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Tātai Aho Rau : Pushing the boundaries of educational possibility
Professional learning for in-service teacher education
The studies investigated the notion of reflective practice as a method for in-service teacher educators, and considered the contextual responsiveness in the mentoring of such reflective practice. The goals of the project were to:
- Explore and develop effective approaches for the professional learning of teacher educators.
- Strengthen and promote evidence-based teacher education practice.
- Support professional leadership and ongoing improvement within the teacher education sector.
The project involved groups of teacher educators who employed collaborative action research and self study modes of professional learning in order to investigate and improve some aspect of their professional practice. The participating teacher educators contributed to the comparative study through ongoing workshops and interviews, where they critically reflected on similarities and differences between their professional practice and on their experiences of self-study as effective professional learning. The project also focused on mentors using learning conversations that incorporated a range of mentoring tools to evaluate useful reflective practice with in-service teacher educators.
The findings indicate that professional learning is most effective when underpinned by self-enquiry and research that resolves practitioners’ own questions and dilemmas about their practice. A consideration of the ways in which various facilitation tools foster critical practice found that the tools provided:
- A common language and shared discourse for critical discussions of practice, which helped to create a clearer understanding of both the content and process of professional learning.
- Practical mechanisms for data gathering and analytical frameworks by which practitioners could clarify their own dilemmas of practice and resolve them through a critically reflective investigation.
- Frameworks for understanding professional learning that allowed mentors to move the relationship towards greater autonomy and empowerment for the professional learner.
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