Developing Partnership through Third Space ActivityTheorising the Landscape

We find ourselves in a ‘perfect storm’ (Nobel-Rogers, 2012)

• Plotting a principled pedagogical path• Theorising a conceptual map• Using as a compass the concept of enabling

constraints (Davis and Sumara, 2006)• But first, the topography……

Pre-perfect storm challenges….

• ‘collaborative’ provision rather than the arguably ‘cooperative ‘provision (Edwards & Mutton, 2007).

• So how could we convert a ‘working with’ situation into a ‘working together’ one in which complexity is not flattened and teacher education not ‘reduced to technical rationalist tasks’ (Furlong et al., 2006, p.43)?

Boundaries can be defined as socio-cultural differences leading to discontinuity in action or interaction(Akkerman and Bakker, 2011)

• The argument goes that crossing into a third space by crossing a boundary compels people to reconsider their assumptions and look beyond what is known and familiar. In this way rigidity and routine can be avoided.

• Is all about using a range of perspectives to understand and improve a certain practice or set of practices

• 'boundary crossing' (Akkerman, 2011; Akkerman & Bakker, 2011; Engeström & Sannino, 2010; Tsui & Law, 2007)

• 'third space‘ ' (Martin et al., 2011; Zeichner, 2010b; Cuenca et al., 2011),

And then the ‘perfect storm’…….• Quality assurance regimes…..• The ‘erasure of diverse perspectives and

multi-vocality by the discursive uni-vocality of quality assurance regimes’ (Ellis, 2010, p.110).

• The ‘trials of transition’ (Field, 2012)• Issue of ‘first-order’ and ‘second-order’

teaching skills (Murray and Male,2005) • The ‘articulation of knowledge of practice’

Loughran and Berry (2005, p. 193) • See also, Boyd and Harris, 2010; Swennen et

al., 2008; White 2011;

Consortia University

Third Space

Others

Third Space

Others

University

Consortia Consortia

Consortia

Rescued by an oxymoron…..?

• The concept of enabling constraints (Davis and Sumara, 2006). Enabling constraints are interpreted in this context as ‘a set of limiting conditions that is intended to define the field of play in a collective engagement’ (Davis and Sumara, 2010, p. 859).

But……..• With the caveat that '…the crafting of

constraints that enable is among the most challenging tasks educators encounter. It is easy to leave things too open or to impose structures that are too limiting’ (Davis and Sumara, 2010, p.859).

Mutton et al. (2010) urge that, because of the complexity of learning to teach, we should concentrate our energies on the processes of students' professional learning and resist the temptation to retreat into tinkering with Programme structures that just offer bureaucratic solutions to complex learning issues.

Key issues in Teacher Education• In a key word search (article title) using this ‘mystery word’ and ‘education’

7,551options were given and when narrowed by adding ‘teacher’ there were 400 options- thus an all-consuming consideration

• August 2011 edition of ZDM devoted to just this concept!• Distinguishing knowledge from belief is a daunting undertaking. (Pajares,1992,

p. 309)• The images and beliefs that prospective teachers bring to their pre-service

preparation serve as filters for making sense of the knowledge and experiences they encounter. They may also function as barriers to change by limiting the ideas that teacher education students are able and willing to entertain (Feiman-Nemser, 2001, p.1016)

• What seems to be needed in teacher education is a flexible approach that will help candidates with different incoming beliefs understand the complexities involved in classroom (Hollingsworth, 1989, p.187)

• They can limit or liberate; act as a creative force or constrain.

Key issues in Teacher Education• In a key word search (article title) using this ‘mystery word’ and ‘education’

7,551options were given and when narrowed by adding ‘teacher’ there were 400 options- thus an all-consuming consideration

• August 2011 edition of ZDM devoted to just this concept!• Distinguishing knowledge from belief is a daunting undertaking. (Pajares,1992,

p. 309)• The images and beliefs that prospective teachers bring to their pre-service

preparation serve as filters for making sense of the knowledge and experiences they encounter. They may also function as barriers to change by limiting the ideas that teacher education students are able and willing to entertain (Feiman-Nemser, 2001, p.1016)

• What seems to be needed in teacher education is a flexible approach that will help candidates with different incoming beliefs understand the complexities involved in classroom (Hollingsworth, 1989, p.187)

• They can limit or liberate; act as a creative force or constrain.

• Parajes (1992) argues strongly that beliefs, because they are so deeply ingrained, are not changed by theory and counter arguments but by a ‘conversion or gestalt {sic} shift’ (p.311). The power of pre-existing beliefs is also confirmed by the in-house research conducted by Twiselton (Twiselton, 2000; Twiselton, 2004; Twiselton, 2006)

Assumption …….

Hunting

‘Assumption Hunting’ (Brookfield, 1995)

• Paradigmatic assumptions• Prescriptive assumptions• Causal assumptions

What sort of beliefs do your students and you have? How do we distinguish between knowledge and

belief?

The theory/practice….

TheoryPractice

The ‘E’ word….

• Clinical practice seriously will require teacher educators to add pedagogies of enactment to an existing repertoire of reflection and investigation. (Grossman et al., 2009, p.273)

Enactment

UnderstandingWith

Sustained

• Creating a vision of what is possible as the first step in the process of eventual enactment of a particular practice (Hammerness et al., 2005);

• Creating ‘multiple entry points’ (Gardner, 2006) so that we can open up many windows on the same example of practice, thereby avoiding a single-perspective approach that runs the risk of understanding a concept in the most limited and inflexible of fashions;

Multiple entry points (Gardner, 2006)

Multiple entry points (Gardner, 2006)

• Engendering, as part of the above, powerful experiences that assault both the senses and the mind – a sort of heady cocktail of the cognitive and the visceral to get that ‘Gestalt’ moment going;

• ‘Unpicking’ and reflecting on the experience(s) so that the meaning is not missed (Ellis, 2010)

• Keeping to a minimum the time lag between all of the above and opportunities for multiple acts of enactment.

• Listening to and challenging underlying assumptions that arise from the above by working with existing beliefs, rather that setting out to change them in an explicit, up-front manner (Wideen et al., 1998, p.144), which is akin to Brookfield’s concept of going ‘assumption hunting’ (Brookfield, 1995);

Lowest-common denominator or……

• Somehow dissenting voices and the jagged edges of contrasting opinions lead to collective products that are far more useful and more insightful than the lowest-common denominator solutions that seem to spark little disagreement (and, consequently, limited engagement). (Davis and Sumara, 2010, p. 859)

In essence this is about…..

• The skilful ‘co-ordination of diversity’ (Davis and Sumara, 2001) within a context of ‘working together’, rather than merely ‘working with’

• Over to Alison…….

• Akkerman, S.F. & Bakker, A. (2011) 'Learning at the boundary: An introduction', International Journal of Educational Research, 50 (1), pp.1-5. Boyd, P. & Harris, K. (2010)

• 'Becoming a university lecturer in teacher education: expert school teachers reconstructing their pedagogy and identity', Professional Development in Education, 36 (1-2), pp.9-24.

• Brookfield, S. (1995) Becoming a critically reflective teacher. 1st edn. San Francisco: Jossey-Bass.

• Cuenca, A., Schmeichel, M., Butler, B.M., Dinkelman, T. & Nichols Jr., J.R. (2011) 'Creating a “third space” in student teaching: Implications for the university supervisor’s status as outsider', Teaching and Teacher Education, 27 (7), pp.1068-1077.

• Darling-Hammond, L. (2006) Powerful teacher education: lessons from exemplary programs. San Francisco: Jossey-Bass.

• Davis, B. & Sumara, D. (2010) ''If things were simple . . .': complexity in education', Journal of Evaluation in Clinical Practice, 16 (4), pp.856-860.

• Davis, B. & Sumara, D. (2006) Complexity and Education. Mahwah, NJ: Lawrence Erlbaum Associates.

• Davis, B. & Sumara, D. (2001) 'Learning communities: Understanding the workplace as a complex system', New Directions for Adult and Continuing Education, 2001 (92), pp.85-96.

• Edwards, A. & Mutton, T. (2007) 'Looking forward: rethinking professional learning through partnership arrangements in Initial Teacher Education', Oxford Review of Education, 33 (4), pp.503-519.

• Ellis, V. (2010) 'Impoverishing experience: the problem of teacher education in England', Journal of Education for Teaching, 36 (1), pp.105-120.

• Ellis, V., Blake, A., McNicholl, J. & McNally, J. (2011) 'The Work of Teacher Education' Final Research Report. ESCalate - The Subject Centre for Education

• Engeström, Y. & Sannino, A. (2010) 'Studies of expansive learning: Foundations, findings and future challenges', Educational Research Review, 5 (1), pp.1-24.

• Feiman-Nemser, S. (2001) 'From Preparation to Practice: Designing a Continuum to Strengthen and Sustain Teaching', Teachers College Record, 103 (6), pp.1013-1055.

• Field, S. (2012) 'The trials of transition, and the impact upon the pedagogy of new teacher educators', Professional Development in Education, 38 (5), pp.811-826.

• Furlong, J., Barton, L., Miles, S., Whiting, C. & Whitty, G. (2006) 'Partnership in English initial teacher education: changing times, changing definitions. Evidence from the Teacher Training Agency's National Partnership Project', Scottish Educational Review, 37 pp.32-45.

• Gardner, H. (2006) Multiple Intelligences: New Horizons in Theory and Practice . 2nd edn. New York: Basic Books.

• Grossman, P., Hammerness, K. & McDonald, M. (2009) 'Redefining teaching, re-imagining teacher education', Teachers & Teaching, 15 (2), pp.273-289.

• Haggis, T. (2009) 'Beyond 'mutual constitution' : looking at learning context from the perspective of complexity theory ', in Edwards, R., et.al. Rethinking contexts for learning and teaching: communities, activities and networks, pp.44-60. London: Routledge.

• Hollingsworth, S. (1989) 'Prior Beliefs and Cognitive Change in Learning to Teach', American Educational Research Journal, 26 (2), pp.160-189.

• Kosnik, C.M. & Beck, C. (2009) Priorities in teacher education: the 7 key elements of pre-service preparation. London: Routledge.

• Loughran, J. (2010) What expert teachers do: enhancing professional knowledge for classroom practice. London ; New York: Routledge.

• Loughran, J. & Berry, A. (2005) 'Modelling by teacher educators', Teaching and Teacher Education, 21 (2), pp.193-203.

• Martin, S.D., Snow, J.L. & Franklin Torrez, C.A. (2011) 'Navigating the Terrain of Third Space: Tensions With/In Relationships in School-University Partnerships', Journal of Teacher Education, 62 (3), pp.299-311.

• Murray, J. & Male, T. (2005) 'Becoming a teacher educator: evidence from the field ', Teaching and Teacher Education, 21 (2), pp.125-142. Mutton, T., Burn, K. & Hagger, H. (2010) 'Making sense of learning to teach: learners in context', Research Papers in Education, 25 (1), pp.73-91.

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• Russell, T. & Loughran, J. (2007) Enacting a pedagogy of teacher education: values, relationships and practices. London: Routledge.

• Swennen, A., Lunenberg, M. & Korthagen, F. (2008) 'Preach what you teach! Teacher educators and congruent teaching', Teachers and Teaching, 14 (5-6), pp.531-542.

• Tsui, A.B.M. & Law, D.Y.K. (2007) 'Learning as boundary-crossing in school–university partnership', Teaching and Teacher Education, 23 (8), pp.1289-1301.

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