Tímarit um menntarannsóknir - 01.01.2008, Page 103

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Tímarit um menntarannsóknir, 5. árgangur 2008
modern times.
About half a century ago the concept
of “competence“ was dominant in the
discourse about aims in education, referring
to explicit objectives, separate skills and
measurable performance. The concept of
teacher competence was commonly used for
listing practical skills of the “good teacher“.
Training for the job was the central issue in
Iceland as in many other countries (Ingólfur
Á. Jóhannesson, 1992; Wolfgang Edelstein,
1988). In the eighties the competence concept
gave way to a more holistic view of the
work of teachers. However, the emphasis on
teacher competence in this narrow meaning
has regularly turned up in discussions about
the aims of teacher education, and it has been
criticized for reducing the teacher role to
that of a “technician“ (Korthagen, 2004; van
Huizen, 2005).
In the late 1980’s the concept of
professionalism became dominant in research
and discourse about teacher education.
Teachers’ thinking and ethical standards
became the main issues in the literature about
teacher education (Lauvås & Handal, 2000;
Schön, 1983), as well as the development of
teachers’ professional identities or “practice
theories“. Supervision in connection with
practice teaching, with emphasis on the teacher
students’ reflections about own methods and
ethical standards, was considered to be a
preferable teaching method, aiming at deeper
understanding of the work (Handal & Lauvås,
1983).
In recent decades the concept of competence
has again become central in educational
discussions and the definition has become
broader and connected to the concept of
learning (Sommer, 1996). The concept has
been used about the potential for actions and
for defining “learning outcomes“, referring to
broad definitions of learning, i.e. changes in
social competence and life skills as well as in
cognitive and physical competence. According
to the new definitions the concept adds
something new to the concepts of knowledge
and skills. Learning – defined as competence
development – means changed possibilities to
act: it means being able to use knowledge and
skills to do things according to the demands
of the situation (Schultz Jørgensen, 1999).
Furthermore, competence has motivational
effects which knowledge and skills do not
in themselves have (Bandura, 1997). With
reference to Vygotsky’s concepts, learning
involves both internalizing and externalizing
knowledge (1978). The competence
concept is now connected to the concept
of professionalism. Many scholars emphasize
the importance of mastering competence in
pedagogical thinking, as well as being able to
apply their own knowledge and skills at work.
In recent years sociocultural theories have
been dominant in the literature on teacher
education. The importance of involving the
interaction between the individual and the
world in defining and researching teachers’
professional competence has been highlighted
by many scholars, with references to
Vygotsky’s theory. Theories about situated
learning and “communities of practice“ are
central in the literature. To some extent, the
mentors’ role and understanding of learning
processes seem to harmonize with the theories
of situated learning; learning to teach is seen
as a process of learning to be, see and respond
in increasingly informed ways while working
in classrooms (Edwards & Protheroe, 2004;
Lave & Wenger, 1991). Teacher education is
inevitably influenced by the characteristics of
modern societies. Teacher students must, for
instance, be prepared for coping with social
fragmentation and cultural diversity in all
forms (Edwards, Gilroy, & Hartley, 2002).
Collective learning methods and “communities
of practice“ are seen as the foundation for
learning (Lave & Wenger, 1991).
In my definition of the concept “teacher
competence“ I involve the aspect of personal
qualities - or personal competence (Ragnhildur
Bjarnadóttir, 2004, 2008a). My definitions
are in line with many Nordic researchers,
who have argued that teacher competence
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