Learning from Differences
Towards Professionalism via an International Course
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.7577/njcie.2731Keywords:
professionalism, professional teacher, reflective professionals, teacher educationAbstract
This paper presents a case study of an intensive international course aimed at pre-service teachers and having a focus on inclusion. The course was funded by Nordplus. Twenty-three students from six Baltic and Nordic countries were interviewed during and after the course on their views on professionalism and their future work as teachers. The results show that the students’ understanding of professionalism was multifaceted, and they had gained several experiences of professionalism during the course. One of the main results of this study is, in our opinion, the co-operation and the opportunities the intensive course afforded the students in developing skills to work together with different people, to appreciate difference and to learn from others. In other words, to become more open-minded. This allows us to conclude that students can be trained to consider the importance and understanding of knowledge and its use for now and in the future. Thus, providing such short-term international opportunities is an important part of studying and becoming a teacher or social pedagogue for the globalized future.
Downloads
Metrics
References
Banks, C.A.M. (2010). Communities, families and educators working together for school improvement. In J.A. Banks & C.A.M. Banks (Eds.), Multicultural education: Issues and perspectives (7th ed) (pp. 417–438). New York: John Wiley and Sons.
Braun, V. & Clarke, V. (2006). Using thematic analysis in psychology. Qualitative Research in Psychology, 3(2), 77–101. https://doi.org/10.1191/1478088706qp063oa
Campbell, A. (2010). Developing generic skills and attributes of international students: The (ir)relevance of the Australian university experience. Journal of Higher Education Policy & Management, 32(5), 487–497. https://doi.org/10.1080/1360080X.2010.511121
Cohen, L., Manion, L., & Morrison, K. (2007). Research Methods in Education. London: Routledge Falmer. https://doi.org/10.4324/9780203029053
De Vita, G. (2007). Taking stock: An appraisal of the literature on internationalising HE learning. In E. Jones & S. Brown (Eds.), Internationalising Higher Education (pp. 155–167). London: Routledge.
EU Commission. (2017). Preparing teachers for diversity: The role of initial teacher education. Final report to DG Education, Youth, Sport and Culture of the European Commission. Brussels: Publication office of the European Union. Retrieved from: https://publications.europa.eu/s/cPNz
Hall, G. E., & Hord, S. M. (2011). Patterns, Principles and Potholes (3rd ed.). Boston: Pearson.
Hargreaves, A. (2000). Four ages of professionalism and professional learning. Teachers and Teaching, 6(2), 151–182. https://doi.org/10.1080/713698714
Hargreaves, A., & Fullan, M. (2012). Professional Capital. Transforming Teaching in Every School. London and New York: Routledge.
Hoyle, E. (2001). Teaching: Prestige, status and esteem. Educational Management Administration & Leadership 29(2), 139–152. https://doi.org/10.1177/0263211X010292001
Ifanti, A. A., & Fotopoulopou, V. S. (2011). Teachers’ perceptions of professionalism and professional development: A case study in Greece. World Journal of Education, 1(1), 40–51. https://doi.org/10.5430/wje.v1n1p40
Ingvarsdóttir, H. (2004). Mótun starfskenninga íslenskra framhaldsskólakennara [The formation of professional theories among Icelandic upper secondary school teachers]. Tímarit um menntarannsóknir 1, 39–47.
Jóhannesson, I. Á. (2006). Concepts of teacher knowledge as social strategies. Pedagogy, Culture & Society, 14(1), 19–34. https://doi.org/10.1080/14681360500487520
Kozleski, E.B., Gonzalez, T., Atkinson, L., Mruczek, C., & Lacy, L. (2013). Teacher education in practice: reconstructing practices and theories in the United States context. European Journal of Special Needs Education, 28(2), 156–172. https://doi.org/10.1080/08856257.2013.778114
Kvale, S., & Brinkmann, S. (2009). Interviews. Learning the craft of qualitative research interviewing (2nd ed.). Thousand Oaks, California: SAGE Publications, Inc.
Louis, S. K. (2010). Better schools through better knowledge. New understanding, new uncertainty. In A. Hargreaves, A. Lieberman, M. Fullan & D. Hopkins (Eds.), Second International Handbook of Educational Change (part 1) (pp. 3–28). London and New York: Springer. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-90-481-2660-6_1
Mockler, N. (2005). Trans/forming teachers: New professional learning and transformative teacher professionalism. Journal of In-service Education, 31(4), 733–746. https://doi.org/10.1080/13674580500200380
Nordplus Programme: http://www.nordplusonline.org
OECD. (2010). Educating teachers for diversity. Meeting the challenge. Retrieved from https://www.oecd.org/edu/ceri/educatingteachersfordiversitymeetingthechallenge.htm https://doi.org/10.1787/9789264079731-en
Parsons, L. R. (2010). The effects of an internationalized university experience on domestic students in the United States and Australia. Journal of Studies in International Education, 14(4), 313–334. https://doi.org/10.1177/1028315309331390
Ragnarsdóttir, H.,& Schmidt, C. (Eds.). (2014). Learning spaces for social justice. International perspectives on exemplary practices from preschool to secondary school. London: Institute of Education Press.
Rizvi, F. (2009). Towards cosmopolitan learning’. Discourse: Studies in the cultural politics of education, 30(3), 253–268. https://doi.org/10.1080/01596300903036863
Robson, S. (2011). Internationalization: A transformative agenda for higher education? Teachers and Teaching, 17(6), 619–630. https://doi.org/10.1080/13540602.2011.625116
Sachs, J. (2016). Teacher professionalism: Why are we still talking about it? Teachers and Teaching, 22, 413–425. https://doi.org/10.1080/13540602.2015.1082732
Sapon-Shevin, M. (2007). Widening the circle: The power of inclusive classrooms. Boston: Beacon Press.
Smyth, J., Dow, A., Hattam, R., Reid, A., & Shacklock, G. (2000). Teachers’ work in a globalizing economy. London: Falmer Press.
Tomlinson, S. (2005). Education in a post-welfare society. Berkshire: Open University Press.
Published
How to Cite
Issue
Section
License
Copyright (c) 2018 Katriina Maaranen, Virginija Bortkeviciene, Hermina Gunnthorsdottir, Karin Hjaelmeskog, Ilze Ivanova, Brit Steinsvik
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License.
Declaration on copyright
- The author/s will keep their copyright and right of reproduction of their own manuscript, with the work simultaneously licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution License, but give the journal a permanent right to 1) present the manuscript to the public in the original form in which it was digitally published and 2) to be registered and cited as the first publication of the manuscript.
- The author itself must manage its financial reproduction rights in relation to any third-parties.
- The journal does not provide any financial or other remuneration for contributions submitted.
- Readers of the journal may print the manuscripts presented under the same conditions that apply to reproduction of a physical copy. This means that mass reproduction of physical copies or production of copies for commercial purposes is not permitted without the agreement of the author/s.
