Starting points: student teachers' reasons for becoming teachers and their preconceptions of what this will mean

Abstract

This article focuses upon the developing professionalism and emergent thinking of 36 secondary trainee teachers, in terms of their motivation to teach, their early beliefs about teaching and the teaching-learning process and their views of themselves as trainee teachers. It analyses their perspectives on how they expect to learn to become teachers and how these perspectives match with their early experiences on their training courses. Discussion of these starting points of beginning teachers reveals some understanding of models of outstanding classroom practice, but equally a relatively unsophisticated analysis of the essential characteristics of this practice. The challenge for teacher educators is to frame courses in such a way that beginning teachers are provided with the contexts and the methodologies whereby they can reflect upon their own preconceptions and refine their own understandings as to how they themselves learn as teachers, to enable them to facilitate the learning of pupils and to fulfil their own clearly articulated aspirations to become quality teachers.Cet article se focalise sur les changements du professionnalisme et des idées de 36 professeurs stagiaires de secondaire. Il regarde pourquoi ils veulent enseigner, et leur croyance tô t au sujet de l'enseignement et de l'enseignement -apprentissage. Il considère également leurs propres vues d'eux-mêmes comme professeurs stagiaires. Il analyse comment ils comptent apprendre à devenir des professeurs, et comment ces espérances s'assortissent avec leurs premières expériences sur leurs cours de formation. La discussion des vues de ces professeurs stagiaires suggère qu'ils aient les modèles clairs de la pratique en matière exceptionnelle de salle de classe. Mais ils ont également une compréhension plutô t simple des vraies caractéristiques de cette pratique. Le défi pour des éducateurs de professeur doit concevoir les cours qui fournissent à des professeurs stagiaires les contextes et les méthodologies pour les aider à se refléter sur leurs propres préconceptions. En même temps, ils ont besoin d'aide pour clarifier leurs propres comprehensions quant à la façon dont ils apprennent comme professeurs. Ceci les aidera à soutenir les étudiants apprenant mieux, et à répondre à leurs propres aspirations claires pour devenir de très bons professeurs. 246 M. Younger et al.Dieser Artikel konzentriert sich auf die Ä nderungen im Professionalismus und in den Ideen von 36 Sekundärauszubildendlehrern. Er erwägt, warum sie unterrichten wollen, und ihre frü he Glauben ü ber den Unterricht und den Unterricht -Lernprozeß. Er ü berlegt auch ihre eigenen Ansichten von sich selbst als Auszubildendlehrer. Er analysiert, wie sie erwarten, Lehrer werden zu lernen und wie diese Erwartungen mit ihren frü hen Erfahrungen auf ihren Ausbildungskursen zusammenpassen. Diskussion ü ber die Ansichten dieser Auszubildendlehrer schlägt vor, daß sie klare Modelle der hervorragenden Klassenzimmerpraxis haben. Aber sie haben auch ein ziemlich einfaches Verständnis der wirklichen Eigensch...

Why choose teaching? An international review of empirical studies exploring student teachers’ career motivations and levels of commitment to teaching

“…Differences observed in studies from different cultural contexts and the high percentage of student teachers confirming the importance of their prior learning and teaching experiences on their career motivations (Younger et al, 2004;Watt & Richardson, 2007) should encourage researchers exploring student teacher motivations to go beyond models of planned decision making and to pay more attention to social, cultural and opportunity factors that may limit or enhance individual's career decisions. Interestingly, this argument in favour of considering wider opportunity structures when exploring (student)…”

“…The UK study reported that for as much as 40 per cent of their respondents, experiences of teaching children (either as a volunteer worker overseas or through work experiences gained at university) or adults (as TEFL teachers or in industry) had influenced them strongly when they decided to become teachers (Younger et al, 2004).…”

“…A qualitative UK study exploring the career motivations of 36 beginning secondary teacher trainees found that the vast majority of interviewees (over 80 per cent) were able to identify qualities they associated with inspirational teachers in themselves (Younger et al, 2004). Among the most commonly cited teacher qualities were their enthusiasm, strong interpersonal skills, energy, and ability to generate confidence in pupils.…”

“…Firstly, studies originating from the US (Brookhart & Freeman 1992, Lortie, 1975/2002, UK (Younger et al, 2004), Australia (Richardson & Watt, 2006;Watt & Richardson, 2007), Slovenia (Kyriacou & Kobori, 1998), Ireland (Heinz, 2013a) and Malaysia (Yaakub, 1990) suggest that student teachers generally have high levels of confidence in their teaching abilities which are mostly related to their subject knowledge and/or character traits they regard as suited to the teaching profession. A qualitative UK study exploring the career motivations of 36 beginning secondary teacher trainees found that the vast majority of interviewees (over 80 per cent) were able to identify qualities they associated with inspirational teachers in themselves (Younger et al, 2004).…”

“…Keeping in touch with one's favourite subject was already suggested as one of the most powerful reasons to choose teaching by Valentine in 1934. In a more recent UK study, 88 per cent of the trainees identified 'subject' as a major factor in their decision to follow a Postgraduate Certificate in Education (PGCE) course (Younger et al 2004). However, as Younger and colleagues point out, this apparently homogeneous response carries with it different constructions of subject and teaching with some respondents explaining that the opportunity to continue working within the subject area (the perceived intrinsic value of the subject itself) drew them to teaching, while others, in addition to their love for the subject, appreciated the opportunity to share their own enthusiasm for the subject with others (Younger, Brindley, Pedder & Hagger, 2004, p. 248).…”