Teacher education. Three separate teaching-houses merging into one
In my view, using these examples from educational history, one can observe three steps in the growth of the teachers' professional field (Goodson 2003). First, practical knowledge predominates, then a special value basis develops in the two teacher groups and gradually a scientific perspective is introduced in and on teachers' work. I see these as three separate perspectives within which teachers' knowledge has developed.
Educational systems and their ideological views have often been compared to intellectual edifices or teaching-houses. In Sweden teacher knowledge has been developed, both figuratively and literally, in different houses. The basic structure of the buildings has been the same, that is, a foundation of practical teaching skill has been successively reinforced with a floor of particular values and then given a scientific superstructure. But the fittings on the three floors and the devices on the façade have differed in the different knowledge-houses (Hartman 2005).
Bildung (education) and subject knowledge were focused in the house that the grammar school tradition built for its teacher knowledge. It was thus the care and the handing-on of knowledge that was long considered the main task of 262 Sven Hartman 10880 Gbgs Universitet _direkt 07-04-10 11.52 Sida 262 grammar school and university teachers, not research. This view was current until well into the 20th century. Bildung had a higher priority than subject specialisation, and was in fact considered a condition for specialisation. During the latter part of the 19th century, research was increasingly carried on in the universities. This is how the modern university came about. A new body of knowledge grew up and expanded at an increasing tempo. This entailed changes in the professional profile, the teaching-house was altered with the addition of new rooms. It was no longer necessary to 'know everything', you had to specialise within some particular discipline and 'know your subject'. A more enclosed concept of knowledge was to gain ground. The underlying rationale in this tradition has built on subject knowledge and academic discipline.
Training for teaching was the device that, figuratively speaking, was written over the other house, the teaching-house where teachers were trained for the needs of the elementary school. The professional skills of the first elementary teachers were aimed at the ability to handle teaching large and clearly separated pupil groups: children of the masses together and children of the better-off together. Routines and means of control had to be acquired that allowed the teacher to control gigantic classes: classes long remained very large. Later on, the capacity to individualise and adapt the teaching to the individual needs of the pupils became an important dimension of the teacher knowledge. The underlying rationale for this tradition has been didactical, focusing on the art of teaching.
Caring for children has always been focused in the third teaching-house. The ability to be together with children and to lead them in educational situations is fundamental. The pre-school tradition is child-centred, combining social and educational goals. To have a deep knowledge about children in different ways has been the central dimension of the pre-school teacher profession. In contrast to the two other teaching-houses, this tradition was built by women for women. The ground for this tradition has been a caring rationale.
In 2001 there was a big reform in Swedish teacher training (see also Rabo, this volume). The rapid developments in modern society and the far-reaching changes in the school during the 1990s made reform necessary. The decentralisation of the school demands new professional skills from the teachers. The integration of pre-school, elementary school and leisure centre presupposes cooperation between different professional groups. As a consequence, these groups need a common competence as the ground for their work. Eight different training programmes from different traditions were brought together in a new teacher-training programme.
The new programme is marked by academisation, on the one hand, and by generalisation on the other. Most teacher students are given more academic/theoretical studies than before and their training is no longer so specialised towards particular age groups. The former will perhaps strengthen their professional status but the consequences of the latter may be doubtful, in my opinion. Possibly the new kind of teacher training will make teachers versatile and flexible, at least from the employers’ point of view.
Sven Hartman 263 10880 Gbgs Universitet _direkt 07-04-10 11.52 Sida 263 THREE TEACHING-HOUSES IN ONE Dimensions Subject-focused Teaching-focused Child-focused of teacher grammar A new modern, some would call it post-modern, teaching-house has been built for the new programme. Within the framework of a com