Classroom interaction challenges as triggers for improving early career teachers’ pedagogical understanding and competencies through mentoring dialogues

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A narrative examination of early childhood teachers’ shared identities in teamwork

This study examines the two kindergarten teachers’ shared professional identities in teamwork in an effort to clarify what constitutes their shared identities and how these identities affect the teachers’ professional practices and beliefs. The relational nature of identity maintains that individuals are not the only constructors of their identity, and the literature on teacher education emphasizes the importance of identity in teacher development. The in-depth analysis of the two kindergarten teachers’ narrative interviews revealed how the educators constructed their professional identities by intertwining the features of their context, feedback, and teaching. The findings indicate that the shared professional identities of the two early childhood teachers are developed and negotiated through four shared features: commitment, feedback, educational tasks, and professional agency. Together these four shared features shape the teachers’ professional roles and pedagogical practices—either by giving support to professional growth and empowerment or by having a decreasing effect on the teachers’ professional identity and agency in early childhood contexts.</p

Shared professional agency in Early Childhood Education: An in-depth study of three teams

Through participatory action research this study examines shared agency in three teams of Finnish early childhood educators. To cultivate a strong professional learning culture, it is important to understand features affecting the collective nature of agency. The data consist of videoed discussions of the educators' responses to their actions. Results show shared agency as specific negotiated space, in which the educators’ agency was interpreted as high or low according to their relational dispositions and temporal engagements. High agency supported educators to examine and improve their daily practices. Implications for education of early childhood educators and for professional development are discussed.</p

The content and implementation of shared professional knowledge in early childhood education

Drawing on the sociocultural view, shared knowledge is regarded as a basis for interdependent working and multi-professional learning in early childhood education. Shared professional knowledge can be seen as a central element in successful collaboration facilitating individual and collaborative professional learning. This study aims to investigate the content and implementation of shared professional knowledge in an early childhood context. Video-taped data were collected using a stimulated recall method from the two participating teachers. The results show that the content of shared professional knowledge was related to two areas in the teachers’ professional knowledge: professional self and professional tasks. In addition, theshared professional knowledge varied according to the teachers’ work contexts. This study offers new knowledge on early childhood education practices and teacher education, considering multiprofessional collaboration, and shared learning.</p

Development of Adult Thinking : Interdisciplinary Perspectives on Cognitive Development and Adult Learning

This chapter elaborates the manifold characteristics of tacit knowledge and knowing in the construction of expertise. Expertise and tacit knowledge in various fields and professions have several characteristics that are closely intertwined. The chapter considers tacit knowledge in relation to skills and competences as well as in relation to the questions of explication and argumentation. Furthermore, the process and product aspects of tacit knowledge as well as individual and collective aspects are brought into discussion. This analysis leads to the presentation of a model in which the characteristics of tacit knowledge and expertise are intertwined into four different perspectives. Along with these four perspectives, the chapter touches upon current research in which the development of expertise is understood as a collective process combining individuals, communities, and the objects of their activities. Although tacit knowledge and knowing are difficult to explicate, they are closely intertwined with cognitive and emotional aspects in experts’ thinking and action – and it may be possible to analyse and examine them in greater detail.</p

Opettajat ja opettajankoulutus – suuntia tulevaan. Selvitys ajankohtaisesta opettaja- ja opettajankoulutustutkimuksesta opettajankoulutuksen kehittämisohjelman laatimisen tueksi

Selvityksessä esitetään yhteenveto ajankohtaisesta opettaja- ja opettajankoulutustutkimuksesta opettajankoulutuksen kehittämisohjelman laatimisen tueksi ja Opettajankoulutusfoorumin käyttöön. Selvityksessä tarkastellaan neljää ajankohtaista pääteemaa, jotka ovat kiinteästi sidoksissa toisiinsa: opettajan ammatin ja työn luonne, opettajan osaaminen, opettajankoulutus sekä opettajankoulutuksen kehittäminen ja opettajankouluttajien täydennyskoulutus. Opettajan työ on luonteeltaan tietointensiivistä asiantuntijatyötä ja yhtä aikaa vaativaa ihmissuhdetyötä vaihtuvissa tilanteissa. Ajankohtaisia haasteita opettajan työssä Suomessa ovat mm. oppilaiden ja perheiden lisääntyvä moninaisuus, tiedon saatavuuden ja käytettävyyden sekä digitalisaation myötä muuttuvat toimintaympäristöt, ja oppimislähtöisyys opetuksessa. Opettaja tarvitsee vaativan työn tekemiseen monipuolista sisällöllistä ja pedagogista osaamista, erityisesti oppimis- ja opetusosaamista, vuorovaikutusosaamista, hyvinvointiosaamista ja työyhteisöjen kehittämisosaamista. Opettajan osaaminen on keskeisin oppilaiden oppimiseen vaikuttava tekijä. Opettajankoulutuksen tehtävä on tukea opettajan työssä tarvittavan osaamisen oppimista monipuolisin menetelmin ja käytäntein koko opettajan uran ajan. Suomalainen akateeminen yliopistollinen opettajankoulutus tarjoaa monipuoliset lähtökohdat opettajan ammattiin. Täydennyskoulutuksen osalta opettajankoulutuksessa on kuitenkin selkeästi kehitettävää. Opettajankoulutus ja opettajankouluttajien osaaminen ovat tulevaisuuden opettajille keskeisiä tekijöitä, joten niiden relevanssista on tärkeää huolehtia tutkimusperustaisesti. Opettajankoulutuksen kansallinen tutkimusstrategia on tässä keskeisessä asemass

Uncovering procedural knowledge in craft, design, and technology education: a case of hands-on activities in electronics

Different knowledge types have their own specific features and tasks in the learning process. Procedural knowledge is used in craft and technology education when students solve problems individually and share their working knowledge with others. This study presents a detailed analysis of a one student’s learning process in technology education and the procedural knowledge used during learning tasks. Thus, procedural knowledge is mainly produced when acting, and includes students’ goal-directed actions related to the craft, design and technology processes and their learning content. These knowledge practices also include multiple interactions with teachers and other students. The findings show six different knowledge practices: observing, checking and asking, revising, guided representative action, self-directed representative action, and comprehended action. These knowledge practices actively relate to each other, and, in concert, they constitute chains of actions that constitute two different types of procedural knowledge: proactive knowledge and executive knowledge. We conclude by discussing how these knowledge practices can be used to develop our understanding of the teaching and learning of craft, design and technology.</p

How to Support The Development Of Teachers’ Practical Knowledge : Comparing Different Conditions

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