Collaboration Between Educational Institutions and the Practical Field in Teacher Education-Epistemological Perspectives in a Project Aiming to Enhance Relevance in Vocational Teacher Education Through the Development of Teacher Education Schools

Abstract

According to Norwegian and international research, many teacher education students find that their education is not sufficiently relevant for practising the teaching profession. In Norway, this has led to a political initiative, Teacher Education 2025, which focuses on developing special partnerships between teacher education institutions and schools, referred to as teacher education schools. The purpose of the partnerships is to strengthen quality and relevance so that teachers develop high-level professional competence. This article presents a project on the development of teacher education schools in vocational teacher education, where a crucial aspect is to analyse epistemological perspectives on teachers' development of professional competence and the collaboration between educational institutions and the practice field. The analysis suggests that challenges regarding relevance in teacher education are related to a one-sided rationalistic understanding of knowledge that influences the organisation and content of educational institutions, creating a division between practical and theoretical learning arenas and between professional work, learning and research. The analysis shows how pragmatic and critical perspectives can provide a more holistic understanding of teachers' professional competence and of teacher education. The article demonstrates how pragmatic and critical epistemological guiding principles and measures to develop teacher education schools can contribute to strengthening the connection between the content of the profession and the content of education. Key principles concern continuous, democratic collaboration between educational institutions and the practice field, where teacher education, school development and research are systematically rooted in professional teaching experience. The main conclusion is that strengthened professional relevance requires a holistic understanding of teacher competence and teacher education, which means that professional practice, learning, development of the school as a learning organisation, and research are integrated.