Page 139 - Štremfel, Urška, ed., 2016. Student (Under)achievement: Perspectives, Approaches, Challenges. Ljubljana: Pedagoški inštitut. Digital Library, Documenta 11.
P. 139
actions of students, and unearth the relations between teachers’inter- 139
nal processes and their actions.
In order to successfully implement the desired changes, it is necessary to
use the critical-reflective perception of the teaching occupation, where, ac-
cording to Valenčič Zuljan (ibid.), teachers’ professional development is a con-
tinuing process of development throughout all periods of their professional
career. The characteristics of this model are summarised in the following items
(ibid.):
a) A teacher actively shapes and directs his/her development
A teacher’s professional development is a process that originates from within
and is based on trust in the teacher.
b) A teacher is a professional with the ability to be critical
A teacher is an expert who is capable of critical thinking about his/her practical
activities and work context. Importance is placed on his/her professional au-
tonomy, which must be based on professional competence and ethics.
c) A teacher’s professional development means linking perception with
actions.
A teacher’s professional development thus connects his/her perception and
actions:
- Teacher’s conceptions: include recognising, accepting and internali-
sing higher orders of perception of learning and teaching, which take
place within a constructivist learning model. Higher perceptions stress
the importance of student activities in all phases of the teaching pro-
cess and entail an increased responsibility in a variety of various tea-
ching methods. A teacher develops alongside the student: students
have the chance to take initiative and responsibility for their learning,
while teachers professionally develop alongside them by reflecting
on, giving meaning to, and transforming their experiences (see Scar-
damalia and Bereiter, 1989; Kember, 1996). According to Korthagen
and Kessels (1999), being aware of the main aspects, connected with
our actions, is the key phase of reflection. Thus the teacher must firstly
become aware of his/her perceptions regarding learning and teaching
and can only afterwards alter his/her subjective conceptions.
- Teacher’s actions: Scardamalia and Bereiter (1989) point out that
accepting higher perceptions regarding teaching, and gaining sui-
table procedural knowledge and situational perception, give the te-
acher an ever-increasing flexibility in his/her decision-making and
actions, as well as the ability to solve problems at increasingly higher
levels.
contextualising teaching (in)effectiveness and student (under)achievement
nal processes and their actions.
In order to successfully implement the desired changes, it is necessary to
use the critical-reflective perception of the teaching occupation, where, ac-
cording to Valenčič Zuljan (ibid.), teachers’ professional development is a con-
tinuing process of development throughout all periods of their professional
career. The characteristics of this model are summarised in the following items
(ibid.):
a) A teacher actively shapes and directs his/her development
A teacher’s professional development is a process that originates from within
and is based on trust in the teacher.
b) A teacher is a professional with the ability to be critical
A teacher is an expert who is capable of critical thinking about his/her practical
activities and work context. Importance is placed on his/her professional au-
tonomy, which must be based on professional competence and ethics.
c) A teacher’s professional development means linking perception with
actions.
A teacher’s professional development thus connects his/her perception and
actions:
- Teacher’s conceptions: include recognising, accepting and internali-
sing higher orders of perception of learning and teaching, which take
place within a constructivist learning model. Higher perceptions stress
the importance of student activities in all phases of the teaching pro-
cess and entail an increased responsibility in a variety of various tea-
ching methods. A teacher develops alongside the student: students
have the chance to take initiative and responsibility for their learning,
while teachers professionally develop alongside them by reflecting
on, giving meaning to, and transforming their experiences (see Scar-
damalia and Bereiter, 1989; Kember, 1996). According to Korthagen
and Kessels (1999), being aware of the main aspects, connected with
our actions, is the key phase of reflection. Thus the teacher must firstly
become aware of his/her perceptions regarding learning and teaching
and can only afterwards alter his/her subjective conceptions.
- Teacher’s actions: Scardamalia and Bereiter (1989) point out that
accepting higher perceptions regarding teaching, and gaining sui-
table procedural knowledge and situational perception, give the te-
acher an ever-increasing flexibility in his/her decision-making and
actions, as well as the ability to solve problems at increasingly higher
levels.
contextualising teaching (in)effectiveness and student (under)achievement
