Engaging with theoretical diffraction in teacher education

ABSTRACT

This article presents a study in which we began with a question ‘how to teach theoretical reflectivity in teacher education’, and ended with a sentence ‘there is theoretical diffraction in teacher education’. The research presented in this paper took place in the context of a university course in which we have been involved for the past two years. During the course we simultaneously aimed to teach theoretical reflection and to analyse what was happening as we taught theoretical reflection. For two years we asked: What are students doing while we are trying to engage them in theoretical reflection? We noted that students are engaged in theory, but not in ways easily readable to the educators, and that the process could be called theoretical diffraction rather than reflection. Theoretical diffraction during the course was patterned by existing discursive practices: (1) disciplining emotions and focusing on control and answers; (2) personalising school as the teacher, and personally defending it; and (3) prioritising practice over theory and seeing both as dogma.

KEYWORDS:

• Teacher education
• poststructuralism
• theory
• reflection
• subjectivation
• diffraction

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the authors.

Notes

1. The assignment does not translate perfectly into English. In Finnish, there is a commonly used word ‘kasvattaja’, the direct translation is ‘grower’ or ‘up-bringer’. In additions, the word ‘tehdä’ translates into both ‘make’ and ‘do’.

2. Finnish teachers are not controlled in any way (no inspectorates, no officially approved material, no detailed national curriculum, no standardised tests), but they are considered to be professional, autonomous experts.

Additional information

Funding

The research has been funded by the Academy of Finland, project number 267166 and 264370.