Becoming a Secondary Teacher in Germany: A trainee perspective on recent developments in initial teacher training in Germany

Increasing job mobility amongst secondary teachers within Europe, as well as the relentless pursuit of quality, prompted me into studying the training of graduates in Germany. It is the aim of this study to draw conclusions in relation to Initial Teacher Training programmes in England through the critical analysis of the German system in the federal state of Baden-Württemberg. It focuses on the following aspects: the statutory framework, preparation for teaching, assessment of trainee competence and support available to trainee teacher (mentor, tutor). This study raises issues, which do not exclusively relate to the German situation, but are equally relevant within an English context. The points considered are: the role of the mentor, assessment of trainee competence and the ratio of theory and practice as elements of the course content. La mobilité croissante des enseignants du secondaire au sein de l'Europe ainsi que la recherche incessante de qualité, m'ont poussée à étudier la formation professionnelle en Allemagne. Le but de cette étude est de tirer des conclusions sur la formation professionnelle des enseignants du secondaire en Angleterre à travers une analyse critique du système dans l'état fédéral de Baden-Württemberg. Cette étude se concentrera sur les points suivants: la structure officielle, la préparation à l'enseignement, l'évaluation des compétences pédagogiques et le support disponible aux professeurs en formation. Cette étude met à jour des problèmes qui existent aussi bien en Allemagne qu'en Angleterre. Les aspects considérés sont: le support du mentor, l'évaluation de l'aptitude des stagiaires et le temps attribué à la théorie et à la pratique pendant la formation. La creciente movilidad de profesores de secundaria en Europa asícomo la incansable búsqueda de calidad me sugirió un estudio sobre la formación pedagógica en Alemania. Es la intención de este estudio el evaluar la formación pedagógica en Inglaterra a través de un análisis crítico del sistema alemán en el estado federal de Baden Württenberg. El estudio se centra en las siguientes áreas claves: el sistema de estatutos, la preparación para la enseñanza, la evaluación de la competencia del profesor aprendiz y el apoyo del mentor/tutor. El estudio discute temas que no se refieren exclusivamente a la situación alemana pero que son igualmente relevantes dentro de un contexto inglés. Los puntos considerados son: la función del mentor, la evaluación de la competencia del aprendiz, y la relación entre la teoría y la práctica como elementos del contenido del curso. Die zunehmende Mobilität der LehrerInnen auf dem europäischen Arbeitsmarkt sowie ein ständiges Streben nach Qualitätsverbesserung haben mich zu einer Studie über das Lehrpraktikum an weiterführenden Schulen in Deutschland veranlaßt. Das Ziel dieser Studie besteht darin, durch kritische Analyse des Systems in Baden-Württemberg, Schlußfolgerungen über das Ausbildungsprogramm in England zu ziehen. Die folgenden Schwerpunkte sind dabei berücksichtigt worden: Gesetzliche Rahmenbedingungen, Vorbereitung auf die Lehrtätigkeit, Beurteilung der LehrpraktikantInnen, Unterstützung durch MentorInnen und Lehrbeauftragte. Diese Studie rückt folgende Diskussionspunkte in den Vordergrund, die sich nicht ausschließlich auf die Situation in Deutschland beziehen, sondern in gleichem Maße auf England zutreffen: die Mentorenrolle, die Beurteilung der Lehrfähigkeit und das Verhältnis von Theorie und Praxis im Ausbildungsprogramm.     

Teacher behaviour and student outcomes: Suggestions for research on teacher training and professional development

The study reported here examines whether teaching skills included in the dynamic model of educational effectiveness can be grouped into types of teacher behaviour and whether these types are related with different student outcome measures. The data stem from a study which was conducted in order to test the validity of the dynamic model. Results reveal that teaching skills can be grouped into five types of teacher behaviour which are discerned in a distinctive way and move gradually from skills associated with direct teaching to more advanced skills concerned with new teaching approaches and differentiation of teaching. Teachers exercising more advanced types of behaviour have better student outcomes. Suggestions for research on teacher education and professional development are drawn.     

德意志联邦共和国教师培训的经验及其对越南教师培训改革的启示

为了满足普通教育计划改革的要求,需要改革教师培训计划。旨在建设和发展一支数量足够、结构合理、高素质、高水平的教师队伍,提高各师范大学教师培训工作的质量与效果。本文主要就处于世界领先水平的德意志联邦共和国教师培训工作进行介绍,力图找出越南可借鉴的经验,提出了越南教师培训改革的若干建议。     

Teacher Training in the Federal Republic of Germany

Teacher training in West Germany is on the verge of fundamental change. As the schools—traditionally tripartite on the secondary level-begin to become integrated into comprehensive institutions (similar to the American model), the hitherto different training systems for elementary and secondary teachers face reform patterns aimed at equalizing the length and standards of training. In addition, the planners call for programs that prepare teachers for continuous reforms of the curriculum and of instructional media. Much emphasis is given to scientific studies of didactics-i.e., to the adaptation of fields of knowledge to modes of teaching and learning.     

Research-based and hands-on practical teacher education: an attempt to combine the two

This article, based on the analysis of responses given by 27 students in initial teacher education, gives an account of how education theory can be conceived by students as relevant to their teaching practice. Research on teacher education in many countries has revealed that students regard theory and practice to be inconsistent or to belong to different worlds in initial teacher education. This may have a potentially negative effect on the teachers’ opportunities for future professional development, as such development should be based on the ability to view one’s own teaching practice from a critical, theory- and research-based perspective. In the research and development project reported in this article, the PIL-project, the students’ teaching practice was chosen as the pivotal point for all the other activities involved in the teacher education programme. Results indicate that when questions emerge from the students’ own experience, theory is often found useful in discussing and understanding their practical experiences. The results further show that the students’ choice of theory when discussing their teaching practice is eclectic. Students tend to choose theory with direct relevance to their daily tasks in the classrooms. The implication for initial teacher education is that the educational theory taught should more often address the immediate challenges faced by the students doing their teaching practice.     

德国职业教育师资培养课程研究及借鉴

德国职业教育是德国经济腾飞的武器,德国职教师资则是职业教育质量的保证.德国职教师资培养往往被认为是最为严格的培养,其课程设置亦具有特色.德国职业学校师资培养课程一般分三个阶段进行设置,不同阶段课程设置的内容与形式都有所区别,课程设置中所体现的"标准先行"的课程改革理念、"教师职业能力导向"的课程目标以及"无缝衔接"的课程内容都对我国职教师资培养有一定的借鉴意义.     

教师进修学校培训观念的转变和更新

国运兴衰,系于教育;教育成败,系于教师;教师素质高低,系于教师教育。教师进修学校在实施中小学教师继续教育,提高中小学教师专业化水平的工作中肩负着重要的历史使命,承担着义不容辞的神圣责任。多年以来,教师进修学校为中小学教师的培训工作做出了重要贡献。但由于学校的师资长期以来主要从事学历教育,对非学历的教师继续教育工作显得难以适应。主要表现在:培训思想、培训观念相对滞后;对中小学实施素质教育和课程改革的实际缺乏深入了解;对中小学教师教育的特点、规律缺乏认真研究;部分教师知识结构单一,指导中小学进行教育教学研究和教学改革的能力、经验不足等。这几年的继续教育虽然投入了大量的人力、财力,质量总的来说不尽如人意。     

“三位一体”培训模式在新教师入职培训中的实践研究

加强对幼儿园新教师入职培训是打造一支可持续发展的专业幼儿教师队伍的基础。但当前幼儿园新教师培训存在培训对象层次不一、培训内容针对性弱、培训形式单一、培训考核流于形式等问题。"三位一体"培训模式可以从培训机构全面统筹规划培训,教研室协调配合培训,幼儿园跟进落实培训等层面解决问题,使新教师在专业理念与师德、专业知识、专业能力诸方面都能有所提高,真正促进新教师的专业成长。     

行动研究对教师培训模式创新的启示

行动研究产生于社会心理学研究领域,在教育领域逐渐发展成为一种重要的教育研究方法.本文通过对教师培训模式的分析,指出把行动研究引入教师培训领域,对于创新教师培训模式、提高教师培训质量,具有重要意义.     

Feminist pedagogy in the research class: an example of teacher research

This article illustrates the development of a feminist pedagogy in a graduate-level course on research design and qualitative analysis. The course, entitled ‘Teaching as Research’, was conceptualised for classroom teachers, supervisors and administrators. Stories in this narrative analysis describe the changes across four sequential courses relative to course goals: short-term instructional, political, epistemological, and personal or transformational. Though feminist pedagogies are situated and not generalisable, the author hopes these stories will help illuminate and encourage others.     

Some Key Issues in Intercultural Bilingual Education Teacher Training Programmes--as seen from a teacher training programme in the Peruvian Amazon Basin

This article presents a critical reflection of the author's 14 years of experience in the Teacher Training Programme for Intercultural Bilingual Education in the Amazon Basin, developed by the indigenous confederation AIDESEP and the Loreto state teacher training college in Peru. The first part of the article offers an overall view of the particular approach towards intercultural bilingual education adopted by the AIDESEP/ISPL Programme and presents a critical outlook on some of the conceptual challenges the Programme has faced during its development and their relation with ongoing theoretical debates and with the demands of the indigenous movement. The second part of the article is centred on a discussion of the ethical, political and pedagogical challenges that intercultural education raises regarding curriculum decision-making and practice. The author bases her reflection on an analysis of the way in which the Peruvian Ministry of Education and different intercultural bilingual teacher training programmes have dealt with this issue during the last two decades.     

Integration in the Federal Republic of Germany: experiences related to professional identity and strategies of teacher training in Berlin

School organisation is changing in respect of social integration since school models of integrating handicapped pupils were introduced from 1975. Three basic models are being implemented; differentiating instructional objects; peripatetic teacher system and cooperative schools. The concepts of professionalisation in pre‐ and inservice teacher training focus upon the teachers as key‐persons of the social environment as well as of the learning process; this results in the change of the professional identity of teachers.     

Embers to bonfires: an analysis of early childhood teacher training in Zambia

This study examined a five-year project initiated by the Women’s Global Connection (WGC) to train pre-primary teachers in schools serving HIV/AIDS orphans in Zambia. The researchers evaluated the contextual factors of the training initiative to clarify why some teachers possess high self-efficacy, while others do not. The article analyses the self-report survey responses of all training participants and also describes compelling interview narratives obtained from a random sampling of extreme groups. When stories from the groups were compared, factors emerged that had enabled some participants to feel more successful than others. The researchers selected the Success Case Method (SCM) as a research process for its straightforward determination of the impact of organisational initiatives on the organisation’s project goals. The results may guide international teacher training for developing countries.     

借鉴德国职教师资建设经验 提出我国高职师资培养新策略

德国职业教育在世界上处于领先地位,对德国经济和社会发展起了重要作用,其职教师资培养的任职资格、培训体系、兼职教师队伍建设成功经验值得我国高职师资培养借鉴。     

德国校园危机管理课程对我国高校相关教师培训的启示

德国校园危机管理课程始于2002年,用卡片形式提出了18种校园中最常见的危机情景,并提供了一整套的处理流程。课程中提出"FNV"模式、"涉及者和支持体系范围圈"和"危机事件后的压力症状"等概念,对促进我国高校危机管理相关教师培训具有重要的实践和现实意义。     

Responding to the challenge of providing stronger research base for teacher education: research discourses in the Norwegian national research school for teacher education

Background and purpose: The purpose of this article is to shed light on how the research projects of 140 PhD candidates in the National Research School for Teacher Education in Norway (NAFOL) respond to the challenges faced by Norwegian teacher education regarding the demand for higher competence and a stronger research base. The concept of NAFOL is of interest from an international perspective because of its focus on facilitating teacher educators to achieve a PhD. Since 2001, Norwegian educational policy has had a strong focus on strengthening teacher education and making it more research-based than before. From 2017, all new teachers in Norway are expected to take a master’s degree. In order to accomplish this, there is a need for many new supervisors with a PhD in teacher education institutions. NAFOL is a unique project: a consortium of 23 participating network institutions within teacher education. The research school includes 140 research fellows, all of whom wish to achieve a PhD suitable for work in teacher education. The research school is funded by the Norwegian Research Council, originally for a project period from 2010 to 2016. The research school has had a positive external midway evaluation, and the project period has been extended with four cohorts of students to the end of 2021. However, this study is the first one looking into the research projects of this young generation of teacher education researchers. The research question posed in this article is: how do the research projects of the NAFOL PhD candidates contribute to the research base in teacher education? Main argument: The main argument in this article is that the potential impact of this research school is dependent on the quality of the large number of PhD projects connected to teacher education and education in general developed within the research school. The quality is likely to be good because, among other reasons, these projects are scrutinised by the research school community. The challenges these research projects face, located as they are between solidarity regarding grants from the funds financing the PhD candidates, solidarity with the aims of education, and the wish to contribute to innovation, might prove to be able to be met. These research projects have the potential to create innovation in teacher education research through ‘border crossing’ between different educational discourses, as well as through creating new knowledge in meta-studies based on the results from several projects. Sources of evidence and method: In this article, project abstracts from 140 PhD candidates participating in NAFOL are analysed in terms of their theme and problem formulation. The analysis is inspired by discourse analytical thinking – namely that in a certain situation, several conditions for action exist. In this study, these conditions for action are made apparent in the choice of theme and problem formulation in the research projects. The content analysis is focused on ‘signal words’, because these words might signal positioning in different educational discourses. Results: In the study, three main discourses can be seen as influencing the choice of topic and the problem formulation in the projects: a goal-oriented educational discourse, a ‘Bildung’ (i.e. character formation, or personal growth – ‘danning’ in Norwegian) and democracy discourse, and a critical knowledge-producing discourse. These discourses are constituted when the PhD candidates start their research projects but the conditions for action are ever-changing and, hence, the findings in this study cannot, of course, be considered as ‘final’. The development of these discourses within the research community of NAFOL is one way of scrutinising the research projects in order to make a contribution to qualified teacher education research. Conclusion: ‘Border crossing’ between discourses in research projects concerned with what might be, and what can make a difference in a knowledge society could be a key way of enhancing the future for a young generation of researchers in teacher education. The research projects carried out by the PhD candidates in NAFOL have the potential to develop both new knowledge and new discourses of importance for Norwegian teacher education, as well as for a broader international context regarding professional development in teacher education and education in general. The view of the teacher education profession – and on what a teacher educator can be – could become more fully informed than before the candidates’ participation in the research school.     

北京市特殊教育师资培训现状调查

本文采用问卷法对北京市特殊教育学校师资培训现状进行调查。结果显示:北京市特殊教育师资数量、质量和结构都明显好于全国平均水平,但也存在教师专业素养低、职前教育课程设置不合理、在职培训缺乏针对性等问题。最后,提出了进一步完善师资培养体系的三点建议:改革高校课程设置;建立完善的教师招聘制度和岗前培训制度;建立系统、专业的在职培训制度。