The dilemma of dealing with persistent teaching traditions: findings of a video study

• Published in: Journal of education for teaching : JET Vol. 43; no. 2; pp. 191 - 205
• Main Authors: Wyss, Corinne, Kocher, Mirjam, Baer, Matthias
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Abingdon Routledge 15.03.2017; Taylor & Francis Ltd
• Subjects: Beginning Teachers; Classroom Communication; Classroom Observation Techniques; Coding; Comparative Analysis; Concept Teaching; Conventional Instruction; cross-national analysis; Data Collection; Educational Change; Educational Innovation; Educational Needs; Educational Practices; Educational Research; Elementary School Teachers; Experienced Teachers; Foreign Countries; Inventory; Knowledge Level; Learning; Lesson Plans; Location; Novices; Preservice Teacher Education; Preservice Teachers; Primary Education; quality of teaching; Social classes; Space; Student teaching; Teacher Characteristics; Teacher education; Teacher Education Programs; Teacher Effectiveness; Teacher Improvement; teacher professionalisation; Teachers; Teaching; Teaching Experience; Teaching Skills; Video Technology; Video-based research; Switzerland; Austria; Germany
• ISSN: 0260-7476; 1360-0540
• DOI: 10.1080/02607476.2017.1286782

Nowadays, there is a consensus that good teaching and learning needs instructional variation and personalised forms of learning. In teacher education, these concepts have been implemented for years, and prospective teachers are taught accordingly; it is thus assumed that the teaching of novice teachers is in accordance with these new teaching concepts. In the research project 'ALPHA', the teaching of novice teachers at the beginning and at the end of their first year in the profession and the teaching of experienced teachers with five or more years of teaching experience was videotaped, so that longitudinal and cross-sectional comparisons were possible. The lessons were analysed by applying a coding system on the instruction and by employing a rater inventory in order to understand the structure and quality of the lessons. Overall, the results indicate high levels of whole class teaching with a rather high level of traditional classroom instruction both for the novice and the experienced teachers. However, the proportions vary depending on the location of teacher education. The results provide evidence that the new teaching concepts learned on the teacher education programme are not necessarily implemented in the classroom and provide possible reasons why this might be the case.