Nico Verloop

Teacher knowledge and the knowledge base of teaching

Abstract In this chapter, the knowledge base of teaching is conceived as all profession-related insights, which are potentially relevant to a teachers activities. From this perspective, it is argued that teacher knowledge, or teacher practical knowledge, should be included within this knowledge base, along with formal propositional knowledge. Although teacher knowledge is strongly related to individual experiences and contexts, there are elements of teacher knowledge that are shared by all teachers or large groups of teachers, for instance, all teachers who teach pupils of a certain age level. Investigating teacher knowledge to identify these common elements so as to do justice to its complex and specific nature can be problematic from a methodological point of view. To illustrate the potential benefits and limitations of research on teacher knowledge, the results from several studies are presented. A major conclusion from these studies is that an understanding of teacher knowledge may be useful to improve teacher education and to make educational innovations more successful. Finally, three areas of interest for future research are identified.

Exploring language teachers’ practical knowledge about teaching reading comprehension

Abstract The focus of this study was language teachers’ practical knowledge with respect to the teaching of reading comprehension to 16 to 18-year-old students. Based on the assumption that teachers are professionals, an attempt was made to define their shared knowledge. However, the results revealed such a wide diversity in teachers’ practical knowledge that, instead of defining the shared knowledge, a typology of practical knowledge had to be developed. Three types of practical knowledge (with respect to the teaching of reading comprehension) were found that focus on (a) subject matter knowledge, (b) student knowledge, and (c) knowledge of student learning and understanding. In this article these types are described and illustrated. Suggestions are made about the extent to which practical knowledge needs to be shared by teachers and about how it can contribute to the better preparation of beginning teachers.

A closer look at teachers’ individual learning in collaborative settings

A considerable amount of current research on teaching and teacher education focuses on teacher collaboration. Teacher collaboration is presumed to be a powerful learning environment for teachers’ professional development. However, empirical research about how teachers actually learn in collaborative settings is lacking. In this study, learning activities were explored in relation to reported changes in cognition and/or behaviour of six teachers that participated in collaborative groups. These six teachers were interviewed after group meetings and also asked to report learning experiences in a digital logbook six times during a period of one year. Qualitative analyses of both data sources resulted in seven configurations of (successions of) learning activities and reported changes in cognition and/or behaviour. A closer look at these configurations showed that (successions of) learning activities in collaborative settings resulted mostly in reported changes in cognition. These reported changes in cognition often concerned confirmation of own ideas or teaching methods. The high number of confirmations of own ideas or teaching methods may be explained by the reform context in which these teachers work. Teachers who are experimenting with new teaching methods can feel insecure about these newly acquired methods and, therefore, seek confirmation from their colleagues.

Teacher learning and collaboration in innovative teams

In this study the relationship between teacher learning and collaboration in innovative teams was explored. A comparative case study was conducted in five temporary teams in secondary schools. Several quantitative and qualitative data collection methods were used to examine collaboration, teacher learning, and the context for learning and collaboration. In cross‐site analysis two complementary patterns of teacher learning and collaboration were identified. Collaboration in all teams could be characterized as ‘sharing’. However, sharing was further specified with regard to differences in the content and aims of sharing. Different types of sharing were related to teacher learning. The results give cause to rethink the nature of interdependence in collaboration, and the nature of the relationship between collaboration and learning. A practical result may be that collaboration in innovative, temporary, and voluntary teams could be a promising direction for teacher professional development.

Development of Experienced Science Teachers’ Pedagogical Content Knowledge of Models of the Solar System and the Universe

This paper investigates the developing pedagogical content knowledge (PCK) of nine experienced science teachers in their first few years of teaching a new science syllabus in the Dutch secondary education system. We aimed to identify the content and structure of the PCK for a specific topic in the new syllabus, ‘Models of the Solar System and the Universe’, describing the PCK development in terms of relations between four different aspects: knowledge about instructional strategies; knowledge about students’ understanding; knowledge about assessment of students; and knowledge about goals and objectives of the topic in the curriculum. Semi‐structured interviews were conducted in three subsequent academic years. From the analysis of the data, two qualitatively different types of PCK emerged. Type A can be described as oriented towards model content, while Type B can be typified as oriented towards model content, model production, and thinking about the nature of models. The results also indicate that these two types of PCK developed in qualitatively different ways.

The Role of the Cooperating Teacher: Bridging the Gap between the Expectations of Cooperating Teachers and Student Teachers.

This study focuses on similarities and differences in expectations of cooperating teachers and student teachers in the initial stage of the mentor relationship in the context of an Israeli practicum program for pre‐service student teachers. These expectations, particularly when they conflict, can serve as major obstacles to the formation of contexts for learning. A focus group technique was used to bring the expectations of the participants concerning the role of the cooperating teacher to awareness and articulation. The theoretical framework of Calderhead and Shorrock (1987) was used to analyze the participants’ expectations into categories of educational orientations. Expectations of a practical and technical nature were found to be prevalent among members of both groups, whereas the student teacher group held more expectations for a personal relationship than the cooperating teacher group. Suggestions are given for bridging the gap in expectations between cooperating teachers and student teachers in the initial stage of the practicum program.

HOW CAN STUDENT TEACHERS ELICIT EXPERIENCED TEACHERS' PRACTICAL KNOWLEDGE? TOOLS, SUGGESTIONS, AND SIGNIFICANCE

In this article, two tools are described that student teachers can use to elicit their experienced mentor teachers’ practical knowledge: stimulated recall and concept mapping. The additional value of systematically examining experienced teachers’ practical knowledge by student teachers is that it, among other things, gives sight to the thoughts behind teachers’observable teaching. In addition, it provides opportunities to relate these underlying thoughts to theoretical and more abstract notions student teachers are confronted with in teacher education, and therefore it can lead to a more thorough understanding of other teachers’teaching and of their own (developing) practical knowledge. Suggestions are made as to how student teachers can use the tools in sessions with their mentor teachers.

The conceptions of chemistry teachers about teaching and learning in the context of a curriculum innovation

In this paper, we report on a study of the beliefs of chemistry teachers about the teaching and learning of chemistry in upper secondary education in The Netherlands. This study was conducted in the context of the planning of a national revision of the chemistry curriculum towards a context‐based approach. Chemistry teachers’ beliefs were investigated using a questionnaire that focused on both content‐related ideas about the chemistry curriculum and general educational beliefs. The questionnaire was administered to a sample of Dutch chemistry teachers (n = 966), with a response of 348 (36%). On the basis of factor analysis, two distinct and independent belief structures were found: (1) a belief that combines the curriculum emphasis Fundamental Chemistry with a subject‐matter‐oriented educational belief, and (2) a belief that combines the curriculum emphasis Chemistry, Technology and Society with a learner‐centred educational belief. In a cluster analysis, it was found that most teachers (about three‐quarters of the respondents) combined elements of the two belief structures. However, two relatively small subgroups were identified whose beliefs could be described in terms of one of these two belief structures. Implications for the innovation of the chemistry curriculum are discussed.

Explicating Practical Knowledge: An Extension of Mentor Teachers' Roles.

SUMMARY This article provides an overview of various models and interpretations of mentoring and focuses on a somewhat neglected aspect of mentoring: the explication of mentor teachers’ practical knowledge as a contribution to student teachers’ learning to teach. From that perspective, research on mentoring is related to research on teachers’ knowledge. The central questions addressed in this article are: (a) What role can the explication of practical knowledge by mentor teachers play in helping student teachers learn to teach?, and (b) How can practical knowledge be made explicit during mentoring? Although the difficulties involved in eliciting mentor teachers’ practical knowledge are recognised, several opportunities for realising this goal are described. Finally, some preconditions for the exploration of mentor teachers’ practical knowledge by student teachers and suggestions for further research are discussed.

Student teachers eliciting mentors’ practical knowledge and comparing it to their own beliefs

Abstract Student teachers have at their disposal various information sources concerning teaching: their own beliefs, their mentors’ practical knowledge, and ‘theory’. Because practical knowledge often remains implicit, the aim of the present study was to explore the appropriateness of two techniques for its articulation: concept mapping and completing sentences. The criterion used was that these should not only elicit descriptions of how to teach, but also the cognitions underlying teaching, i.e., practical knowledge. Thirty-five student teachers and their mentors at a postgraduate teacher-training institute in the Netherlands used both techniques, concerning the subject of ‘order’. Subsequently, the students summarized their own beliefs, their mentors’ practical knowledge, and theory and compared these to each other. The student teachers’ reports showed that they, in general, had been able to elicit partially their mentors’ practical knowledge. It was concluded that the use of the techniques involved seemed valuable for student teachers’ learning processes.