforms in chemistry education, which are based on a context‐based approach. Educational change is a social and interactional process, and during this change teachers will engage in negotiations with their students about the reform. These teacher–student negotiations have a profound impact on the succeeding of the reform. This study explores the teacher–student interactions during the reform that shape and alter the context‐based chemistry approach. We focused on two teachers, of whom it was found in an earlier study that one of them succeeded in implementing the reform, while the other one struggled. By following them for one school year, in which in‐depth qualitative data was collected through various instruments, we developed insights about the teacher–student negotiations that influenced the educational reform. Three themes emerged from the data: “agency of learning,” “vulnerability,” and “care.” The differences that were found between the teachers regarding these themes help explain why and how the reform can become a success and why the reform often fails to change classroom practice.
Background and Context: Computing education is expanding, while the teaching of algorithms is less well studied.
Objective: The aim of this study was to examine teachers' pedagogical content ...knowledge (PCK) for teaching algorithms.
Method: We conducted semi-structured interviews with seven computer science (CS) teachers in upper secondary education (students aged 15-18). The data were analyzed qualitatively.
Findings: We found two patterns of variation in teachers' PCK. First, we detected variation in the teachers' goals related to their view of algorithms: they either focused on "thinking" about the algorithm as an object, or focused on "thinking and making", where the algorithm is also regarded as a program. Second, we found variation in teachers' knowledge about responding to differences between students, which may be generic or topic-specific. Furthermore, our findings reveal that teachers consider class discussions to play a significant role as an instructional method for provoking reflection.
Implications: Our findings regarding PCK may be beneficial for the development of teacher education and professionalization activities for CS teachers.
Teaching algorithmic thinking enables students to use their knowledge in various contexts to reuse existing solutions to algorithmic problems. The aim of this study is to examine how students ...recognize which algorithmic concepts can be used in a new situation. We developed a card sorting task and investigated the ways in which secondary school students arranged algorithmic problems (Bebras tasks) into groups using algorithm as a criterion. Furthermore, we examined the students’ explanations for their groupings. The results of this qualitative study indicate that students may recognize underlying algorithmic concepts directly or by identifying similarities with a previously solved problem; however, the direct recognition was more successful. Our findings also include the factors that play a role in students’ recognition of algorithmic concepts, such as the degree of similarity to problems discussed during lessons. Our study highlights the significance of teaching students how to recognize the structure of algorithmic problems.
Although context-based teaching and learning has been investigated extensively in science education, little is known regarding the use of contexts for teaching CS in secondary education.
The aim of ...this study was to examine the characteristics of contexts suitable for teaching algorithms and to investigate teachers' considerations regarding those contexts.
This study examines teachers' practices and reasoning concerning the use of contexts and is based on explorative, empirical research. Data were collected through semi-structured interviews with seven CS teachers and analyzed qualitatively.
The results of this study reveal several characteristics of effective contexts for teaching algorithms and show teachers' ambitions to address the variation within the student population when selecting contexts that advance students' algorithmic thinking.
The found characteristics may serve as recommendation for designing contexts. Development of teacher education and professionalization activities may benefit from the discussion of teachers' motives and concerns.
Contributing to the growing amount of literature on learning–enhancing feedback, this article attempts to distinguish between progress feedback and discrepancy feedback. Building on relevant ...literature drawn from psychology, we propose the use of a ratio of 3:1, positive:negative feedback. We analyzed contiguous 10 min blocks of classroom interactions from 78 teachers. Findings indicate that teachers seldom provide the types of feedback interventions identified as effective in enhancing learning in the course of typical classroom interactions. We examine potential explanations for this, discuss the consequences of this finding on teacher education and professional development, and offer several opportunities for future research.
► We propose to distinguish between progress and discrepancy feedback. ► We propose a ratio of 3:1 on positive and negative feedback in teaching. ► Teachers in secondary education seldom provided the effective types of feedback. ► Frequency and types of feedback did not differ for experience or age.
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