Conference Agenda

Evidence from an earlier five-year study (see Author 2020; Authors, 2019; 2021; Authors 2022) of a project was judged by teachers to have had a significant impact on pupils’ learning in Science and Design Technology. The project, however, depended on the skills of artists and engineers and was expensive unless funded by external grants. Teachers wanted to see how a similar approach could be embedded in mainstream schools. This paper explores the development of the T*** approach based on the experience of the teachers involved and the previous research project.

Teacher interviews identified a lack of experience in curriculum design, a lack of confidence in design technology and using art-making practices to develop learning. Teachers revealed a desire to give children freedom to express themselves, take some responsibility for and enjoy their learning, but that this was in tension with concerns to cover a packed curriculum, so was often not realised.

This project was a process of responding to teachers’ questions and discussing their successful use of the elements of the T*** model, which was developed in response to their practice. We sought to ensure the approach was faithful to the insights from the professional work of the art-makers, responsive to the needs of the mainstream classroom, and attuned to the theoretical insights gleaned from previous research. The process was iterative and messy with the model emerging from the ongoing discussions. Through trialling different pedagogies, adopting practice from the previous project and becoming familiar with ‘community of practising art-makers’ (CoP) (Lave and Wenger, 1991) and ‘commission’, teachers planning changed, and they developed an understanding of and confidence in the approach. In addition to the foundational CoP and commission, the model embeds a range of characteristics identified from the professional culture and practices of the art-makers (Ingold, 20130; 2017) summarised in, what teachers saw as, a helpful visualisation.

Teachers designed their schemes of work over 18 months (albeit with interruptions due to the pandemic), trialling elements in their settings, with regular discussion and feedback from educationalists and artists. Their developing understanding of the model, its educational implications and how it could inform their classroom practice was not an easy process. In the end of project interviews, one teacher talked about coming to a session with what they thought was a really good idea only to for it to be ‘picked apart by you [the educationalists]’. Whilst initially, such moments were disheartening, they were later acknowledged as vital to teacher understanding of the model and having the confidence use it.

As an example, in one school, by inducting children into a community of environmental activists, children were required to engage with issues related to the physical world and how humans engage with it, requiring multiple subject knowledges, but also to think and behave like a member of this community of environmental activists. The commission, situated in the real-world, generated a series of real-world tasks that the community needs to address and through which the majority of the learning occurs; learning-by-doing and/or educative conversations whilst being supervised to address the task; or at moments by direct teaching. In this example, the community’s commission was to improve the ecology of their school grounds by designing and making homes for wildlife. It required not just the development of scientific, design, geographical and communicative knowledge and understanding but the ability to empathise, listen, think critically, imagine, negotiate ideas, be responsible for particular tasks, practice particular skills, persist with ideas – in short to see themselves as a necessary and valued member of this community by practising and behaving like environmental activists.

A severe shortage of teachers in physics has been reported across Europe. In Ireland the STEM Education Policy consultation report (2017) stated that this shortage has resulted in school students not having access to specialist physics teachers and high-quality learning experiences. This shortfall of highly-trained teachers of physics is argued to be directly contributing to the deficit of skilled STEM workers required by industry.

Given the recognised shortage of qualified physics teachers, many teaching roles are filled by out-of-field teacher from other science or maths backgrounds. Highlighting this practice, studies have found that 20-30% of physics teachers had not studied physics at university (Price et al., 2019; Cadis, 2017; Banilower, Trygstad, Smith, et al.. 2015). With under-qualifed teachers filling these roles, aspects of specialised knowledge needed to teacher student in effective ways have been shown to be underdeveloped. (Hobbs, Torner et al., 2019; Riordain, Paolucci and Lyons et al., 2019; Carpendale and Hume, 2019)

Given the highlighted shortfalls in physics education, exploring ways to support the professional development needs of physics teachers, including those out of field teachers, is worthwhile. On way to address this issue according to Ogodo (2017) is to provide targeted in-service professional development to help out-of-field physics teachers to improve their content knowledge and pedagogical skills.

To address the issues outlined in physics education, the Frontiers Erasmus+ project aimed to demonstrate how teachers can be supported in bringing Nobel Prize winning science into the classroom. Following the development of series of educational resources, the project partners ran three international online professional development events. The purpose of these professional development events was to enhance the pedagogical content knowledge of physics teachers, adopting a collaborative community of practice with the support of expert physicists from large-scale research infrastructures.

This study focuses on the participant experience of the Winter e-School event that took place over 6 days between the 29th of January and the 7th of February 2021. To facilitate teachers attending during the normal academic year and to avoid further class disruption, the Winter School took place over 2 weekends with meetings scheduled between both weekends. In total there were 203 participants in flexible attendance, with 30 teachers chosen to participate in workshops groups to develop teaching resources.

This study investigates the effectiveness of the Winter e-School in developing the pedagogical content knowledge and self-efficacy of physics teachers. Hosted through Zoom, these synchronous online training events targeted science teachers who were motivated to introduce Nobel prize winning physics in their classroom. The events sought to develop the pedagogical content knowledge of physics teachers through the exploration of specially developed inquiry-based learning resources and by supporting teachers to collaboratively development their own resources. Further collaborative teacher workshops were also facilitated with additional support of asynchronous engagement through Google Slides.

Focusing on the effectiveness of the collaborative online platforms and applications used to deliver the professional development events, this study captures the participant perspective of the event through focus group data.

This paper discusses the impact that social media had on a series of Collaborative Online International Learning (COIL) workshops designed for the enhancement of Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics (STEM) education between two Higher Education Institutions (HEIs) namely, the School of Education (SoE), University of Glasgow (UoG), Scotland and the Indian Institute of Science Education and Research (IISER) Pune, both involved in Teacher Education.

Internationalisation of Higher Education has exacerbated the demand for educationalists who can function in cross-cultural settings over the last two decades (Esche, 2018). Increasingly, HEIs are looking to recruit teachers/academics that are interculturally competent and capable of working successfully in a cross-cultural context.

While experiential learning and study abroad programmes (requiring students’ mobility) are effective approaches to acquiring these intercultural competencies (De Castro, 2019), they are often limited by the significant resources required (Purvis, Rodger & Beckingham, 2020).

Consequently, cost-effective approaches such as Collaborative Online International Learning (COIL) are increasingly being utilised. With the use of technology, COIL serves as a pedagogical approach for fostering the development of intercultural competencies in students across classrooms located in various parts of the world (Appiah-Kubi & Annan, 2020) including open-mindedness, international-mindedness, thinking flexibility, second language competence, tolerance and respect for other people and their cultures (Chan & Dimmock, 2008). This implies that for a classroom to benefit fully from COIL, virtual learning spaces must involve students in geographically distinct regions with differences in language and cultural backgrounds but with a common experiential learning tool or technology. While COIL is typically designed to run for a short span it offers a unique opportunity for programme developers (usually faculty members) to co-create a shared syllabus or course material and mentor students on how to collaborate (Appiah-Kubi & Annan 2020). Broadly aimed at getting students to become global thinkers, it enables them to develop the ability to work on projects collaboratively with students from different cultural backgrounds.

Although the COIL experience is widely believed to be highly beneficial to the development of students’ intercultural competencies (De Castro et al., 2019; Appiah-Kubi & Annan, 2020), the success or failure of the pedagogical process, to a large extent, is determined by the adopted experiential learning tool (Purvis, Rodger & Beckingham, 2020), which is social media in this case. While a growing body of research is investigating the use of social media in collaborative learning and analysing students’ interaction and its impact on the learning process, especially in the wake of pandemics (Chan et al., 2020; Khan et al., 2021), there is no known study, to our knowledge, that specifically examines how social media could impact COIL experiences and what pedagogical approaches might facilitate this process.

This study aims to explore the impact of social media on a COIL experience for Newly Qualified Teachers (NQT) and In-Service teachers from India and Scotland who worked together through a series of international workshops on a STEM challenge based on participatory pedagogy. Specifically, we are seeking to address the question of: How does social media impact the learning experience of NQTs and in-service teachers participating in a series of COIL-based STEM workshops through the lens of participatory pedagogy?

To answer this question, we analysed the wider context and the definition of the term internationalisation of Higher Education (HE) and the process of COIL. We reflected on our previous experience and research on the elements required to enhance the experience of Internationalisation at Home and at a Distance, adding emphasising on the importance of participatory pedagogy in this process. Finally, we collected data by looking at tutors’ and participants’ experiences through tutors’ reflective journals, participants’ feedback and focus groups.

Introduction

This study sought to understand if Early Childhood teacher education programs in universities have the power to transform the practice of mentor teachers.

Aims/ Outcomes

Often professors in the area of early childhood are on the cutting edge of the field due to their research agendas and continual examination of the body of research. Since not all mentors can go back to university, this study investigated the possibility that knowledge gained by university students can be passed on to mentors.

This presentation will share how pre-service teachers used technology effectively and appropriately with Pre-K and Kindergarten (4 and 5 year olds) Dual Language Learners (children learning english as a second language) students to develop oral language and critical thinking skills. The interns were placed in Professional Development Schools that had been in partnership with the university over several years. A strong partnership of respect and trust between the university and school administrators and teachers was developed over those years. Most of the mentor teachers were excellent teachers and models for their pre-service teachers. In recent years one school in particular had sudden grow in their Dual Language Learner (DLL) population.

1. A understanding of early childhood teacher preparation programs

2. A conceptual understanding of how STEM standards of practice can be made to be developmentally appropriate for young children and be optimal tool for developing emergent literacy skills for native speakers of English as well a those learning English as a second language.

3. Specific examples of how pre-service teachers used STEM integrated literacy lessons with all students in Pre-K and Kindergarten classrooms (4-6 year olds) and how they assisted Mentor teachers to replicate replicated these concepts.

This transfer of knowledge was made possible by the trusting partnership was developed over time.

In this case, pre-service teachers showed mentor teachers how to plan STEM lessons which developed early literacy skills for all young children: native speakers of English as well as those learning to speak English as a second language.

The mentors they were placed with were selected by the principal to be mentors because they were successful teachers. However, the mentors had limited experience with and/or course work related to DLLs. As a result there were times when instruction was not as appropriate as it could have been for DLLs. Through regular course assignments pre-service teachers planned and delivered whole class lessons on STEM topics including technology which also included differentiation for DLL students.

In the article, the extent to which problem-based learning (PBL) contributes to the development of students' analytical and conceptual skills in mathematics, physics and English language classes is carried out on the basis of action research, and the results of the research are presented. The purpose of this action research was to contribute to the development of reasoning skills by creating a problem in the classroom. Tasks: implementation of educational goals, use of teaching methods, consideration of individual abilities of students, monitoring of lessons, reflection, re-planning, differentiation. The research was conducted from 2021 until 2023 with the participation of students from grades 9-12, curators, parents, teachers, psychologists. In order to solve practical situations, the student needs to be able to effectively use the previous knowledge and skills formed on the basis of certain laws[1;139]. Therefore, each teacher used practical situations to achieve the expected results. Students, especially with difficulty in analyzing, were considered as experimental and control groups. Innovations of research: implementation of interdisciplinary communication; student's creative work; long-term knowledge retention; 11-12th graders are more inclined to research.

PBL is the principle of differentiation that contributes to the development of students' cognitive and creative abilities. Students search, predict, compare, analyze and conclude while solving situations. Based on research[3], PBL in pedagogy includes three stages: activation of learning, research method, problem-based learning. In 1909 J.Dewey considered PBL as "problem solving" in his book "How I Think". The concept of value is the five stages of reflective thinking, which are: all possible solutions; difficulties in finding a solution; formulation of the problem; the use of assumptions that define observations and data as hypotheses; demonstration of correctness of hypotheses in practice. J.Bruner's concept: the structural role of knowledge in the learning process; the need for the student's readiness to study; development of quick thinking through intuition; the importance of motivation in learning. J.Dewey considers PBL through reflective thinking, and J.Bruner through intuitive thinking. D.Poya, O.Zelts, K.Dunker developed this method and formed foreign pedagogy[3;11-13]. A.M.Matyushkin compiled a model of the problematic situation, presented its conditions and solutions [3;56].

V.Okon considers PBL as a method and pays attention to the stability of knowledge, the development of cognitive interest, and the educational value of it. Taking into account the non-universality of the method, it is intended to be used together with other methods. It is important that it is not immediately after a new topic, but that it leads to the development of the student's cognitive interest in the formation and use of skills[2;69]. M.I.Makhmutov explains: students' acquisition of new knowledge includes their own, the teacher's explanation, students' reproductive actions, setting tasks, and students' performance[1;299]. H.J.Elaine, K.Goh say that PBL has an impact on the student's long-term retention of knowledge, and the use of it. It is concluded that, compared to traditional teaching, the activity in class increases since they analyze and create[4]. Lerner I.Ya.: having a creative atmosphere in the classroom, PBL requires new and high-quality requirements from the teacher. Therefore, the teacher should master the research situations in their field and master the cognitive methodology[5]. It turns out that this method is effective in activating thinking, and the implementation of PBL organizes a collaborative environment and leads to the planning of teaching strategies accordingly[6]. O.V.Minovskaya clarifies the effectiveness of problem teaching: student's ability to search, analytical thinking skills development; analyze and conclude; acquired knowledge is long-lasting and can be used; confidence is strengthened. K.A.Arapov[6], M.Yu.Soloshchenko[7], R.I.Molofeev[8], S.M.Kaupenbaeva[9], B.M.Utegenova[10], based on the research, reveal the influence, implementation, and effectiveness of PBL in class.

Many student teachers (STs) experience a gap between theory and practice and find ‘theories’ irrelevant to professional development (Laursen 2014). Darling-Hammond (2014) describes the ‘presumed divide’ between theory and practice as one of the core dilemmas of teacher education. A Norwegian study (Smeplass, 2018) points to contradictions between educational policy and the challenges STs face during practical training periods and as recent graduates. Students struggle to bridge the gap between a theoretical focus in their education and practical challenges they meet in schools and classrooms.

Menter (2016) argues that future teachers need to be ‘research literate’, being able to read, evaluate and use the research findings that are relevant to their work and have the capacity and skills to engage in research if context and conditions are appropriate. Hermansen (2018) outlines two metaphors for teacher professionalism, the teacher as a craftsperson and the teacher as a professional scientist. The teacher as a craftsperson emphasises teaching as a practical activity based on personal experience and reflections, while the teacher as a professional scientist emphasises teaching as research-based knowledge, where general principles and guidelines should be the basis for teachers’ teaching. The two metaphors can be interpreted as descriptions of professional identities and relate to the ongoing discussion on what kind of teachers we need for the future[1]. Hermansen (2018) argues that the two metaphors should not be seen a dichotomy, rather the interaction between these are of importance.

Professional identity is developed in interaction with others (Wenger 1998). Haslam (2017) identifies five ‘I’s, ‘Identification’, ‘Ideation’, ‘Interaction’, ‘Influence’ and ‘Ideology’ as significant for social identity and education. Identification relates to group membership shaping an individual’s behaviour to the extent that their social identity derived from this group membership is incorporated into their sense of self. Ideation or what people identify with is as important as mutual identification. Interaction is what develops and galvanises social identities. Influence is what makes identification, ideation and interaction possible. Important is that leadership is only made possible by perceptions of shared identity between leaders and followers. Ideology is inherent in policies and educational processes, and educational experience is usually characterised by several.

Previous studies (Patrick & McPhee 2014, Preston et al. 2015) has introduced cases as inquiry-, or problem-based approaches in academic courses in ITE. They found that the majority of the STs experienced that problem-based cases enabled them to make links between theory and practice. Increased engagement and enhanced learning outcomes for most students are reported in both studies, while they point to the construction of the cases as important, as well as the need for instructional scaffolding. In this study digital cases related to central themes or content of the course were developed in collaboration between teacher educators at campus and practice teachers in schools. The aim was to develop practice-based cases that would open for discussions of different perspectives and to “bridge the gap” between theory and practice.

In this study we see student teachers’ professional identity as constructed through social interaction in engagement with problem-based cases and research-based literature. The following research questions guide the study:

1. In which ways do working with digital problem-based cases influence student teachers’ professional identity?
2. How does problem-based cases bridge the gap between theory and practice?

[1] 10. Teacher Education Research | EERA (eera-ecer.de).

Previous studies have pointed to ethical language and ethical knowledge as a weak point in teacher professionalism (see for example Tirri & Husu 2002, Ohnstad 2008, Bullough jr. 2011 Shapira-Lishchinsky 2011, Mosvold & Ohnstad 2016, Davies & Heyward 2019, Lindqvist, Thornberg & Colnerud 2020), where a main finding is that moral justifications seldom go beyond an intuition of “the best interest of the child” (Ohnstad 2008). However, teachers also experience their profession as being fraught with ethical issues, woven into relational work, questions of aims and means, and adherence to policy priorities. This may indicate that teacher education does not succeed in preparing teachers for the ethical challenges they encounter in schools.

The overall aim of the paper is to explore how case studies in teacher education can promote intellectual virtues, especially practical wisdom (phronesis), necessary for the formation of sound professional judgements aimed at good practice (eupraxia). Following an Aristotelian perspective, virtues are character traits that predispose a person to do the right thing. Moral virtues, such as courage and honesty, are developed through habituation, while intellectual virtues are mainly cultivated through formal education. This paper concentrates on the cultivation of intellectual virtues and presents findings from a qualitative study of student teachers’ discussions of ethically themed case stories.

The research question for the paper is:

How is professional judgement formed in student teachers’ discussions of ethically themed case stories?

Following the antinomic nature of pedagogical practice (Oettingen 2012), our theoretical point of departure is a pluralistic view of the good in teaching. Because of the complexities and uncertainties of the institutionalized pedagogical domain, teachers face a manifold of normative responsibilities. Examples include upholding the integrity of the profession, expressing loyalty to democratic decisions, engaging in critical inquiry into teaching’s knowledge base and values, promoting justice in distribution of educational goods and recognition, and showing care for students’ well-being and interests. These and similar responsibilities are what we can call prima facie (Ross 2002), meaning they all at first sight seem equally right and valuable. Consequently, they may come into conflict and produce ethical dilemmas. Moreover, it may be unclear exactly what a specific responsibility entails, and how one should live up to it in a concrete situation, for example delimiting care in a professionally apt way. Nevertheless, relying on a virtuous purposive disposition, teachers can sense, deliberate, and form a professional judgement that wisely navigates the dilemma and the actions that follows from them. In this manner, virtues aid professional judgement in clarifying a teacher’s actual responsibility in a particular situation.

However, this requires student teachers to be provided opportunities to cultivate appropriate intellectual virtues for the teaching profession, such as practical wisdom. This involves working systematically with (1) moral perception, an awareness of the prima facie responsibilities as well as other ethically salient features present in situations, and (2) moral justification, the ability to give normative reasons for decisions and actions. Both moral perception and moral justification are necessary constituents for sound professional judgement. Furthermore, the process involves exercising (beginning) intellectual virtues. One possible way of facilitating this in teacher education is by using the artifact case story and the form group discussion. Written case stories can mediate some of the real-world complexity of ethical dilemmas, while group discussions benefit from multiple perspectives in sensitizing perception towards normative features and negotiating shared grounding for justifications. Together they may create a zone of proximal development (Vygotsky 1978, Eun 2019) for students.

Accordingly, we have focused our analysis on student teachers’ discussions of ethically themed case stories to explore how professional judgement, through moral perception and justification, is formed.

Introduction

Teachers’ knowledge and their teaching practices are often viewed as two sides of the same coin, intertwined and together constituting teachers’ professionalism. In teacher education, universities often play a dominant role to provide “formal knowledge” to pre-service teachers, whereas schools tend to be regarded as a substituted place for pre-service teachers to practice what they learnt from the universities (Allen & Wright, 2014; Zeichner, 2015). Evidence shows that such traditional epistemology in teacher education has limitations in supporting pre-service teachers’ learning (e.g. Tylor et al., 2014). More research attention is needed on exploring how to build a meaningful integration of the knowledge and practices which pre-service teachers gain from the different sites in teacher education.

A large body of literature has discussed how to reform the traditional paradigm of teacher education, including enhancing university-school partnership (e.g. Lillejord & Børte, 2016), creating a third space (Martin et al., 2011) or a professional community (e.g. Herold & Waring, 2016), etc. However, there are still relatively few studies that are set out from the practitioners’ perspective and explore what teacher educators can do in their own capacity to innovate on the traditional practices in teacher education.

This study presents how teacher educators as practitioners can make their own efforts to innovate on traditional university-based teaching in teacher education and to improve the quality of learning for pre-service teachers. To do this, this study built on the concept of “communities of practice” and uses action research as an empowerment approach, to encourage teacher educators to reflect on their knowledge and to mobilise their resources to build a professional learning community. This study provides a real-world example of how teacher educators can change the traditional university-based pedagogy in their own capacity while avoiding the potential institutional constraints. It is hoped that this case study can provoke some theoretical discussions on how to harness the concept of a professional learning community as a meaningful practice in teacher education.

Theoretical Framework

The concept of “communities of practice” (Lave & Wenger, 1991) is served as the broad theoretical umbrella to guide the researchers, who are also the teacher educators, to build a professional learning community in the teaching and research process. This concept holds that teachers’ professional knowledge is built through a collective participatory process, through which teachers learn “when they generate local knowledge of practice by working within the contexts of inquiry communities to theorize and construct their work” (Cochran-Smith & Lytle, 1999, p.250). To facilitate teachers’ learning process, building a professional learning community shall therefore be considered as valuable practices in teacher education. According to Wenger (1998), to build and sustain an effective community of practice, there are at least three perquisitions to achieve: (a) mutual engagements of all members (b) shared repertoire of negotiable resources (c) and joint enterprise.

Action research is considered as a complementary theoretical guide in this research. It empowers teacher educators to reflect on their practices and explore strategies to enact the concept of “communities of practice” in the teacher education context. The two theories share similar principles; both value social participation, empowerment, and professional development. Meanwhile, action research advocates the voices of practitioners and encourages them to link research and practices to build their professionalism in a confident and participatory way. By considering teacher educators as researchers, action research allows teacher educators to investigate their own living environment and to explore the potential ways of building an effective professional learning community that addresses the dynamic contextual needs.

Objectives and theoretical framework

The structure of teacher education must be clear and comprehensible to student teachers no less than to teacher educators and the mentors in the field because it helps to understand what teaching entails (Canrinus et al., 2019; Hammerness et al., 2014). A lack of coherence in teacher education between theory and practice in classroom teaching has been criticized (Darling-Hammond et al., 2005). It has also been argued that in the teacher education program, more emphasis is on introducing student teachers to different implementations of teaching methods than on giving them relevant support to practice and reflect on them for deeper learning and professional development (Grossman, Hammerness, & McDonald, 2009; Darling-Hammond, & Oaks, 2019). There is also an indication that mentors focus more on practical issues than on theories when mentoring students in the field practice (Steingrímsdóttir & Engilbertsson, 2018).

The teacher education in Iceland has gone through extensive changes the last years. In 2008 it became a five-year program for all school levels (Government of Iceland, 2019), grounded in a three year undergraduate program (B.Ed., BA or BS) added with two years M.Ed./MT graduate program. (University of Akureyri, 2023). Since 2019 a new law (no. 95/2019) allows for one teaching licence for all school levels. As the teaching profession is cross- disciplinary and consists of both theoretical and practical skills the teacher education is a combination of a theoretical courses and field work. The main part of the field practice is on the 5^th and last year of the studies with a contract with mentors/field schools.

Mentors serves an important role in building up a systematic approach and collaboration between teacher education programs (universities) and the schools (Bjarnadóttir, 2015; Steingrímsdóttir & Engilbertsson, 2018). Icelandic research has confirmed that mentoring can be a key factor in professional development. A significant increase has been in a number of teachers, completing courses in a mentoring program in Iceland. Hence, schools at all school levels are in the process of developing a sustainable culture of mentoring for teachers’ students and NQTs (Svanbjörnsdóttir et al., 2020).

A questionnaire for teacher students, The Coherence and Assignment Study in Teacher Education (CATE) has been developed to better understand pedagogical aspect of teacher education and students’ perspective on the connection between courses/subject and preparation for the teaching profession. The questionnaire has been used in several teacher education institutions all over the world (Hammerness, et al., 2014). In 2021 the questionnaire was conducted in the two main teacher education programs in Iceland. The main results indicate that students find in general there is a rather good flow and coherence in their study programs and time to learn about teaching methods and enact teaching plans but few opportunities to practice and reflect on real classroom practice in their courses, as such a lack of coherence between theory and practice. To some extent they experience a lack of connection in the field practice to what they learned in their university courses (Gísladóttir et al., 2023). With the aim of understanding the lack of coherence in more detail, the University of Akureyri followed up on the results from the survey.

The objective of this paper is to present the preliminary findings from the study at the University of Akureyri lead by the RQ: How can the coherence between theory and practice in the teacher education be strengthened by further collaboration between different stakeholders?

The research is part of the QUINT research project https://www.uv.uio.no/quint/english/

University-based initial teacher education (ITE) has been accused of as inefficient in preparing capable teachers for decades. The long-standing theory-practice dichotomy, or “the two-worlds pitfall” (Feiman-Nemser & Buchmann, 1985), has led to the historical dispute on “where to prepare teachers”. In face of the mounting criticism, and to overcome the disparity or discontinuity between ITE and the teacher career (Korthagen et al., 2006; Wetzel et al., 2018), policymakers and practitioners across the world have turned to school-university partnerships (hereafter partnerships) as part of the solution. There are advocates who firmly believe that the “workplace learning”, or “on-the-job” training offered by partnerships could help integrate university courses and school realities so as to get teacher candidates better prepared.

The call for partnerships has gained momentum since the 1980s and 1990s among western countries. Under the influence of globalization, knowledge marketization and the increasingly predominant accountability culture, it became part of the “teacher quality” agenda. (Edwards et al., 2009) Although they take different shapes and are under various names in different countries – for example, Professional Development Schools (PDSs) in the U.S. (Holmes Group, 1986, 1990), mandatory school placement in the U.K. (DfE, 1992), or teaching practice school in Australia (see Department of Education, Victoria, 1999 as an example), they share one thing in common: that the responsibility of teacher preparation has been redistributed, and the K-12 schools are bearing more and more significant roles.

However, partnerships could be rather problematic in practice. In fact, they are highly contextualized, and there is no standardized answer for how partnerships should be enacted in terms of its length and depth, forms and contents. Several types of partnership practices – mediated instruction, extended placements, hybrid teacher educators, bringing school staff into the university setting, and community knowledge – are said to facilitate student teachers’ (STs) learning in different ways (Zeichner, 2010). When unfolding the partnerships, a major issue noticed by teacher education researchers is the asymmetrical power relationship between the university and the school, which might impede the diversity or multiplicity of voices and inhibit dialogue among the three parties (UT, MT and ST) on an equal footing. (Edwards & Tsui, 2009)

Researchers have also pointed out gaps in the study of partnerships, such as weakness in research methodology (mainly using self-report data), and insufficient evidence of the learning process of both student teachers and teacher educators. More importantly, there is a lack of systematic examination of how the specific implementation or enactment of partnerships have shaped student teachers’ learning, such as their knowledge, skills or performances. Although a number of literature reviews (Daza et al., 2021; Green et al., 2020; Hunt, 2014; Smedley, 2001; Yendol-Hoppey & Franco, 2014) comprehensively answered the question of “what works and what does not in partnerships”, they seldom take up the “outcome” question, in other words, what and how well student teachers learn to teach in these partnerships, and whether their learning could be facilitated or impeded by the aforementioned components of partnerships.

Therefore, following the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis (PRISMA) procedures (Moher et al.2009), this study aims to systematically review the empirical evidence reported worldwide in the last decade (2011-2020) on this relationship. The key research questions are:

RQ1: What types of school-university partnership have been developed worldwide in 2010-2020?

RQ2: What do student teachers learn (as indicated by change in dispositions, knowledge, performances) in those school-university partnerships?

The context for the study that we would like present as a paper presentation is Norwegian mathematics teacher education students’ preparation for the, for some students, quite overwhelming endeavour of writing a master thesis of 45 ETCS during the final year of their five year long teacher education. In the fourth year of the teacher education programme a 15 ETCS course on scientific theory and research methods are mandatory, and within this course emphasis on qualitative method is one of the themes encountered. Given the opportunity to direct the choices of both content and approach while having the responsibility for this theme for the first time in the fall of 2022, we wanted to give the qualitative method theme a more participatory learning approach, inspired by Dewey’s theories on active and passive experience (e.g. Dewey, 1916; 1938). Our alternative was to organize the attention to content in accordance with what we have experienced to be kind of a template for how the method chapter is built in Norwegian master theses within mathematic education, and with a participatory learning approach. We therefore asked: How can participatory learning be emphasised in teaching of qualitative method in a master level course on scientific theory and method, and in what way does such an approach contribute to the student’s development of experiencing oneself as a researcher?

In short, our goal was to prepare these students to be able to conduct a qualitative study in their up-coming master thesis, and it is our opinion that involving the students in their own learning may be a prosperous way to do this. We found this to be in accordance with Dewey’s theories of learning through active and passive experience, and a way to emphasise all three of Biesta’s (2010; 2015) goals of education, described as qualification, socialisation, and subjectification. We chose this approach not merely in order to continue the facilitation for the students’ development as teachers, but rather to facilitate for their tuning in on a position as researchers.

As mentioned above, we organized the emphasis on the qualitative method to follow the experienced template for the methods chapter in Norwegian master theses within mathematic education, and alongside this we introduced a caricatured project, called Project BEST. This was kind of a bogus project on what chewing gum is the best. We provided the students with lots of gum from various brands and the ridiculous research question “What gum is best?” Teaching in accordance with template we introduced new elements of a qualitative approach, like for instance qualitative design, modify the original research question into a qualitative, delimited research question, data collection tools like observation, interview and qualitative questionnaire, informant criteria, recruiting of informants, and collection of data. The students then in groups carried out these parts of a qualitative project in speed fashion within the student group and within the teaching lessons we had together. Then, one step behind Project BEST the students had a work requirement in the course that focused on qualitative method. The students were, in groups, supposed to develop a qualitative study regarding the dice and card game Borel, in order to contribute to make grounds for deciding if this game would be attractive to use in teaching of probability in compulsory school. The work requirement attended all elements introduced by us, apart from data analysis, since this was introduced after the work requirement was delivered for evaluation.

Research is a key dimension in enhancing the teaching profession and teacher education (Menter & Flores, 2021) and teachers’ research literacy has been described as ‘a central professional knowledge requirement of a teacher’ (Boyd et al., 2022, p. 17). Pre-service student teachers’ research studies have been shown to promote professional competences and support students' growth toward evidence-based practice and 21st century skills (Niemi & Nevgi, 2014). However, initial teacher education, especially where programmes are characterized as highly research-based and scientific, has been criticised for being disconnected, of being conducted according to competing paradigms, with limited cohesion between what is taught at universities and what is experienced in practicum (Orland-Barak, 2016; Zeichner, 2010). Critics advocate the necessity of real-world experiences, the importance of relational interaction with living pupils and tighter connections between courses and practicum. Although many studies have indicated varying degrees of support of student teachers’ research in practicum (Goldshaft et al., 2022; Jakhelln & Pörn, 2019) and other studies have indicated diffuse and varied understandings of what research entails among teachers (see for example, Flores, 2017; 2018; 2020; Munthe & Rogne, 2015; Shagrir, 2022; Smestad & Gillespie, 2020), there are few empirical studies that examine ways to help student teachers make connections between the theory and research they read about in their teacher education curriculum, and how to apply that to what they experience in practicum. This paper examines one way that connection-making might be operationalized, and how teacher education might support the development of a research literacy integrated in teachers’ professional lives (Boyd et al., 2022; Munthe & Rogne, 2015; Winch et al., 2015).

Goldshaft et al. (2022) use the term observational tools to describe materials that scaffold mentoring sessions around observations of pupils’ reactions to what is being taught. Recognising the difficulty of observing learning, observational tools aim to increase collaborative reflection on teaching and its purpose of pupils’ learning, using systematic observation to document possible evidence of learning, or misunderstandings, not for pupil assessment, but rather for critical analysis of the lesson (Dudley et al., 2019; Windsor et al., 2020). The observations are systematic in that foci are agreed upon beforehand in collaboration with colleagues, and observation data is collected and reflected over in light of findings from previous research and pedagogical-didactic principles and theories.

According to Rooney & Boud (2019), bringing non-judgemental observations of classroom interactions into mentoring conversations gives pre-service student teachers a chance for them to develop a capacity for noticing what matters in a teaching context, when they reflect, discuss and interpret the meanings of the observations together with their school-based mentor teachers and university-based teacher educators. Practicum has the potential to integrate contextual practitioner knowledge with abstract theoretical knowledge (Lillejord & Børte, 2016) helping student teachers to make connections between theoretical principles of pedagogy and didactics based on educational research findings and the happenings in the practice. The intersection of epistemologies might be pivotal for their developing professional identities (Jenset et al., 2018) in which research literacy is integrated (Boyd et al., 2022).

The qualitative study on which this paper is based, is an intervention study conducted in Norway where nationally-regulated, teacher education programmes have recently taken a ‘research turn’. Student teachers, mentor teachers and university-based teacher educators have been asked to collaborate on the use of an observation-grounded mentoring framework (the OMF) during a four-week period of practicum in February 2022. Completed observation forms and lesson plans, reflection logs and interviews form the data for the study. The research question asks in what ways observational tools might support development of research literacy. This paper aims to contribute to a better understanding of the role of research in teacher education.

In a world highly influenced by digital media, media literacy education is becoming an increasingly important issue (author; author). It is relevant not only for children and youths (author), but also for researchers and teachers who are responsible for the media literacy education of their students (Meehan et al., 2015; author). Consequently, pre-service teachers must acquire the necessary competencies, skills and abilities to implement media literacy education in their practice (Meehan et al., 2015). However, there are rather no binding regulations to integrate media literacy into initial teacher education (ITE) (European Commission, 2022).

Research studies about media literacy education in ITE most often focus the national level (e.g. Klaß, 2020; Christ, 2004; Meehan et al., 2015; author) because different countries have their own media education systems, approaches, curricula, and instructional practices (author). There are only few studies about media literacy education in ITE which take explicitly a comparative point of view (e.g. author).

Against this background, the purpose of this study is to identify practices in Initial Teacher Education in Germany, Turkey, and the USA for advancing necessary competencies, skills and abilities of student teachers to implement media literacy education in their practice from a comparative perspective. Accordingly, the following research question will be answered:

What are common characteristics and differences between practices of advancing student teachers competencies, skills and abilities to implement media literacy education in their practice in initial teacher education in Germany, Turkey, and the USA?

Building on previous research of comparing media literacy education and media-related competencies in initial teacher education in Germany and the USA (author; author), Turkey is included as a third country in this comparative research on media literacy education in ITE. Turkey was chosen because it offers different contrastive perspectives for media literacy education in ITE (Karakaşoǧlu & Tonbul, 2015).

There are different terminologies, theories, models, frameworks and curricula for competencies, skills and abilities regarding media literacy of student teachers in ITE in Germany, the US and Turkey (e.g. Tulodziecki, 2012; Weinert, 2001; NAMLE, 2007; author). From a methodological viewpoint, it is necessary to establish a tertium comparationis as a common denominator for the comparison (cf. Hilker, 1962; Suter et al., 2019). We will present the results of a literature review and an expert interview study that take this perspective into account.

This contribution is intended as a critical, playful, radical and irreverent ‘interruption’ (Biesta, 2013) of the politics of initial teacher education (ITE) in the UK and beyond. It is a prelude to a project involving students in the co-curation of a richly-illustrated collection of ‘pedagogical moments’ (van Manen, 2015, p. 17). The books will be distributed at graduation ceremonies in 2024/2025, as the intended audience is early-career teachers. The aim of the project – and lexical choices are important here – is to keep newly-qualified teachers in good heart.

Such ‘interruptions’ have become necessary in an era of intense ‘professionalisation’, with the concomitant emphasis on measurable manifestations of ‘professionalism’, at primary and secondary school – and at university, the context in which teacher education is theorised and implemented (often with the emphasis on the latter). Higher education is subject to the same disciplinary pressures and compliance mechanisms that impinge upon individuals elsewhere in the education system. We argue that this degrades the very notion of professionalism and undermines ‘the processes of creative transformation that are implicit in doing good work well’ (Pirrie, 2019, p. x). In the worst case, they induce a form of ‘ethical loneliness’ Judith Butler (2004, p. 15) describes as follows: ‘I am other to myself precisely at the place where I expect to be myself’.

Processes of creative (co-) creation, we argue, are essential for the cultivation of a vocation rather than the exercise of a profession. Education, we suggest, is an ethical endeavour involving responsive, creative-relational inquiry that is premised on ‘venturing from home’ (Pirrie and Fang, 2020) and ‘knowing what to do when you don’t know what to do’ (van Manen, 2015). It entails offering spirited and joyous resistance to the pressures to submit to increasingly intrusive mechanisms of monitoring and control, surveillance and ‘time management’ in a sector blighted by managerialism. As Esposito et al (2018) demonstrate, similar trends are evident across Europe. For over a decade there have been concerns expressed about the direction of travel in the university sector across Europe: from democracy to accountability (Carney, 2006)

As Biesta (2013) reminds, Derrida (1994, p. xviii) once observed that ‘to live, by definition, is not something one learns’. But let us resist institutional and disciplinary pressures to ‘stand on the shoulders of giants.’ As ECER comes to Glasgow, it is only fitting that Nan Shepherd (1893-1981), a Scottish teacher educator and a key figure in the literary movement known as the Scottish Renaissance should be the standard bearer for this project. Shepherd’s example suggests that ‘it is only by contemplating what surrounds us with due care and attention rather than ruthlessly exploiting our natural resources [while invoking ‘education for sustainability] that we may live our lives with “with a great but quiet gusto” (Macfarlane, 2011, p. xi)’ (Pirrie, 2018, p. 73). Like her close friend and contemporary John Macmurray (1891-1976), Shepherd had an intuitive understanding that to ‘live finely’ (Macmurray, 1935, p. 76) was something one could learn – but mainly in and through relationships with others rather than by acquiring propositional knowledge and delving into ‘tool boxes’.

We aim to counter the trend towards narrow instrumentalism by deepening education professionals’ understanding of teaching as a form of being-in-relation by cultivating a ‘teeming attentiveness while exchanging the assertiveness of self for Keatsian negative capability’ (Aloff, 2022, pp. 79 and 84). The ensuing publication will ensure that the ‘white flame of sincerity’ in practitioners is not readily extinguished. In short, our aim is to restore ‘all the play and life of flame’ (Shepherd, 1987, p. 49) to the exercise of the teaching profession.

In the Norwegian context, teacher education has evolved into a five-year Master’s degree course. The rationale for raising it to this level is based on the notion that school should be a research-informed workplace, and the knowledge base of the teaching profession should be research-based (Lillejord and Børte, 2017). Questions have been raised as to whether primary school teacher training is preparation for the profession in the way that it enables the teaching students to take part in career-long professional learning (Klette and Carlsen, 2012). One goal in this respect has been to develop the students’ knowledge base and their competence. In the evolution into a five-year teacher training programme, the Ministry of Education launched a national strategy for quality and collaboration in teacher education where emphasis has been placed on developing the student’s competence to reflect on pedagogical decisions. (Kunnskapsdepartementet, 2017). Professional quality is a key element in this regard.

Higher education has increased in importance for qualifying students for working life, achieving financial security and having good prospects (Kunnskapsdepartementet, 2017). However, many students leave higher education without having completed their education. Although higher education has, in recent years, made significant improvements in the quality of the studies programmes, many students still drop out of teacher training. Considering declining admission numbers in teacher education studies as a whole (Munthe & Huat See, 2022), and coupling this with the increasing need for teachers in schools (ssb.no), the consequences of students dropping out of their studies must be seen as disturbing. As more men than women drop out of teacher education (Munthe & Huat See, 2022), the desire to have diversity in the teaching profession is another important aspect in this context.

Several research studies explore non-completion of studies in higher education (e.g. Grau & Minguillon, 2013, Nemtcan et al., 2020, Tinto, 2017). Examining the various departments’ support to encourage students to persist in their studies and prevent non-completion, Tinto (2017) presents a model that highlights goals, motivation and persistence. This model covers the connection between such different aspects in play as self-efficacy, sense of belonging and perception of the curriculum. Of special interest for our research is the steps the universities can take to keep students in their studies. Tinto investigated the students’ perspective on what institutions can do to promote inspiration and increase their persistence to achieve completion. Motivation is a crucial factor for them deciding to continue with their studies despite the challenges they face and the doubts they have. The interaction of student goals, self-efficacy, sense of belonging and perceived value or relevance of the curriculum are found to be critical to persistence (Tinto, 2017:255).

The research presented in this paper will focus on student decisions to drop out of teacher education and how the institutions deal with this challenge. The aim is to investigate and discuss the extent to which procrastinatory behaviour and self-efficacy influence drop-out decisions and students’ motivation to continue with their education.

To date, little research has been carried out in this area. Increasing our knowledge on this issue could have consequences for the teacher education programme and how it is designed by the universities.

As schools in many regions of the world struggle to employ highly qualified and effective teachers in every classroom, governments are experimenting with different strategies to increase the supply of new teachers. One of the most popular strategies being attempted is to allow people to become teachers with either no training or with training that is faster and cheaper than degree-based teacher preparation programs (TPPs; Author, 2022). These new, faster and cheaper TPPs are non-degree-based programs. Like teacher candidates enrolled in the original French École Normale Supérieure (Normal School), established in 1794, candidates in these new TPPs are only prepared to teach and do not earn an academic degree. These new TPPs are non-degree programs just like the majority of TPPs that existed around the world from the 1700s through the 1960s. Despite this long history of TPPs being non-degree-based, these new TPPs are called “alternative.” Some state governments in the United States, like Texas, have been experimenting with these alternative programs for several decades, and as a result, Texas now prepares over 50% of the alternatively prepared teachers in America. There is evidence that these alternative programs are effective at preparing large numbers of teachers and at preparing a greater diversity of new teachers (more male teachers, more teachers of color; Author, 2019). Unfortunately, these alternatively prepared teachers are also more likely to leave the profession soon after entering the classroom compared to traditionally prepared teachers (Author, 2019).

One of the primary differences between traditional, degree-based TPPs and alternative, non-degree-based TPPs is the type of clinical teaching experience they provide (Darling-Hammond, Chung, & Frelow, 2002). The vast majority of alternatively prepared teachers complete an internship during which they serve as the official teacher-of-record employed by the school, and they receive a full teacher’s salary. By contrast, the vast majority of traditionally prepared teachers complete an unpaid student teaching clinical experience under the mentoring and supervision of a teacher-of-record employed by the school, and the teacher candidate must successfully complete their TPP before they themselves can become an official teacher-of-record.

The impacts of these two types of clinical teaching experiences on teacher self-efficacy has been examined and the results are generally mixed with a few studies showing traditionally prepared teachers have higher self-efficacy than alternatively prepared teachers (Darling-Hammond et al., 2002; Zientek, 2007), but the majority shows no differences (e.g., Fox & Peters, 2013; Griffin, 2022; Jackson & Miller, 2020). Given that teaching self-efficacy is positively correlated with student learning and that these results are mixed, we cannot draw a firm conclusion about the impacts of clinical experience types on student learning. Direct comparisons of these different clinical teaching methods on secondary students’ academic growth have not been examined. Our primary research question is, are first-time teachers-of-record equally effective at impacting secondary student academic growth in English/Reading and Mathematics regardless of the type of clinical teaching they experienced? Our secondary question is, are new teachers-of-record with no teaching preparation or with preparation but in a different subject area as effective as the new teachers-of-record who engaged in either clinical teaching experience?

If governments are moving to allow alternative TPPs and these programs result in similar student academic growth as traditional TPPs while also being faster and cheaper, then governments are prudent to move towards allowing alternative TPPs. If, however, the alternatively prepared teachers are harming the academic growth of students, then caution is certainly warranted, and changes to the alternative TPP curricula should be strongly encouraged or mandated. Similarly, if unprepared people can become teachers who are equally effective, then why require any teacher preparation at all?

From the mid-1990s, education policy in Ireland has sought to realise the potential of ICT in education / digital learning (Conway & Brennan-Freeman, 2015), as evidenced through a number of strategy documents and ICT policies published from this time onwards. This includes, for instance, The ICT framework for schools (NCCA, 2007) and the Digital Strategy for Schools 2015-2020 (Department of Education and Skills, 2015). In tandem, Irish ITE (Initial Teacher Education) policy has, for over a decade, recognised the significance of embedding digital skills in preservice teacher education, and has continued to develop in this regard (The Teaching Council, 2011, 2017).

In March 2020, as the COVID-19 pandemic swept the globe, education institutions in Ireland ceased in-person teaching and made an abrupt transition to online delivery. This shift represented an unprecedented challenge, with teachers quickly pivoting to online platforms and tools to deliver content and stay connected with their students. The closure of schools highlighted that preparing future teachers for fully remote teaching had heretofore not been recognised at either policy or practice levels in Irish ITE (Power et al., 2022). The need therefore arose for a rapid response to equip student-teachers with the requisite technological, pedagogical and content knowledge (TPACK) to facilitate teaching and learning in fully online and hybrid scenarios at school levels.

A flurry of global research during this time captured educator and student experiences of emergency remote teaching and learning (Hodges et al., 2020), with some studies detailing interventions that helped teachers and students cope with the new realities. There is, however, less discussion around what happened in Ireland, specifically from the perspective of teacher education and its various stakeholders. Mindful of this, the current paper adopts a multi-pronged approach to address this deficit.

We begin with the policy landscapes of digital learning and teacher education to date, critiquing developments regarding the place and use of digital technologies in Irish schools; this serves as a contextual backdrop against which to situate the pandemic responses of 2020 and 2021. This is followed by a desk-based literature review which captures several initiatives (such as Donlon et al., 2022; Tiernan et al., 2021) which were designed and delivered by Irish ITE providers; it reports on the challenges and successes of the period, and the lessons learned by teacher educators, student-teachers, and teacher education institutions. Drawing on these learnings, the paper turns to the future and considers the place (if any) for such programmatic developments, which were designed as emergency responses during a global crisis. At that time, schools in Ireland were required “to put in place arrangements to facilitate […] Emergency Remote Teaching and Learning”, and to ‘”develop the skills set of the teachers and support staff” for this (Department of Education and Skills, 2020b, p. 4). This includes, for instance: 1) Questions around the potential transferability of skills (interpersonal as well as digital) developed within these initiatives between fully online, hybrid, and traditional face-to-face teaching scenarios; 2) Considerations around the most relevant theories of learning that pertain to online/remote teaching and learning at primary and post-primary (K12) levels; 3) The optimum design for such ITE initiatives; 4) The learnings from research emerging from Irish schools regarding school closures and emergency remote teaching; 5) The potential contributions that student-teachers and Newly Qualified Teachers (NQTs) who have been equipped with this skillset for remote teaching and learning might make to their schools; 6) The potential continuity of remote/online teaching beyond the Covid19 crisis for challenges such as forced school closures due to adverse weather events and as possible (partial) solution to teacher supply issues (Department of Education and Skills, 2020a).

Prospective teachers (PTs) often come to elementary teacher education classes reporting poor previous learning experiences. Having participated in a traditional paradigm with a reliance on direct instruction throughout their previous schooling experiences, PTs expect teacher educators (TEs) will also engage in show and tell to instruct them on how to teach differently and better. Subsequently, TEs face the challenge of responding to the expectations of their students while cultivating experiences that support the development of a new vision of teaching and learning. To support PTs in developing their teaching practice, we (a group of TEs) use co-teaching in our courses. In this paper, we will share (using data) PTs experiences co-teaching in our courses.

Previous research has uncovered different conceptions of co-teaching as well as their affordances (Yopp et al., 2014). In many studies, examples of co-teaching showcase colleagues of equal status (e.g.practicing teachers) co-teaching lessons as well as in mentoring relationships (e.g. field placements). However, there is a lack of documented examples of co-teaching between TEs and PTs in course work. Conceptions of co-teaching range from a delivery model of instruction to interactions based on emergent ideas. Characterizations of co-teaching that place the teacher in a position of delivering content can be counterproductive to our goals and also reinforce traditional paradigms of teaching. Our work in co-teaching has been influenced by Bacharach (2010) conception of co-teaching as team teaching. Team teaching involves an invisible flow where teachers (a pair or the small group) are actively involved in the lesson. Marzocchi et al., (2021) described team teaching as interactive where teachers take on a role that is dependent on “in-the-moment” needs of students. This conception means that teachers need to develop their abilities to listen to the ideas of others and respond to them. Mason (1998) suggested that the work of TEs involves developing and enhancing different levels of awareness in PTs as opposed to simply helping them learn content that needs to be covered. He argues that PTs need to know how to navigate instructional situations so that their students experience a shift in attention and become aware of the ideas and concepts of which they were previously unaware.

Mason (1998) describes teachers’ awareness as consisting of three levels: a) Awareness-in-action is the “sensitivities to certain situations which provoke and enable action” (p. 257); b) Awareness-in-discipline is “sensitivities which enable us to be distanced from the doing sufficiently to instruct others, to give orders, literally, for doing things…” (p. 260); and c) Awareness-in-counsel is “sensitivities which enable us to be distanced from the act of directing the actions of others” (p. 260). A teacher’s level of awareness is associated with developing sensitivities that allow them to provoke student actions and teaching actions, like distancing themselves from doing and directing students. Mason’s suggestion for developing PTs’ awareness rather than delivering content aligns with our motivation to co-teach with PTs’ in our course work. Through co-teaching in their course work, it is our goal that PTs will develop sensitivities that provoke teacher or student actions. This assertion prompted us to ask: What new awareness do PTs have about teaching that you learned as a result of co-teaching?

The use of classroom videos as mediator for authentic observing and reasoning in teacher education has shown a range of advantages (Blomberg et al., 2014), and there is a respectable body of studies, especially in the subject mathematics and on more generic approaches. But there is little research related to other subjects (Dindyal et al., 2021). In Danish teacher education, five course designs that includes the use of classroom videos and the three phases observe, reason and predict, that is the learning to notice framework (van Es & Sherin, 2011), have been developed and carried out parallel in the three subject didactical courses: Danish L1, English L2 and Mathematics. Unlike many other studies, where the learning to notice courses are separated from regular teaching (Amador et al., 2021), the challenge was to integrate the five designs into the regular courses.

According to a recent literature review on methodological issues there is also a limited number of studies based on subject-comparative approaches and longitudinal investigations (Amador et al., 2021). Hence, the purpose of this study is to explore this approach from a longitudinal perspective. The research question of this paper is what characterises student teachers’ development of noticing and reasoning competences in three different subjects over the period of their first two years of teacher education.

Both the concept of noticing and the concept of reasoning seems to vary from study to study. While the distinction between novice noticing and teacher noticing appears more obvious (Stahnke & Blömeke, 2021), it remains unclear what counts for professional reasoning. Considering different educational traditions there are different expectations of what kind of didactical arguments and forms of knowledge are valued and approved in reasoning (Blömeke et al., 2014; König et al., 2014). In addition, one may assume differences between subject traditions (Blömeke et al., 2016). The investigation of noticing and reasoning competencies tries to identify progression or degression (Amador et al., 2021) of the student teachers’ accurateness of noticing, the use of different kinds of didactical knowledge and kinds of arguments, and the ways of connecting the observed with didactical forms of knowledge during the path of two years teacher education.

The research conducted explored the effects that participating in a professional learning community (PLC) had on the professional identity and practice of facilitators of second-career science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) teachers (SCSTs). This research investigated the SEMEL professional learning communities (SPLCs), which were introduced in 2020 as part of the "From High-Tech to Teaching" program in Israel. The program model is composed of the SPLC facilitators' community and the SCST communities, which function in various academic institutions across Israel. The main focus of this research is the SPLC facilitators' community, the ways it impacts the SCST communities and the overall induction process and the effectiveness of the new model.

In recent years, Israel has been experiencing a severe teacher shortage, particularly in STEM disciplines (Even-​Zahav et al., 2022). In order to address this shortage, the "From High-Tech to Teaching" program was created in 2019. The program recruits current and former high-tech employees who wish to become teachers and oversees their training and induction process. These teachers provide an important resource for the educational system, as they possess significant STEM discipline knowledge, prior organizational experience, and other relevant skills (Akiri & Dori, 2022; Wagner & Imanuel-Noy, 2014).

In 2020, the program's stakeholders realized that this unique population requires a different approach and decided to change the training model for these teachers from a traditional heterogeneous top-down practicum course to a professional learning community, a model that has been used successfully in other professional learning and teacher-induction settings (Glaze-Crampes, 2020). In the new bottom-up, dialogical model, the SCSTs participate in a homogeneous, disciplinary-based PLC in which they can share the unique challenges they face. In 2020, eight new SCST communities were established in various academic institutions and were led by two facilitators: a traditional practicum facilitator with knowledge in teacher induction and a former SCST, who brought the required disciplinary knowledge and field experience.

The new PLC model incorporates communal characteristics into the SCST induction process (Hord and Summers, 2008; Olsson, 2019) and encourages the SCSTs to discuss their challenges in a reflective, dialogical manner that focuses on their teaching practices and day to day experiences. The SCST facilitators participate in the SPLC facilitators' community, where they can share the challenges they face in their practice and acquire facilitation knowledge and techniques.

The research investigated all three tiers of the program (policy makers, SPLC facilitators, and SCST facilitators) using qualitative methodology. The objectives were to assess the effectiveness of the new model, to examine the effects that PLC participation had on SCST facilitator professional identity and practice, and to learn how these facilitators contributed to SCST development. By examining the experiences of the facilitators and SCSTs, the research provided valuable insights into how PLCs can be effectively implemented to support teacher professional development and induction and to support second-career teachers, while learning how these communities can be used to address teacher shortages in STEM disciplines.

Teacher training in Spain suffers from a technocratic approach that segregates theory and practice, in a hierarchical relationship. It assumes that it is necessary to have a previous theoretical framework in order to apply it in teaching practice. Students must take a minimum of 1 or 2 years of theoretical content, before doing internships in a school. These internships, in turn, are structured and respond to the academic demands of the University's teaching staff. In this way, future teachers live an artificial experience of what the teaching profession is. Thus raised, it becomes very difficult for there to be a change in the narrative of the profession that allows them to adopt a transforming role of the school. Rather, they are forced to reproduce practices, traditions and strategies lived in his transit through the school as a student, as has already been widely documented in the literature (Rivas, et al., 2015, 2017, 2020; Zeichner, 2010; Jagla, et al., 2013; Hargreaves y O´Connor, 2020; De Sousa Santos, 2007; González y Arias, 2017; Bhabha, 1990).

The teacher education proposal that we have been developing for more than 15 years, in the subjects in which we teach, tries to subvert this epistemological order, through a school-university collaboration project. The aim is to create a new training space in which both institutions collaborate in a joint education proposal, in which each one contributes a dimension: a space for experience and a space for reflection. The objective is to blur the boundaries between theory and practice that allows students to build a professional perspective more committed to change and educational transformation. The students spend part of their course time collaborating with relevant educational projects in a school and alternatively attend classes at the university to rebuild their experience in these schools through a process of collaborative reflection (Leite et al., 2018; Márquez, et al., 2020, 2022; Fernández, et.al.,2019 )

Along with this experience, coordination work is carried out between university teachers and the school staffs where students take this experience. In this way there is constant communication and collaboration between both institutions. We try to support transformation projects in the school through the participation of our students and coordination with the university. This favours that different training and professionalization processes occur.

In the past decade and a half, teacher education in Iceland has undergone extensive reform. In 2008, legislation was passed that required a master’s degree for teacher certification (Act No. 87/2008). Since then, changes have also been made to field practice in teacher education, both regarding its length and implementation. The most recent changes, implemented in 2019, have given teacher candidates the option of a paid internship in schools in their final year of study. However, despite such rapid changes and extensive reform, little research has specifically examined teacher preparation in Iceland or whether the mentioned reforms have indeed improved the preparation of student teachers for real-world work as teachers (Sigurðsson, Björnsdóttir & Jóhannsdóttir in press).

Teacher education has often been criticised for being fragmented and for the lack of connection between courses taught in teacher education programmes and the actual classroom practices of teachers in schools (Darling-Hammond, 2017; Moon, 2016, Zeikner, 2010). This is true in Iceland and also in many European countries. Practice shock, a term sometimes used to describe the divide between teacher education and the reality of practice in schools, is experienced by many novice teachers as they transition from being students to being teachers (Caspersen & Raaen, 2014; Smith et al., 2013). Although the challenge is nothing new (Schuck et al., 2018), teacher educators have pointed to the scarcity of opportunities to practice, study, or rehearse actual teaching as a major cause for the divide between theory and practice (Kennedy, 1999). In fact, research on teacher education in past decades has indicated that a key feature of teacher preparation is providing student teachers with the opportunities to learn and practice things that are grounded in the actual work of teaching. Large-scale studies have also indicated that teachers provided with such opportunities in the context of teaching practice prove to be more effective teachers (National Research Council, 2010; see also Boyd et al., 2009; Hammernes & Klette, 2015).

The purpose of our study was to examine the extent to which student teachers in Iceland, namely at the University of Iceland and at the University of Akureyri, view their teacher education programmes as being coherent and grounded in practice. Those two teacher education programmes are responsible for the education of more than 95% of teacher candidates in Iceland each year. Because the programmes differ extensively in size and content but both require extensive field practice in the candidate’s final year of study, we considered it to be relevant to compare them.

In order to best prepare teachers to meet the demands of a complex profession, teachers need the skills to transfer their theoretical knowledge into classroom practice. The gap between theory and practice has been a well documented issue in teacher education, where student teachers often do not see the connection between evidence-based knowledge and its value for classroom practices (Knight, 2015).

The contextual model of teacher competences (Blömeke et al., 2015) describes competence as a multidimensional construct, which consists of three facets: teachers' disposition (professional knowledge and affective-motivational aspects), situation-specific skills (perception, interpretation, decision-making, i.e PID-skills) and performance in the classroom. These three facets are in interaction with each other, where dispositions affect PID-skills and the visible behaviour in the classroom is dependent on both two. Teacher PID-skills are of great importance for high quality teaching (Stahnke & Blömeke, 2021), functioning like a bridge between the teacher's knowledge and the transfer of that knowledge to classroom practices. In perceiving classroom events, it has been documented that novice teachers tend to focus more on the teacher (Santagata & Yeh, 2016; Stahnke & Blömeke, 2021), generalize too broadly and notice less important aspects influencing student learning (Barnhart & van Es, 2015) and their perception is less detailed (Gibson & Ross, 2016). Interpretation and decision-making skills describe the skills of using existing knowledge in making sense of the perceived classroom instances and connecting them to theoretical knowledge and making decisions based thereof (Alwast & Vorhölter, 2022). Pre-service teachers' interpretation and decision-making skills are found to be described by lower quality (e.g. Alwast & Vorhölter, 2022), which mainly means the inability to use theoretical knowledge in reasoning or decision-making.

In autumn 2022, Tallinn University's first year Master level teacher education students' level of PID-skills in the context of need- supportive teaching was evaluated. The results of the study revealed similar findings to previous studies in the field (e.g. Alwast & Vorhölter; Barnhart & van Es, 2015; Stahnke & Blömeke, 2021). Knowing that experience and time alone do not guarantee the development of PID-skills (Santagata & Yeh, 2016) and that explicit attention needs to be paid to learning how to direct one's perception and reasoning based on noticed events (Barnhart & van Es, 2015) gave an indication that student teachers PID-skills in the context of need-supportive teaching need to be better supported during teacher education. This formed the basis for the current study, where the goal was to find ways to support the development of teacher PID-skills for need-supportive teaching in one teacher education (TE) course. Previous research has confirmed that classroom videos are a suitable means for this purpose (e.g. Prilop et al., 2021), bearing in mind that it is important to guarantee targeted opportunities to practice theoretical reasoning and making decisions thereof (Santagata & Yeh, 2016). An intervention was carried out as part of the study with the goal of painting a clearer picture to the student teachers of how to connect theory to classroom events, as well as to improve their understanding of their own reasonings and the extent they are able to transfer theoretical knowledge to practice.

The aim of the study is to determine the extent video-based reflection and analysis tasks that focus explicitly on offering possibilities to practice perception, interpretation and decision-making help to develop student teachers' PID-skills in the context of need-supportive teaching. The study seeks to find answers to the following questions:

1. What kind of changes occurred in the student teachers PID-skills during the teacher education course?

2. To what extent do the results of the experimental group differ from the results of the control group?

As a Senior Lecturer in Education and current PhD student, this presentation aims to explore both the methodology and methods selected for the next stage of this research project. The focus is on the use of Immersive Learning Environments (ILEs) and the promotion of learning within early childhood. The rationale for this research stemmed from witnessing the development of digital resources within education, as a Primary Teacher and Senior Lecturer. More recently, I have led the development of the Early Years Virtual Learning Environment (EYVE) to develop an immersive games-based learning experience for trainee professionals, providing an insight of how ILEs can be used to promote learning for higher education learners. This has allowed me to question whether the lessons which have been learnt can be applied within the field of early childhood. In the Education Technology Survey (DfE, 2021) it was revealed that 59% of teachers stated that both safeguarding, and data concerns prevented the integration of technology. Whereas Ofcom (2022: p13) identified that ‘58% of pre-schoolers parents felt that ‘the benefits of the internet for my child outweigh any risks’. This echoes disparity between home and setting environments and I feel the opportunity to explore ILEs as a platform between both stakeholders could support the prospect of working more collaboratively to support the 21^st century child (Orben, 2021).

An ILE was defined by Sutherland (1965) as a ‘Wonderland which Alice walked’. This definition closely aligns to the scope of immersive technologies, recognising the diversity of each journey as an individual experience. In contrast, this concept of an ‘alternative environment’, Radiant et al., (2020: p3) states that ‘the awareness of time and the real world often becomes disconnected’. This barrier could suggest a negative perception for the application of ILEs within education which could be argued that when considering the position of early childhood there has been limited research surrounding the application of immersive technologies. Internationally, many practitioners remain unconvinced of how this can be used within play (Hatzigianni and Kalaizidis 2018), for example, disparity was shown between the application of digital technology within Greece and China with teacher knowledge and skills identified as a barrier (Liu et al., 2014). Johnston (2021: p5) highlights that immersion in early childhood is ‘screen-based play which is of great concern’ meaning that the integration of this approach is a barrier. Younger children often use screen-based technology to become ‘immersed’ in an alternative virtual environment, for example, ‘Playdoh touch’ (2017) enabled young children to create designs and characters with the playdoh to scan and engage within a game-play environment. This opportunity provided learners to create and animate a character, these are however, limited to the shapes provided by the creator, which already suggests that the element of creativity is one which is lost within this immersive experience. Perez (2016) argues that this type of immersion only offers to amuse learners for a short time, resulting in learning and development being prevented.

Drawing on the theoretical framework of Bronfenbrenner’s ecological systems theory (1992), I argue that stakeholders need to identify the diversity of how young children’s knowledge is shaped through the exposure and influence of technology within a range of contexts. I feel it is also important to recognise that cultural context plays a vital role in children’s interpretation of their actions when using immersive technologies, supporting the key design features of ILEs (Taylor 2009; Bronfenbrenner 1992).

Furthermore, through understanding children’s diversity in knowledge towards immersive learning experiences, it provides an opportunity for educators and parents to reflect and support opportunities to develop skills within both the home and setting context effectively.

Social background still plays a major role for “educational success”, this is particular true for countries like Germany and Austria. Critical knowledge about and the reflection of social inequality is therefore a central challenge for teacher education and is increasingly demanded by students and experts as part of critical professionalization (Mecheril et al., Messerschmidt 2013, Czejkowska 2018). In the presentation I draw on results from the project “Habitus.Power.Education – Transformation through Reflection” that was conducted at the Department of Educational Research and Teacher Training of the University Graz from 2019 to 2021. Together with students in teacher training the project team researched experiences of privilege and discrimination in educational settings. One of the main objectives of the project was to develop Open Educational Resources for higher education, in particular teacher training, that support processes of critical professionalization. A central concept in the project is habitus reflexivity. Following Pierre Bourdieu’s theory of social inequality habitus reflexivity is not so much about an individual exploration of one’s habitus, but rather about the question of how one is involved in unequal power relations as an educator as well as the question of how institutions like the school or the university are involved in the reproduction of social inequality.

Often pedagogical perspectives on social inequality are reduced to conceptions of diversity in which all inequalities are treated almost interchangeably. But issues of race, class, gender or disability have specific, though interwoven, histories, operate differently, though in the context of each other, and ask for different pedagogical perspectives and positions (e.g. Prengel 1995). The focus of the presentation is on the rather neglected category of class, understood in its intersectionality with other categories of social inequality. In the project we draw on Pierre Bourdieu’s conception of class as economic, cultural, social and symbolic relational concept as well as to his theory of the subtle mechanisms of power in educational settings (Bourdieu 1985, 1993, 1997,2001). We also refer to bell hooks’ intersectional conception of class (hooks 2020) and the concepts of classism by Andreas Kemper and Heike Weinbach (2009). Invisibility seems central in relation to class and classism (e.g., Wellgraf 2014). Experiences of classism are often articulated indirectly through emotions like fear or shame. In particular the myth of meritocracy renders discrimination invisible because it suggests that inequality in a consequence of achievement and thus fair and rational. However, making classism visible is an ambivalent pedagogical endeavor. In the presentation I will discuss some of the challenges when dealing with class and classism in higher education and briefly present the Open Educational Resources (Froebus et al., 2021) developed in the project.

Teacher training for moral education / education in values is a topic discussed in the scope of Philosophy and of Education Sciences, namely in studies on curriculum and didactics, varying its orientation according to the adopted foundations, both of ethical order and referring to psychological research on moral development.

Portuguese curriculum provides since 2017 the Citizenship and Development subject as a space for discussion of issues related to the development of personal, social, and civic competencies According to the National Strategy for Citizenship Education (2017), “Citizenship Education is a mission of the whole school; it is proposed that the implementation of the curricular component of Citizenship and Development follows a framework of Whole-school Approach based.” (p. 6).The change of curriculum requires the need for training to which teachers did not have access.

This communication intends to present the results of a project in the Portuguese context which aimed to explore the questions, difficulties and needs of training by teachers of Citizenship and Development of children aged between 10 and 12 years old. The training contemplates 25 hours, divided into six modules, where the themes of citizenship and moral development have been worked on, and 25 hours of implementation of the activities with their class.

The training project was based on Rest's integrative model of moral development (1979; 1984; 1986). While named neo-kohlberguian (Rest et al, 2000), Rest model of moral development is rather different from Kohlberg approach. Faced with the question "What processes or functions must have occurred in order for an individual to perform a moral act?" (Rest, 1986, p. 3), Rest identified four components of moral development (Rest, 1979; 1986), each of which corresponds to a different psychological process, being moral behavior the result of these different processes and not just the logical or affective consequence of a single process, as follows: moral sensitivity, moral judgment, moral motivation and moral action, each of which can be studied separately. By moral sensitivity, it is meant that the person is aware of the moral dimension of the situation and so s/he’s able to interpret the situation in terms of how his/her actions will affect the welfare of others. Moral judgment is the ability to formulate possible moral courses of action and a plan of action that applies a moral standard or ideal in that specific situation. Moral motivation is the capacity to decide for one course of action by evaluating if it serves moral values. Moral action is the ability to accomplish what one has decided to do, by identifying and validly overcoming obstacles and difficulties. (Rest, 1984; 1986) Several studies have been made on moral judgement of college students and professional groups by Rest and his research group, namely using the DIT (Defining Issues Test) (Rest, 1979; 1986). Also based on this model, between 1998 and 2002, the Department of Education of the University of Minnesota (Narvaez et al., 2004) developed the community voices and character education project (CVCE), a moral education project, addressed to children from 10 to 12 years old, in collaboration with middle school teachers.

Our collaborative project also involves researchers and teachers. It does not have in view the training and evaluation of predefined behaviors, but rather the flexible articulation with other components of the school curriculum and the development of transversal ethical competencies of the children (Narvaez et al., 2004).

Inclusive education is considered a human right for all children, not just students with disabilities or other ‘special needs’ (Davis et al., 2020; UN Committee on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities [CRPD], 2016). Based on the idea of ‘a school for all’, schools have acquired an increasingly heterogeneous student group. In order to accommodate students’ right to develop their learning potential, regardless of the conditions, broad teacher competence is needed in schools, including pedagogical and special pedagogical competence (Faldet, Knudsmoen & Nes, 2017).

Ainscow, Booth and Dyson (2006) point to two different approaches to inclusion that are common in schools. One takes a broad educational perspective on policy and practice and regards diversity as a basis for inclusion processes. The purpose of this is to develop a broader understanding of the need for diversity competence in teacher training, with the intention to safeguard student diversity in a school for all. The second approach has a narrow special needs education perspective. This approach takes children with special needs or impaired functioning as its starting point, where attitudes, ideas and practice are often linked to individual or categorical perspectives, and the focus is on the individual difficulties or injuries (Ainscow, Booth & Dyson, 2006). From this individual or categorical perspective, students are given the responsibility for the school’s challenges related to inclusive education (Bachmann and Haug, 2006).

Booth and Ainscow (2001) state that the central qualities of inclusive education are the recognition of diversity, perceived belonging and the feeling of being a natural part of the community (see also CRPD, 2016; Slee, 2019). According to UNESCO (2017), inclusion is the at the core of an education system that sees student diversity as an opportunity to democratise education. A key point in UNESCO’s (2017) guide is that the school’s practice should support all students’ participation and learning, and adaptation of teaching content and working methods is a necessity in inclusive schools to ensure that students achieve the best possible learning outcomes (UNESCO, 1994). To achieve the goal of inclusive education, the European Agency (2012) believes that teachers must work in a professional community.

Norwegian teacher education has recently gone through a reform from a four-year bachelor’s degree to a five-year master’s programme (Norwegian Ministry of Education and Research [NMER], 2017), placing greater emphasis on research by including the requirement of an independent research-based master’s thesis to qualify as a teacher. Currently, many European teacher education programmes require or offer training in research in teacher education (Organization of Economic Co-operation and Development [OECD], 2019). Both Norwegian and international educational researchers emphasise that there is a need for more research on teacher education, especially on student teachers (Grossman & McDonald, 2008; Strand & Kvernbekk, 2009).

The purpose of this study is to discuss the importance of diversity competence in teacher education, as teachers must follow the principle of inclusion both in their basic professional education and in their continuing professional practice (UNESCO, 2017). The research question is as follows: How do student teachers experience that professionally oriented pedagogy is relevant for meeting a diverse group of pupils?

Teachers in the UK must complete a degree and an Initial Teacher Training (ITT) programme to gain Qualified Teacher Status (QTS). Broadly, these programmes train teachers to understand the curriculum, plan, structure and teach lessons, use assessment, and manage behaviour. In addition to teachers' existing knowledge and teaching skills, there is increasing evidence that an understanding of the brain systems and processes involved in learning can assist and influence teachers in developing optimal teaching practices (Brick et al., 2021; Howard-Jones et al., 2020). This is particularly pertinent for those who work with children with Special Educational Needs to better understand their special needs (Thomas et al., 2019). However, there is no formal requirement for teachers to train in this area, and ITT programmes provide very little content related to this (Privitera, 2021; Tokuhama-Espinosa, 2017).

Educational neuroscience is the formal field of research investigating the interplay between neurocognitive systems and processes that underpin learning and educational practice (Feiler & Stabio, 2018). There is evidence that a better understanding of this interplay can help teachers improve teaching practice (Schwartz et al., 2019). If included as part of the curriculum for ITT programmes, it could provide teachers with the knowledge they require to understand the neurocognitive systems and processes involved in learning. This in turn could inform their teaching practice for typically developing children, but also for SEN groups (Papadatou-Pastou et al., 2017). This is important because there is evidence that this current knowledge gap might be leaving teachers less aware of ways they can engage with and understand the research evidence to optimise their teaching. This can result in the application of unscientific teaching methods to their classrooms (Tardif et al., 2015).

Additionally, this lack of understanding might leave them susceptible to belief in ‘neuromyths’ (Arslan et al., 2022; Privitera, 2021). Neuromyths are misconceptions and misunderstandings about the brain and are found to be prevalent and persistent in various educational settings (Torrijos-Muelas et al., 2021), including SEN contexts (Gini et al., 2021; Macdonald et al., 2017). In order to mitigate this, teachers require specific skills to evaluate and digest research evidence to be able to critically evaluate it. Factors influencing teachers’ understanding of educational neuroscience have been examined, but the results are mixed for these factors. This is because studies in the literature generally examine neuromyth and neuro-fact scores separately.

The 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development, adopted by the United Nations General Assembly, is a global action plan to end poverty, fight inequality and injustice, and tackle climate change. When it was adopted in September 2015, the international community recognised that the development of education around the world would be key to the success of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). Education is an indispensable tool for realising the aspirations contained in the 2030 Agenda not only because it is a goal in itself (SDG 4: Ensure inclusive and quality education for all and promote lifelong learning) but also because it contributes to other SDGs. Developing strategies to promote inclusive education thus becomes one of the challenges of pedagogical innovation today. In this research we ask whether cooperative learning is a valid pedagogical approach for the development of attitudes and skills aligned with inclusion.

The Research Group on Attention to Diversity (UVic-UCC) investigates the impact of cooperative learning on the processes of cohesion, equity, and inclusion. The group has developed the Cooperate to Learn, Learn to Cooperate (CLLC) programme to implement cooperative learning in schools (Pujolàs, 2008; Pujolàs et al. 2013; Riera, 2010; Soldevila, 2015; Riera et al. 2022). Its formulation was influenced by the contributions of Johnson and Johnson (2016) on the instructional use of cooperative teams, the cooperative instructional strategies proposed by Kagan and Kagan (2009) and the teaching methods devised by Slavin (2012, 2015). Based on these, Pujolàs describes cooperative learning as the didactic use of small heterogeneous teams of students within a classroom, through activities structured in such a way as to ensure the equal participation of all team members and simultaneous interactions between them, in order to learn -each to the extent of their possibilities- the curricular content and to learn as a team (Pujolàs, 2008). A similar line of integration of the different components of cooperative learning has been proposed by Jacobs and Renaldya (2019).

The Programme proposes three areas of intervention:

Area A. Actions linked to the cohesion of the class group in general and of the teams in particular.

Area B. Actions characterised by using teams as a resource for pupils to learn by cooperating.

Area C. Actions aimed at helping pupils learn to cooperate in teams.

This paper focuses only on Area A. Five dimensions are identified:

D1. Consensus in joint decision-making (Gilles, 2006; Le, Janssen and Wubbels, 2018).

D2. Mutual knowledge and positive friendship between students (Buljubašić Kuzmanović, 2009; Dzemic and Kristiansen 2019).

D3. Inclusion of students who face more barriers to participation and learning (Pujolàs, et al., 2013; Torrego and Monge, 2019; Muntaner and Forteza, 2021).

D4. Awareness of teamwork (Angus and Hughes, 2017; Martinelli and Raykov, 2021).

D5. Promotion of the values underpinning cooperation (Coll et al., 1999; Lafont et al, 2017).

The resources for developing these are the dynamics of cohesion that make it possible to promote a vision of teamwork as an opportunity for the cognitive, social, and affective development of all students. These aims are in line with Slavin's (1995) model where cohesion feeds back into the team's objectives and with Ashman and Gillies' (2013) proposal on the need to teach social skills to students so that they can take advantage of cooperative learning situations.

To answer our research question, we set out 3 objectives:

1. To find out how schools evaluate the impact of cooperative learning on group cohesion.

2. To identify how members of the educational community define group cohesion.

3. To analyse teachers' perceptions of the development of cohesion dynamics and their impact on cohesion.

This paper concerns a doctoral project focusing on educators’ cultural conceptions of the student within teacher education for early childhood education (TEECE) at a Swedish University. As a part of the project this specific paper explores how educators do education through negotiations in the processes of planning, discussing and constructing the different parts of the TEECE, focusing on the role of deliberative communication in these processes. As an educator in higher education (HE) in general and professional (teacher) education in particular, one can speak of limitations for the possibilities of educating autonomous future professionals, when instrumental rationality is highly valued (Ball & Olmedo, 2013; Bornemark, 2018; Biesta, 2011). HE and teacher education are commonly considered to be limited by a neoliberal governance which limits educators’ possibilities for educating future professional teachers (Lenz Taguchi, 2005; Levinsson, Norlund & Beach, 2020). The neoliberal governance is criticized and problematized, not least in relation to give the students space to be and act (Ibid.). Based on this, educators have a complex role to navigate this landscape of different interests of what HE is and could be.

Habermas theory of democracy (Habermas, 1996a; 1996b) is an important departure point for the project. Based on this theory, the necessity of communicative action, deliberative democracy and the concepts of private and public good (Dyrdal Solbrekke & Sugrue, 2020) is put in the foreground. Communicative action is expressed as a necessity to underline the subjects’ part in a democratic society (Carlheden, 2002) and one can say that this is a theory in which the private and public sphere is linked together. It means that the private autonomy and the public are each other's prerequisite (Ibid.). Based on this theoretical perspective, the paper focuses on the educators in the process of planning, discussing and constructing the TEECE, and discusses what good education is and could be in HE and TEECE. Englund (2008) and Dyrdal Solbrekke & Surgue (2020) argue for the need of HE to be that public spere where deliberation is an aim and where public debate is desirable.

In this paper, autonomy is an important concept when understanding educators’ role as subjects at universities. One fundamental aspect for understanding how education is done and discussed among the informants/educators is that “[f]reedom is rather something that needs to be realized in a social community” [my translation] (Carlheden, 2002:50). Deliberative communication (Englund, 2006) is recognizable for its focus on for pluralistic communication including “[…] listening, deliberating, seeking arguments and valuing, coupled to a collective and cooperative endeavor to find values and norms which everyone can accept, at the same time as pluralism is acknowledged.” (Englund, 2008:103). This concept makes it possible to explore how educators handle their autonomy when doing education and if there is room for deliberative communication. The concept also underlines educators’ autonomy in the organization of TEECE.

In the early nineteenth century, several scholars and intellectuals like Maria Montessori, Rudolf Steiner, John Dewey etc ... created innovative educational school concepts which were later called progressive education movement, and today Barz shows Fethullah Gülen (b. 1938), a Turkish Islamic scholar, as a new player in Progressive Education(1). This is mainly because, education is the core activity of the Gülen Movement and primarily Gülen, and all other followers, place a great importance on the schools and educational activities. According to Barz, in addition to religious and scientific components, the emphasis on the teacher as a role model plays a decisive role(2). As an example, Gülen presented teaching as a holy duty (kutsi vazife) and highlighted that only people with a strong moral can adequately perform it(3).

Gülen’s educational movement, the so-called Gülen movement or Hizmet (Service) movement, founded private education institutions, like tutorial centers, universities and schools, which are named as Gülen Inspired Schools later(4) and they have achieved remarkable success in the private education sector of Turkey(5). Throughout the disintegration of Soviet Union in 1990-91 and the independence of Central Asian Republics, the movement founded its first schools outside of Turkey in these newborn Central Asian Republics. Later roughly 2000 different Gülen inspired educational institutions were expanded to the whole world. However, after the failed coup attempt in Turkey in 2016, Fethullah Gülen and his movement were labelled as a Terror organization by the Erdogan regime and, only in Turkey, 2,213 private schools and private (tutorial) courses, 1,005 dormitories and boarding houses and 22 universities and affiliated hospitals were appropriated because of their affiliation with the movement(6). Despite this situation, according to unofficial statistics today, there are more than a thousand GISs running in different parts of the world(7).

In this study, we will examine the diversity of teachers in Gülen Inspired Schools and how, despite this diversity, Gülen's understanding of education is realized in Gülen Inspired schools. Therefore, initially in this study, we will first examine the criteria that Gülen schools pay attention when recruiting new teachers and questioned what kind of teachers these schools recruit to their schools. Besides, how different Gülen inspired schools in Europe, Africa and the USA realized Gülen’s educational concept with local teachers and the relationship between teachers who are inspired by Gülen and other local teachers are also analyzed in this paper.

This topic is a crucial and much-debated issue, since Gülen is a retired charismatic imam. One of the main criticisms of Gülen Inspired Schools is that they are missionary schools(8) and the main motivation of the teachers is to invite students to Islam and spread Islam in their local environment(9). On the other hand, It was observed in different studies that none of these schools teaches Gülen’s philosophy or any subject related to the movement and according to the same studies there is no direct official connection between Gülen İnspired Schools and Fethullah Gülen(10). Similarly, religion classes, in this case “Islam”, are taught depending on the local conditions and vary from one country to another(11). Therefore several other scholars debated against these critiques and they are reluctant to consider the Gülen inspired schools educational engagement as being solely missionary in intent and impact(12).

Of course, in this context the profile of the teachers and the role they play in the schools is very important. Therefore, Gülen’s approach to education, how he influenced these teachers, how diverse the profile of the teachers, how the teachers are recruited and how do they realize Gülen’s philosophy are questioned under the shadow of the mentioned critiques in this study.

Supporting teachers’ professional identity development empowers teachers and helps them stay in the field longer. Although teachers’ professional identity has been studied in subject areas in the OECD countries (Suarez & McGrath, 2022), less is known regarding professional identity development of student teachers of color (Rodrigues & Mogarro, 2019). Student teachers of color’s professional identity development especially needs researchers’ attention, because both in the EU and US contexts, policymakers have been focusing on diversifying the teaching profession by recruiting teachers of migrant and/or minority background, through integrating university coursework with extended practice (Klein et al., 2016) as in the urban teacher residency program in this study, offering a “third space” in teacher education (Zeichner, 2010).

The model of teacher residencies is based on the postgraduate training in medical schools (Authors, 2017a). While the naming of the student teachers as teaching residents proclaims their teacher identity as a professional (Author, 2012); other aspects pertinent to urban teaching residents’ professional identity development are less studied. Therefore, to better support minority teachers’ professional identity development (Cong-Lem, 2022; Lantolf & Swain, 2019), this study aims to investigate how participants, who are teachers of color, construct themselves as residents of urban teaching through the lens of perezhivanie.

Grounded in the cultural-historical understanding of emotion and identity, the study draws on the Vygotskyian concept of perezhivanie to illustrate how residents’ personal histories and experiences in and expectations of the urban teacher residency program influence their reflective practices, since these are pertinent to urban teaching residents’ professional identity development. For Vygotsky (1993), perezhivanie is used to describe a subject’s development, “because between the world and a human being stands his(sic) social environment, which refracts and guides everything proceeding from man(sic) to the world and from the world to man(sic)” (p. 77). The residents develop their emotions and identities through the interplay of social relations. Thus, the awareness of knowing, being, and becoming a resident of urban teaching who are also teachers of color is articulated through residents’ reflections and refraction of their teacher residencies, because they have worked out their own conflicts of motives from resolving the (social)environmental-individual dialectical tensions (Dang, 2013).

This study addresses the ECER 2023 conference theme and Network 10’s call to study the diversity of evidence-relations in teacher education. Although tensions and conflicts coexist with diversity, “the richness of who we are and who we are becoming becomes a source and resource for what we do and why we do it across the educational continuum”. European researchers have been using perezhivanie to examine the ways in which experiences such as discrimination, marginalization, and cultural identity shape individuals’ understanding and engagement with education (Christodoulakis et al., 2021; Léopoldoff-Martin & Gabathuler, 2021; Pompert & Dobber, 2018). Accordingly, the personal accounts from residents of color serve as evidence mobilized from marginalized communities to address the research-practice gap of teachers’ professional identity development.

We want to understand how residents in this study refract their (social)environmental-individual dialectical conflicts from working in the community through their perezhivanie. In the context of urban teaching residencies, we are looking at how residents of color refract themselves from their own resident identity development in their narratives. Moreover, this psychological refraction of the human mind is not to be projected in the same way as the refraction of the light. Rather, perezhivanie is a mental schema established through one’s consciousness of experience and experience of consciousness of the past, present, and future (Vygotsky, 1993). Drawing upon these, our research question is: How do preservice teachers who self-identify as teachers of color construct themselves as residents during the urban teaching residency program?

The social changes we have witnessed in recent years have introduced changes in the education system that were not expected by teachers who suddenly found themselves alone, teaching at a distance, from their private space and before their students who, more than ever, were unequal. Considering that the professional identity of the teacher is constructed by the feeling of belonging to a community, by the social practices of the subjects and by the articulation of the spheres of knowledge, of professional norms and values and of pedagogical knowledge, one can easily glimpse an enormous restlessness and anxiety, as well as the progressive awareness that their profession was going to be different and teaching as they knew it would not return.

In modern society, teachers and educators are the largest group of intellectual workers. In Portugal, PORDATA (2019 data) records 146,992 teachers and educators in pre-school, primary and secondary education, public and private, who then represented 5.66% of the Portuguese active population. Still, beyond their numerical weight, the importance of teachers' action derives from the fact that they constitute, within the influential middle class, what Bernstein calls "reproducers" (Bernstein, 1996). By posing the challenge of rethinking education and knowledge as global common goods, UNESCO (2015) assigns teachers and educators an active role as political subjects (Freire, 1985), who carry their beliefs, experiences, life stories into daily action (Goodson, Loveless & Stephens 2012), despite strong trends in training and public policies towards limiting teachers' action to managerial rationality and a technical and didactic dimension (Lima, 2016). In this context, the European educational sphere requires a redefinition of the teacher's capacity for agency, and this must be achieved by rethinking the role of the teacher as public intellectual in action in a world of tremendous tensions, characterised by the dialectics of the global and the local.

According to Ball (2003), the new middle-class resorts to three class strategies which aim to perpetuate its social distinction, reproducing its advantages, mobility, and social progress, namely: the market, individualism and choice and competitiveness. It is indeed through its practices that the interests of this class are manifested, although the author points out that there are also divergences within it. Ball (2002) assumes performativity, a political technology of educational reform, to which the market and management capacity are added, as "a culture and a mode of regulation which uses criticism, comparisons and exhibitions as means of control, attrition and change" (p. 4).

This work relies, therefore, on conceptions that assume identity not as attributed but as constructed, insofar as the division of the I as a subjective expression of social duality (Dubar, 1997) or of tensions (Santos, 1999) appears through the mechanisms of identification, which use the socially available categories, such as the professional class of teachers, because "it is, in fact, through and in the activity with others, implying a meaning, an objective and/or a justification, a need (... ), that the individual is identified and is led to accept or refuse the identifications he receives from others and institutions" (Dubar, 1997: 106).

In this regard and following the work that has been developed (Estrela, Ricardo & Duarte, 2021; Estrela & Duarte,2022), it is relevant to look to teachers’ life and work to understand their trajectory and to analyze their professional processes regarding three dimensions of their professionalism: identity, professional knowledge, and professional learning. The aim of the research is to identify processes of change in teacher professionalism and to identify the trends in teachers’ professionalism at different stages of the career in Portugal.

The disconnection between university-based preservice teacher education and field experiences has been highlighted internationally in the literature as a main barrier to better preparing prospective teachers for the complexities of teaching (Adoniou, 2013; Zeinchner, 2010). Alternatives approaches emphasize less hierarchical relationships; integration of school and university expertise; and the importance and need to develop research capacity at the university and school levels (Tanner & Davies, 2009). The integration of the university and practicum contexts is particularly important as some educational systems are moving toward school-based approaches to teacher preparation.

Collaborative research models seem to propose new ways to connect both school and university knowledge and expertise and build a new set of relationships. They are particularly useful to explore ways of bringing a diverse set of “voices” and “expertise” disrupting more hierarchical structures and homogeneous systems, and therefore, can be used to enhance diversity in education practice and research in teacher education. When collaborative research models are used to design partnerships, they have the potential to foster reciprocity, a coalition of interests, innovation, and synergy and be ‘emancipatory in the formation of new relationships and systems of working’ (Baumfield & Butterworth 2007).

In the context of Teacher Education, collaborative engagement with research had impacted positively teacher-educators professional practice, improving the knowledge, skills, and critical awareness, benefiting the learning of students (Tanner and Davies, 2009). Likewise, the exploration of new roles in research partnerships (i.e., research champions) has demonstrated that these alliances can enhance the link and use of research findings that can inform local practices and create networks beyond schools and universities to become open to new ideas and to judge research that is relevant for local systems (Burn et al., 2021).

Despite its attractiveness, developing equitable and genuine collaboration between teachers and researchers is not exempt from difficulties. Authors have questioned whether this relationship can be called collaborative (Feldman, 1993), while others have identified resistance of school-based staff’ to take full ownership of the process (Oates and Bignell, 2019), and differences in the assumption of responsibility and power in the process (Hamsa et al., 2018).

In the enactment of school-university collaborations that promote engagement with research, the notion of agency is central. Teacher agency is understood from the framework of ecological agency (Priestley et al., 2015) due to its focus on the temporal frame and the idea that the achievement of people's agency is only within given structures and cultures. Furthermore, this study draws onto the notion of relational agency (Edwards, 2011, 2015; Edwards et al., 2009) as it centres on the agentic relationships that professionals involved in education establish and the professional learning that emerges from those relationships.

Unlike the most common understanding of partnerships between school and university as the arrangement to facilitate, support and assess student teachers in practical teaching experience, ‘The Research Teams’ is a programme of work developed in an international collaboration between a Chilean and Scottish university to engage initial university staff, pre-service teachers, and school teachers in collaborative research to address issues of practice identified by practitioners. The ‘The Research Teams’ were composed of teams of university tutors, schoolteachers, and pre-service teachers; the university coordinator and external advisor overseeing the programme. Each team identified a problem of practice and developed a 12-months research project. The expected outcomes were the implementation of the project and an academic article for submission. The initiative was designed before the pandemic, and it was implemented online during 2020-2021.

The research questions how the engagement with the Research Teams supports/influences professional learning; brings to the fore new professional identities; and offers new insights into teacher preparation.

Teaching has been recognised as a stressful profession and is plagued by significant turnover (Flook et al., 2013). International research has shown that many teachers, especially in their early career years, feel underprepared to handle academic and behavioural issues among their students (e.g., Aflakseir & Nemati, 2018; Dias-Lacy & Guirguis, 2017; Whitaker et al., 2015). This may lead to teachers suffering from anxiety, depression, burnout, and deciding to leave the profession (Buchanan et al., 2013). Preparing classroom-ready teachers has become a persistent theme around the world (Mansfield et al., 2016). For example, the apprenticeship-style teacher preparation program, Teach For All, requires graduating teachers to complete a six to eight week training course prior to teaching “in a disadvantaged setting” (Rice et al., 2015, p. 498). The Teach For All program has expanded significantly since 1990 and recognised 46 countries as network partners, including China, India, New Zealand, and Australia (Rowe & Skourdoumbis, 2019).

However, there is little agreement about what might a classroom-ready teacher look like across the profession. Early career teachers believe that a classroom-ready teacher should be prepared for understanding the curriculum, assessing students, engaging in professional dialogue with colleagues and parents, as well as managing classroom behaviours. Experienced teachers perceive that a classroom-ready teacher should be able to control their classes, communicate explicitly to their students, and deliver well-structured and student-focused lessons (Hickey, 2015). School principals point out that teaching is a demanding and complex profession so a classroom-ready teacher should be someone who experienced full responsibility for student wellbeing issues, class loads, parent communication and complaints management (Hickey, 2015).

Recent studies suggested that classroom readiness refers to a process of becoming, committing, and re-committing throughout a teaching career, rather than a simple standard to be achieved upon graduation (Buchanan & Schuck, 2016; Mockler, 2017). In this sense, a classroom-ready teacher cannot be identified as a product of a teacher education program (Buchanan & Schuck, 2016). Ingersoll (2007) compared the preparation of elementary and secondary teachers in seven education jurisdictions (i.e., China, Hong Kong, Japan, South Korea, Singapore, Thailand, and the United Stated). Prior to entering the profession, all the education jurisdictions required both content knowledge (i.e., knowing what to teach), pedagogical knowledge (i.e., knowing how to teach), and supervised practice (Ingersoll, 2007). Schuck et al. (2012) claimed that teaching is a multifaced enterprise, including communicating with colleagues, parents, communities, and students, demonstrating sound content and pedagogical knowledges, as well as keeping deep reserves of professional and personal resilience.

This paper explores the concept of 'preparedness' through the voices of pre-service teachers in Sydney, New South Wales (Australia), and Glasgow, Scotland. Preparedness and class-ready have been concepts posed by differing reviews of pre-service teacher education in New South Wales and Scotland; little information is provided in these reports about how preparedness is defined or operationalised. This paper will report initial findings from interviews with pre-service teachers about their understandings of 'preparedness'.

Amidst the broad range of teacher competencies, professional beliefs and professional identity are two important domains of personal orientations (Metsäpelto et al., 2022). These domains “represent distinct facets of individual differences and universal dimensions of human behavior” (Metsäpelto et al., 2020, p. 156). This study examines qualitative data from a cohort of pre-service students at a Finnish university to explore the following research question:

How do pre-service teachers negotiate their professional identity as teachers after their first year of teacher education studies?

ITE is a time when pre-service teachers are confronted with real-life teaching situations and encouraged to reexamine their philosophies, life-course experiences, and beliefs about teaching and classrooms (Friesen & Besley, 2013). Because of long observation and evaluation of educational settings as students, pre-service teachers enter ITE with implicit beliefs about being a teacher that are intuitive and imitative in nature, and that remain largely unchallenged by external evidence prior to critical reflection in ITE (Harford, & Gray, 2017). Beliefs may be understood as “closely held principles about teaching and learning and how teachers get better,” serving as “a durable but permeable filter” in teachers’ sense-making that reflects and refracts teachers’ identities (Noonan, 2018, p. 2). Beliefs further serve as general patterns of adaptation to work environments (Metsäpelto et al., 2022). A such, beliefs bear on how pre-service teachers interpret and respond to their professional roles, responsibilities, and challenges.

Despite the discrepancies in conceptualizing teacher identity because of different paradigms prevailing in various periods, teacher identity is commonly understood as a fluid concept, which cannot simply be perceived directly (Hanna et al., 2019). One of the early definitions of teacher identity posits that it is “the person’s self-knowledge in teaching-related situations and relationships that manifest themselves in practical professional activities, feelings of belonging and learning experiences” (Timostsuk & Ugaste, 2010, p. 1564). This definition underscores social contexts at work, teachers’ agency, affective orientation towards work, and professional learning. Furthermore, teacher identity is a subjective meaning-making processes “situated within, and therefore co-constructed by, broader cultural, social, and historical contexts” (Buchanan & Olsen, 2018, p. 197). The iteration taking place within context-bound social activity results in not only the transmission of tacit knowledge and skills, but also in new understandings and a changed version of oneself.

To come to terms with the multidimensional nature of identity as a phenomenon in teaching and teacher education, Ruohotie-Lyhty (2018) proposed the concept of identity-agency. Identity-agency has a mediatory role between pre-service teachers’ conditions at work and pre-service teachers’ individual interpretations of their experiences therein as they negotiate their professional identity. This negotiation is an ongoing, dynamic process of defining the self in relation to the profession (e.g., tasks, influences), and may take the form of additive development, transformative development, or defense. According to Ruohotie-Lyhty (2018), additive development occurs when pre-service teachers’ original ideas, expectations, values, and self-concept match their work environment in such a way that pre-service teachers accept new aspects to their work, without necessarily experiencing significant changes in how they perceive themselves as professionals. Transformative development occurs when the mismatch between pre-service teachers’ original identity and expectations at work is considerable, causing tension, emotional load, and uncertainty about one’s competence, thus rendering identity (re)negotiation more demanding. Defending occurs when pre-service teachers actively refuse (re)negotiating their identity when they perceive a mismatch between their original identity and expectations at work.

Despite the focus on Finnish teacher education, the study examines a topic of international interest, as teacher identity, i.e. how one understands themselves as educational professionals, is essential to pedagogical decision-making, agency at work, resilience, and job satisfaction irrespective of teaching context.

Abstract: This symposium offers a global, “state-of-the-art”, picture of research informed educational practice (RIEP, e.g., Brown, Schildkamp & Hubers, 2017; Groß Ophoff, Brown & Helm, 2023), derived from the current evidence-based policy, drawing from numerous studies from across Europe addressing if, how and to what effect teachers’ engagement with academic research can be fostered. These studies are uniquely framed by the widely shared fundamental conception of evidence and data use in education as a complex, cognitive, knowledge-based problem-solving or inquiry cycle with consecutive phases that are not ensued in a linear, but rather iterative fashion (a.o. Groß Ophoff & Cramer, 2022; Schildkamp et al., 2013). In this research field, RIEP is explored on a variety of levels (e.g., data, user, context) and in different contexts of application in the educational sector (e.g., educational practice or teacher education) and draws on sociological, psychological and leadership approaches. In this connection, the differentiation between fields of research and practices allows us to understand that the diversity of publications (more scientific or more praxeological) constitutes more of a richness than a problem, on the condition that we distinguish the contexts, the purposes and the modalities of production and diffusion. Indeed, recently, several research currents have engaged in hybrid work, of a scientific nature (distanced, objectified, instrumented) but conducted in partnership with field actors (Albero, 2017). While recommendations on the use of research findings are available in abundance, it becomes more and more clear that fostering it is a truly challenging business, the very desirability of which deserves to be questioned. In response, this session provides clear implications with practical propositions and ways forward, exploring the full gamut of RIEP, from initial teacher education, to in-service professional development; and examining political and contextual factors from the systems level to the motivations of the individual teacher. The objective of this session is not only to provide a European overview of research-informed teaching practice in education, but to address the ways research findings can be mobilized, and to question the many variations of “evidence relations” in teacher education: What are they? Where does the desire to strengthen RIEP come from, what is its history? Should it be encouraged and how, under what conditions? What are the relevant conclusions on how to make teachers' engagement with research a reality? How does RIEP differ from other approaches such as evidence-based practice in education?

Significance: Although numerous studies have posited ways forward for RIEP, it is clear that fostering it is truly complex and challenging business (Brown et al., 2022; Groß Ophoff & Cramer, 2022). In response, this symposium addresses this issue in a unique manner, providing insight by exploring a variety of levels and perspectives; drawing on systems theory, sociological, psychological and leadership perspectives. It provides clear implications with practical propositions and ways forward.

Structure: The presentations will be in the order below. The chair will introduce the overall theme of the symposium. This will be followed by presentations from the other participants. The symposium will conclude with comments from the discussant and then questions from the audience.

This paper considers the engagement by teachers and school leaders in England in research informed educational practice (RIEP). Research in the area of RIEP has been criticised for being “under theorised” (e.g. Nutley et al., 2007); leading to researchers failing to consider the full range of factors influencing the research-practice gap. In response, we adopt Baudrillard’s (1968) semiotic theory of consumption, which is concerned both with consumer behaviour and the “objects” which are consumed. Specifically, how objects are “experienced” and what needs they serve in addition to those which are purely functional. The research questions addressed in this paper are: • RQ1: What potential benefit, cost and signification factors can be identified that might account for the current research-practice gap? • RQ2: Which individual and combinations of benefits, cost and signification factors appear to be most closely associated with educators’ use of research evidence? • RQ3: What implications emerge for policy and practice in terms of how to increase educators’ use of research evidence? Methods: A survey study was conducted to address these questions. To develop the survey recent literature (broadly 2010 and later) was reviewed that generally encapsulated the area of RIEP. The survey was undertaken by teachers in England. The aim of our sampling strategy was to achieve a representative sample of teaching staff, both in terms of their own individual characteristics, as well as the characteristics of the schools they work in. The survey was administered by email and a one percent response rate was achieved (approximately 250 schools). Findings: Regression analyses were used to ascertain whether the research-practice gap is caused by educators failing to perceive the benefits of engaging in RIEP; from educators believing that the costs involved with research use are too high; or from RIEP-type activity not being sufficiently desirable for them to want to engage in it. As you might expect, a range of factors emerged across each of these three areas and policy implications include the need for training and mentoring as well as coaching for school leaders to help establish RIEP within and across schools. Scholarly significance: By developing and testing a survey grounded in a strong theoretical basis, we have, for the first time, kickstarted an exploration of factors promising for “bridging” the research practice gap. The result is a richer and more nuanced understanding of what is required to achieve RIEP than has been possible from previous work.

- Baudrillard, J. (1968). The System of Objects. Verso. - Nutley, S.M., Walter, I. and Davies, H.T.O. (2007). Using evidence: How research can inform public services. The Policy Press.

In recent years, Austrian teacher education was faced with far-reaching reforms based on an expertise on the future of pedagogical professions (PädagogInnenbildung NEU) by the Austrian Ministries of Education and of Research in 2010. Therein, the recommendation was expressed that scientificity and research need to be established as constitutive elements of teacher education with the goal to support research-related attitudes and an inquiry habit of mind (Brown & Malin, 2017; Reitinger, 2013). Groß Ophoff and Cramer (2022) identify the latter “soft” aspect of research competence as the intention to use evidence, which marks the Rubicon between predecisional phase and volitional processes (Heckhausen, 1989) of RIEP. However, findings on influencing attitudinal factors and the effects of inquiry learning in teacher training (Groß Ophoff et al., 2018; Wessels et al., 2019) raise the question, to what extent this can be accomplished in teacher education: The two studies presented aimed therefore at exploring (1) how useful Austrian teacher students find research and for what, and (2) to what extent their intention to use research can be predicted by the perceived value, but also their research-related learning opportunities (RLO). Data is analysed via structural equation modelling (Muthén & Muthén, 2017). In Study 1 (Haberfellner, 2016), 295 students at two teacher training institutions were surveyed about their perception of the utility value of research evidence (e.g., for their bachelor thesis, or teaching in classrooms) and their inquiry habit of mind. Study 2 was carried out in 2021 at two institutions. 125 Teacher training students were surveyed about the same topics as in Study 1, but also about RLO (Rueß et al., 2016). Results from Study 1 indicate, that the perceived value of evidence for classroom teaching has a positive effect on the general intention to use research, even though research appears to be mainly perceived as useful for thesis writing. Student teachers’ research-related mindset could be further differentiated in Study 2, according to which they particularly show a pronounced praxeological (research averse) stance. Vice versa, only students’ research-oriented stance (orienting lesson development on scientific principles as a necessity) could be predicted by the perceived usefulness of research, but also by the extent of RLO during their studies. The results will be discussed against current developments in Austrian teacher education still faced with the challenge that the aspirations and ideas of academization come up against structures and traditions that are sometimes at odds with each other.

- Brown, C., & Malin, J. (2017). Five vital roles for school leaders in the pursuit of evidence of evidence-informed practice. Teachers College Record. - Groß Ophoff, J., & Cramer, C. (2022). The engagement of teachers and school leaders with data, evidence and research in Germany. In C. Brown & J. R. Malin (Eds.), The Emerald International Handbook of Evidence-Informed Practice in Education (pp. 175-196). Emerald. - Groß Ophoff, J., Schladitz, S., & Wirtz, M. A. (2018). Motivationale Zielorientierungen als Prädiktoren der Forschungskompetenz Studierender in den Bildungswissenschaften. Empirische Pädagogik, 32(1), 10–25. - Haberfellner, C. (2016). Der Nutzen von Forschungskompetenz im Lehramt. Eine Einschätzung aus der Sicht von Studierenden der Pädagogischen Hochschulen in Österreich. Klinkhardt. - Heckhausen, H. (1989). Motivation und Handeln (2.). Springer - Muthén, L. K., & Muthén, B. O. (2017). MPlus Version 8. Muthén & Muthén. - Reitinger, J. (2013). Forschendes Lernen. Theorie, Evaluation und Praxis in naturwissenschaftlichen Lernarrangements. - Rueß, J., Gess, C., & Deicke, W. (2016). Forschendes Lernen und forschungsbezogene Lehre–empirisch gestützte Systematisierung des Forschungsbezugs hochschulischer Lehre. Zeitschrift Für Hochschulentwicklung, 11(2), p. 23-44. - Wessels, I., Gess, C., & Deicke, W. (2019). Competence Development Through Inquiry-Based Learning. In Inquiry-Based Learning–Undergraduate Research, p. 59-69.

Objectives: Starting from a reflection on the history of statistical reason (Desrosières, 2010), this contribution questions the relevance and the conditions of the usefulness of scientific evidence in educational policy-making. Through a critical perspective of the epistemological foundations of evidence-based logic, we propose analytical tools aimed at better understanding the resistance that educational reforms regularly encounter when they are implemented. Theory: Evidence-based policy in education is part of statistical reasoning and, more directly, an extension of evidence-based medicine (EBM). It aims to rationalise educational policies and practices through the use of research results, data considered as evidence, in decision-making. In this contribution, we propose to question the transposition of the epistemological principles of these two currents to the field of education. Insofar as the educational sciences are part of the humanities and social sciences, their scientific regime is different from that of the natural sciences. The SHS are historical sciences, which are characterised by the absence of “repetition of phenomena taking place in a constant or indifferent context” and which therefore rely on evidence that is “always dependent on a singular context of observation, measurement and argumentation” (Passeron, 2001). Due to their positivist epistemology, evidence-based approaches ignore this or do not take it into account. Methods and findings: To analyse the impact of the epistemological foundations of evidence-based policies on their implementation in the schools, we draw on previous research (Draelants, 2009) carried out on the reform of the abolition of grade retention in Belgium in the 1990s. The analysis of the design processes of the reform and of semi-structured interviews with teachers allows us to identify the knowledge and evidence that are left “out” - the willful ignorance (Weisberg, 2014) - and that contribute to the resistance that puts the reform to failure and, more broadly, to the distrust of public action and the expertise on which it is based. Significance: Evidence-based policies are gaining ground in many sectors of society, including education. The originality of our proposal lies in the perspective of the design processes of educational policies based on so-called "evidence" with the epistemological foundations of the evidence-based logic to better understand the resistance often observed in the practices of professionals. Our contribution aims to provide tools for analysing educational policies and to advocate for a broader definition of the evidence to be taken into consideration in public action in education (research and practice informed policy).

Desrosières A. (2010). La Politique des grands nombres. Histoire de la raison statistique. La Découverte. Draelants H. (2009). Réforme pédagogique et légitimation. Le cas d’une politique de lutte contre le redoublement. De Boeck Université. Draelants, H., & Revaz, S. (2022). L'évidence des faits. La politique des preuves en éducation. Presses universitaires de France. Passeron, J.-C. (2001). La forme des preuves dans les sciences historiques. Revue européenne des sciences sociales, XXXIX-120, p. 31-76. Weisberg H. I. (2014). Willful Ignorance. The Mismeasure of Uncertainty. Wiley.

The pressures of the pandemic, combined with unresolved legacy issues marking the teaching profession such as relatively low remunerations compared to other professions, heavy workloads, and in more recent years, growing bureaucratic and administrative regimes, have had irrefutable adverse impacts on teacher morale and their sense of career optimism, paving the way for some to decide to exit the teaching workforce. This exit decision has contributed to a teacher shortage crisis in many parts of the world prompting governments to seek ‘effective’ solutions to attract and retain teachers.

The intensity of the teacher shortage problems is greater in schools serving socio-economically marginalised communities. In these historically hard-to-staff schools, material poverty, geographical isolation, over-representation of historically under-served students combined with inadequate funding, resource stretch and understaffing create more complex working conditions for teachers. Many of these schools have limited access to resources and generate higher teacher stress levels associated with meeting the diverse and more complex needs of marginalised students and their families (Hargreaves & Fullan, 2020). This presents unique challenges for teachers who are called upon to address deeply entrenched historical, social and economic inequalities through everyday teaching practices and classroom relationships. Addressing structural inadequacies individually can cause ‘de-moralisation’ for teachers and lead to their exit decisions (Santoro, 2018).

This symposium focuses on teacher shortages in historically hard-to-staff schools. While the challenges associated with working in hard-to-staff schools are well-documented, less is known about the enabling conditions that can help build teacher satisfaction/capacity and improve retention of teachers in these school settings. This symposium draws on diverse conceptual and methodological approaches to identify effective policy responses, initiatives, and support mechanisms that can reduce teacher turnover in schools that serve the most marginalised students. In addition to a critical approach that examines the adequacy of existing policy frameworks and practices in improving teacher retention, this symposium focuses on effective responses to teacher shortages in hard-to-staff school settings from Europe and internationally. The overarching aim is to address the following inter-related questions through a synthesis of conceptual and empirical studies:

1. What are the challenges that teachers face in historically hard-to-staff school settings?
2. What are the major policy responses to these challenges in various national contexts within Europe and internationally?
3. What principles can help attract, prepare, and retain teachers in the schools that need them most?
4. How can this emerging scholarship help inform a more coherent response to teacher shortage problems in historically hard-to-staff schools?

Teacher shortages have emerged as a key policy area of concern in Australia. The Australian Federal Government estimate shows that the demand for Secondary teachers will exceed the supply of new graduate teachers by around 4100 by 2025 (Department of Education, 2022). With teaching shortages at an all-time high, employment-based teacher education programs have become increasingly common, especially to address chronic teacher shortages in schools considered ‘hard to staff’. These employment-based programs are attractive to government and teacher education providers because of the opportunities they provide for universities to partner closely with schools with the promise of ‘immediate’ employment to graduates. Yet, the impatience (Biesta, 2019) and fast policies (Hardy, Jakhelln & Smit, 2021) that emerge in times of crisis also put pressure on university-based teacher education providers, all competing for preservice teachers in a climate of declining enrolments and persistent teacher shortages. The pressure to prioritise employment-based teacher education also creates tensions for their professed equity and social justice imperative. In this presentation, we examine what happens when teacher education shifts focus from preparing teachers as change agents to focusing on employability (Burridge & Buchanan, 2022). We address the implications of these shifting priorities for the less visible work of critical educational practice and unpack how embedding ‘employment’ in Initial Teacher Education presents opportunities and risks to the equity and social justice imperative.

Biesta, G. J. J. (2019). What kind of society does the school need? Redefining the democratic work of education in impatient times. Studies in Philosophy and Education, 38(6), 657–668. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11217-019-09675-y Burridge, N. & Buchanan, J. (2022). Teachers as Change-makers in an age of uncertainty. In Heggart, K., & Kolber, Steven. (2022). Empowering Teachers and Democratising Schooling : Perspectives from Australia. Springer. Department of Education (2022). Issues paper: Teacher Workforce shortages. Canberra: Commonwealth. Australian Government. Hardy, I., Jakhelln, R., & Smit, B. (2021). The policies and politics of teachers' initial learning: the complexity of national initial teacher education policies. Teaching Education (Columbia, S.C.), 32(3), 286–308. https://doi.org/10.1080/10476210.2020.1729115

The issue of teacher shortages, failed recruitment targets and increasingly high levels of attrition have reached crisis point in England. After failing to meet recruitment targets for many years (saving only a short Covid-related reprieve), education policy appears to be making the situation worse. Following on from the controversial ITT Market Review, the enforced (re)accreditation process has left parts of the country as “cold spots” with no established providers and the formation of new national “super-providers” with no track record or experience of initial teacher education. We argue that this policy initiative is an urgent issue of spatial injustice, exacerbating teacher recruitment and supply issues in areas already suffering from educational isolation (Ovenden-Hope and Passey, 2019), but also having broader spatial effects. The provision of education, and by extension teacher education, can be seen as an issue of spatial justice (Soja, 2010), one which has been made worse since the pandemic, with some areas being disproportionately affected due to access to and provision of local services which serve disadvantaged students and their communities. Soja argues that spatial justice reflects how spatial location and distribution can produce and reproduce justices and injustices, so cycles of advantage are enabled to persist, and indeed become mutually constructive. In this paper we use spatial justice as a lens for looking at the spatial effects of the teacher recruitment and retention policies, and question to what extent policy has exacerbated the problem of teacher support and retention in high-needs schools. Our analysis reveals six policy effects which each have a spatial impact: from narrowing the focus of teacher education only to classroom practice, to locating the power and influence on teacher education provision to government and large-scale providers in and around London and the South East. The analysis of these combined factors shows an increasing marginalization of (particularly rural) universities who find themselves reduced to the role of delivery partners rather than thought leaders.

Ovenden-Hope, T. and Passy, R. (2019) Education Isolation: A challenge for schools in England. Plymouth Marjon University and University of Plymouth. Plymouth, Plymouth Marjon University. Soja, E. 2010. Seeking Spatial Justice. Minneapolis: University of Minnesota Press.

Research on the retention of teachers often focuses on challenges related to school climate, job satisfaction, and perceptions of self-efficacy (Aldridge & Fraser, 2016; Yost, 2006). Recently a study of rural teachers in the US focused on why teachers stay, versus the problems driving teachers out (Seelig & McCabe, 2021). In this study, researchers found that relationships were central to teachers’ decisions to stay and suggested that relationships with students, connections to community and personal and professional ties were critical for teachers staying along with opportunities for leadership and collaboration. In the context of a world “on the move” (Suárez-Orozco, et al., 2010, p. 535) and a shifting, volatile and uncertain global, political, ideological, and cultural landscape (e.g., pandemic, war in Ukraine, misinformation campaigns, rise in ethnonationalism/fascism, etc.), the development of the kinds of relationships that Seelig and McCabe (2021) found helpful for teacher retention are difficult to develop and sustain in increasing diverse classrooms and communities where political, economic, and social division play intensifying roles. Therefore, this study centers diversity, perceptions of it and orientations towards it, that can improve teacher retention. We collected qualitative data from focus groups and observations with 55 participants from K-12 schools where various forms of diversity (multilingualism, immigration, socio-economic, religious, etc.) are impacting teaching and learning contexts across four European countries: England, Norway, Germany, and Finland. Research participants were teachers, students, and administrators’ who shared their perspectives on creating a positive climate for diversity in schools. We found that orienting climate policy and practice decisions around agency, curiosity, creativity, openness, and interconnectedness as principles positively captured participants’ thinking about diversity in classrooms and across schools. Study participants also felt that intentionally centering diversity policy and practical support would expand the possibilities and benefits of diversity in school settings. Using educator and student perspectives, we draw implications for addressing the challenge of teacher retention in high-need schools and outline a framework for generating a shared vision of school culture and climate that values diversity and centers equity.

Aldridge, J. M. & Fraser, B. J. (2016). Teachers’ view of their school climate and its relationship with teacher self-efficacy and job satisfaction. Learning Environment Research, 19, 291-307. DOI 10.1007/s10984-015-9198-x Seelig, J. L. & McCabe, K. M. (2021). Why teachers stay: Shaping a new narrative on rural teacher retention. Journal of Research in Rural Education, 27(8). https://doi.org/10.26209/ jrre3708 Suárez-Orozco, M. M., Suárez-Orozco, C., & Sattin-Bajaj, C. (2010). Making migration work. Peabody Journal of Education, 85(4), 535-551. doi:10.1080/0161956X.2010.518053 Yost, D. S. (2006). Reflection and self-efficacy: Enhancing the retention of qualified teachers from a teacher education perspective. Teacher Education Quarterly, 33(4), 59-76.

For psychoanalytic theory, social reality is characterised by irremediable complexities, contradictions and dislocations that prevent the possibility of closure, totality or harmony. Education policy, by contrast, is subject to numerous fantasies, including fantasies of certainty, control, productivity, inclusion, and victimisation that ignore, mask or disavow the impossibility of closure or completion (Clarke, 2020; Carusi, 2022) and the play of the unconscious in shaping educators’ subjectivities (Shim, 2017). Indeed, education has come to embody, and hence carries the burden of responsibility for realising, the (unrealisable) future hopes, aspirations and potentials of today’s social order. Yet given the impossibility of fully realising these hopes in the present, it is necessarily to the future that society looks for redemption and progress through education, in what has become a familiar pattern characterised by endless deferral and repeated blame. The pressures of education’s future-oriented performativity continue to have significant implications for teachers, positioning them as instruments dedicated to the realisation of a future that never seems to arrive in a society (purportedly) cured of its social, economic and political ills through effective teaching.

The papers in this symposium use psychoanalytic terms to explore the bind for teachers in an education policy environment that insists they realise the impossible fantasies of the future through their teaching. With the discovery of the unconscious (Freud, 2010) and the role of fantasy in identification (Lacan, 2006), among other themes, psychoanalysis is particularly adept at bridging social fantasies articulated in education policy with the personal and policy-based identifications of teachers. The presentations in this symposium analyse the responsibilities policy and other governing discourses place on teachers and consider what new lines of thinking psychoanalysis makes available to teachers who actively disidentify with the fantasies education policy makes of them. Drawing on psychoanalytic concepts, including the unconscious, transference, drive, singularity, dupery, and ‘afterwardness’ (Nachträglichkeit, après coup), the papers presented in this symposium consider the attendant harms attributable to, as well as attempted flights from, education policy at various levels and scales, as the latter attempts to bend teachers to its pronouncements. The papers locate teachers and teacher education within psychoanalytic frameworks that attend to uncertainty and contingency as an essential feature – as opposed to a fatal flaw – of meaningful education, thereby opening new spaces for thought and practice in education.

Freud (1964) famously links education and psychoanalysis as impossibe professions. The sharing of impossibility between the analyst and the educator has received attention as a bridge between psychoanalysis and education (Bibby 2011, Britzman 2009). Yet, whereas psychoanalysis is oriented to the singularity of the analysand’s unconscious, education is primarily understood as an inherently normative venture and vehicle for fixing social problems (Carusi & Szkudlarek 2020). This difference is particularly acute for teachers whose colleges began as “normal schools” and who are instrumentalized in much of current policy and research as “effective” in raising student achievement - a proxy for economic mobility, social cohesion and other ends (Smeyers & Depaepe 2008). Considering the shared impossibility of the professions, what may the resistance of psychoanalysis to a normative framework suggest for education and its professionals? While the normative role of teaching is largely taken for granted, recent studies (Carusi 2017, 2022) have begun to question this status through Laclau’s (2014) distinction between the ethical and the normative, a distinction developed from Lacanian psychoanalysis. Through this distinction, the presentation will discuss the emphasis on effectivity and instrumentality as normative disavowals of the impossibility of education, and where there is disavowal, there is fantasy at work (Clarke, 2021). The second part of this presentation will consider education as a fantasy that sutures the holes of knowledge into the wholes of teachers as the subject supposed to know, to deliver, to save, to redeem and so on. In his seminars, Lacan (1974) introduces the portmanteau ‘edupation’ to his students, a combination of education and dupe. This presentation will argue edupation suggests an ethical dimension of teaching that remains resistant to normative capture. While aspects of edupation have been linked to education’s production of dupes for existing discourses (Soler, 2019), Lacan also characterises the dupe as a wanderer of the unconscious, a viator. For the conclusion of this presentation, the educator as viator will be sketched as a dupe of the unconscious and connected to the impossibility of the profession of education. This figure suggests a starting point for teacher education different from their connection to existing discourses of raising student achievement, for example. Instead, as viator, the impossibility of education becomes the terrain they wander hindered but never completely determined by the fantasies of policy to make them whole.

Bibby, T. (2011). Education, an impossible profession? Psychoanalytic explorations of learning and classrooms. Routledge. Britzman, D. P. (2009). The very thought of education: Psychoanalysis and the impossible professions. SUNY. Carusi, F. T. (2017). Why Bother Teaching? Despairing the Ethical Through Teaching that Does Not Follow. Studies in Philosophy and Education, 36, 633–645. Carusi, F. T. (2022). Refusing Teachers and the Politics of Instrumentalism in Educational Policy. Educational Theory, 72(3), 383–397. Carusi, F. T., & Szkudlarek, T. (2020). Education is society … and there is no society: The ontological turn of education. Policy Futures in Education, 18(7), 907–921. Clarke, M. (2021). Education and the fantasies of neoliberalism: Politics, policy, psychoanalysis. Routledge. Freud, S. (1964). Analysis Terminable and Interminable. In James Strachey (Trans.), Standard Edition of the Psychological Works of Sigmund Freud (Vol. 23: 209–254). Hogarth Press. Lacan, J. (1974). Seminar 5. In C. Gallagher (Trans.), The Seminar of Jacques Lacan Book XXI: Les Non Dupes Errent 1973-1974. Laclau, E. (2014). The rhetorical foundations of society. Verso. Smeyers, P., & Depaepe, M. (2008). Educational Research: The Educationalization of Social Problems. Netherlands: Springer. Soler, C. (2019). Prelude 2: The treatment of the bodies in our times and in psychoanalysis (L. Rodríguez, Trans.). 1–5.

Teachers today are frequently exhorted to enact ‘evidence-based’ teaching. Such exhortations reflect a view of teaching as primarily rational. By contrast, psychoanalysis attends to what Eric Santner (2001) refers to as the constitutive ‘too muchness’ (p. 8), a ‘certain uncanny animation’ or ‘an undeadness’ (p. 18), that characterises our psychic life. In this reading, drive conveys the relentless pulse of the bodily real, ceaselessly moving around its object in a closed circuit with “no day or night, no spring or autumn, no rise and fall. It is a constant force” (Lacan, 1981, p. 165). Yet drive is also singular in the sense that it reflects the particular ways in which we have been traumatised and thus corresponds to our idiosyncratic ‘truth’ – a truth “which appears to everyone in its intimate specificity…. Nothing can be compared to it that allows it to be judged from the outside” (Lacan, 1992, p. 24). This Lacanian reading of drive offers fertile ground for conceptualising agency and resistance, creativity and criticality, in teaching and education. Crucially, our capacity for singularity is tied up with the ‘too-muchness’ of our being and the ‘undead’ energy of the drives. In Mari Ruti’s memorable words, “singularity thus relates to those parts of the drive that manage to ooze through the sieve of the various systems of organisation that are designed to stabilise human life” (2012, p. 21). As such, singularity allows us to “touch the living tissue of the world rather than merely perceiving its socially mediated significations” (p. 28). In this sense, singularity becomes a matter of finding idiosyncratic and creative ways of infusing the energies of the drive into the symbolic orders of evidence-based policy and practice, so as to resist and undermine the latters’ more standardised and ‘verbose’ registers, reflected in what Taubman (2009) refers to as ‘teaching by numbers’. This reading has potential for a) resisting narrative closure, discursive colonisation or institutional totalisation; b) developing a willingness to question dominant assumptions and assertions; and c) cultivating an openness to expansive conceptual vocabularies and experimental narratives for thought and action in teachers’ professional practices.

Lacan, J. (1992). The seminar of Jacques Lacan, Book VII: The ethics of psychoanalysis, 1959-1960 (D. Porter, Trans.). New York: Norton. Lacan, J. (1981). The seminar of Jacques Lacan, Book XI:The four fundamental concepts of psychoanalysis, 1964 (A. Sheridan, Trans.). New York: Norton. New York: Norton. Ruti, M. (2012). The singularity of being: Lacan and the immortal within. New York: Fordham University Press. Santner, E. (2001). On the psychotheology of everyday life. Chicago: Chicago University Press. Taubman, P. (2009). Teaching by numbers: Deconstructing the discourse of standards and accountability in education. New York: Routledge.

Upon entering teacher training, students often expect their training to provide a 'method' on which they can rely in their daily work as teachers; something that is scientifically researched and proven to ’work’, something that removes uncertainty from teaching. Yet when teaching in classrooms, student teachers are often confronted with aporiae in which they lack a rationale and the means to orient themselves. In Finnish teacher education, it has been repeatedly pointed out that no universal ’method’ can be provided. Instead, it has been emphasised that each student has to build his or her own teaching philosophy or theory during the course of their studies. It combines the scientific research knowledge acquired during courses, practical teaching activities and critical reflection on one's own actions and thinking. This allegedly prepares teachers to act in an autonomous way, something that has traditionally been respected in governing the Finnish education system. Following Taubman (2009), it is possible to interpret the hopes and fears of student teachers in relation to a ’method’ as a relation to a ’subject supposed to know’. This refers to a transferential relationship (Lacan 2017) in which the subject projects onto the Other an expectation of uncovering the basis and meaning of his/her own actions. The Other, however, has no answer as to what the subject should do. Failure to meet such impossible demands may cause frustration in students which cannot be completely avoided, but must be worked through. In this presentation, I will describe becoming a teacher from a Lacanian perspective as an apprenticeship in failure. It is a deeply a personal process where a new rapport with one’s fantasies can be established. Apprenticeship entails a temporal relationship called ‘afterwardness’ (Nachträglichkeit, après coup), in which the subject constructs the truth of its fantasies in hindsight. This result can only be achieved by first failing to achieve the ideal one is after and only through such an error, coming to see one’s own embeddedness in fantasy and learning to act without guarantees.

Lacan, J. (1977). The Four Fundamental Concepts of Psycho-Analysis. Hogarth Press. Lacan, J. (2017). Transference The Seminar of Jacques Lacan, Book VIII. Polity. Taubman, P. M. (2009). Teaching by numbers: Deconstructing the discourse of standards and accountability in education. Routledge.

In this presentation, the author shares an exploration into her unconscious emotional world animated by a yearlong anti-racist project. The author frames the story of the antiracist project as difficult knowledge (Britzman, 1998) and uses the psychoanalytic concept of transference (Winnicott, 1949) to symbolize and engage in the process of working through (Freud, 1913) her emotional experience. The author organizes the story of the antiracist project as (1) the “furor to teach,” fantasy of the antiracist educator, (2) difficulty with students’ uneven progress, (3) an attachment to and idealization of certainty, and (4) a racial melancholia. She presents that what is difficult about anti-racist education as an emotional situation is that educators must welcome what they do not know in a field that privileges and fantasizes knowledge and knowing. The author contends how her idealization of teaching and learning which reflects phantasies in the field of education resulted in her inability to accept her students’ uncertain progress. As an educator of colour, she also shares that she must negotiate the loss of idealised objects for her to better serve containing function (Bion, 1962) in supporting teacher candidates’ encounters with rack work.

Bion, W. R. (1962) Learning from Experience (London, UK, Heineman). Britzman, D. P. (1998). Lost subjects, contested objects: Toward a psychoanalytic inquiry of learning. Albany, NY: State University of New York Press. Freud, S. (1913). On beginning the treatment. SE 12, 123-144. Winnicott, D. W. (1949). Hate in the counter-transference. Journal of Psychotherapy Practice and Research, 3, 348-356.