Practical Theories, Practical Paradigms, and Teacher Education

Student teachers, beginning teachers, and experienced teachers bring with them to the classroom a set of practical theories acquired from many experiences and influences. Because of their nature, practical theories are hard to change. Sets of more permanent practical theories can be considered pract...

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Bibliographic Details
Main Author Feldman, Allan
Format Report
LanguageEnglish
Published 01.04.1992
Subjects
Beginning Teachers
Educational Environment
Educational Theories
Grading
High Schools
Higher Education
Paradigm Shifts
Practical Reasoning
Resistance to Change
Teacher Attitudes
Teacher Education
Teacher Interns
Teaching Methods
Theory Practice Relationship
Values
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Summary:Student teachers, beginning teachers, and experienced teachers bring with them to the classroom a set of practical theories acquired from many experiences and influences. Because of their nature, practical theories are hard to change. Sets of more permanent practical theories can be considered practical paradigms; they are shared by the school community and are not easily relinquished by teachers. When using a practical paradigm, practitioners selectively identify those aspects of the context which allow them to use that practical paradigm even though it may be inappropriate and should either be modified significantly or discarded completely. This paper examines cases in which two high school teachers applied a practical paradigm (fixed grading policy) in situations for which it was inappropriate. The existence of the paradigm caused these teachers to be extremely selective in their observations of the particular situations and in their analysis of the problems they encountered. In the first case, a teacher intern regarded the practical paradigm as immutable; in the second case, a novice teacher applied the paradigm but had begun to question it. To effect a paradigm shift, teachers need to reflect on and evaluate both the situation and their own values and beliefs. Both preservice and inservice teacher education should include a component that would prepare teachers to do this reflection. (IAH)