Rethinking Education

Press Release (September 19, 2011).

An International Seminar on Teacher Education in University of Jyväskylä, September 20, 2011: ”Practice architectures of teacher education”

How to educate good teachers? How to support teachers’ development throughout the teaching career? These questions are discussed in an international seminar on teacher education ”Practice Architectures of Teacher Education”, which will be held in University of Jyväskylä on Tuesday, September 20th 2011.

The seminar focuses on two themes, related to one another. Firstly, we will discuss whether it is possible to promote critical reflection in preservice teacher education. Secondly, we will critically consider what might happen when new teachers accustomed to thinking critically enter school staffrooms. The voices of preservice teachers and newly qualified teachers are a starting point for us.

The seminar promotes open discussion between teachers, student teachers, teacher educators and researchers of education. We anticipate an interesting, dynamic discussion - no PowerPoint avalanches! The discussion will be rather a talk show than a series of speeches. All the participants of the seminar are invited to take part in the discussion via SMS messages which are displayed on the screen.

A new approach to teacher education: the theory of practice architectures

The keynote lecture will be held by Professor Stephen Kemmis from Charles Sturt University, Wagga Wagga, AustraliaLately, he has worked with issues related to teacher education and continuing education for teachers within an emerging theoretical view on practice. Kemmis is also a Doctor Honora Causa in University of Jyväskylä. The key theme of his keynote lecture is the theory of practice architectures which gives us a comprehensive understanding of practices of teacher education, induction and continuing professional development of teachers.

- In teacher education we have to think how the educational practices are constituted today, says the keynote speaker of the seminar, Professor Stephen Kemmis. - People nowadays do things in a different way than in the past. They also speak of their doings differently. And their social relations are constituted in a different way. That all is what the theory of practice architectures is about, Kemmis says.

- These practice architectures give practices like education their meaning and comprehensibility, in terms of the ‘sayings’ and ‘thinkings’ that constitute a practice in its cultural-discursive dimension, in semantic space, and in the medium of language; their productiveness, in terms of the ‘doings’ that constitute a practice in its material-economic dimension, in physical space-time, and in the medium of work or activity, and their value in establishing connectedness and solidarity among the people involved in and affected by a practice of a particular kind, in terms of the ‘relatings’ that constitute a practice in its social-political dimension, in social space, and in the medium of power, clarifies Professor Stephen Kemmis.

A book on mentoring launched

A book on peer group mentoring will be launched, entitled "Gruppmentorskap som stöd för lärares professionella utveckling”, edited by Jessica Aspfors and Sven-Erik Hansén. Coffee and refreshments will be served during the launch.

Partners

The seminar will be organised in collaboration with the following partners:
JAMK University of Applied Sciences, Teacher Education College Jyväskylä
NQT-COME network
Osaava Verme network
Söderströms Förlaget
Teacher Student Union of Finland – SOOL
University of Jyväskylä: Finnish Institute for Educational Research, Department of Teacher Education and the Faculty of Education
University of Tampere: School of Education
Åbo Akademi University (Vasa Unit)