Learning to teach in the twenty-first century: change, challenge and chance

As recorded in the volumes of JET for the last half century, learning, and continuing to learn to teach has developed out of recognition. The articles in this issue of JET each contribute to this evolutionary process from a range of perspectives. The nascent idea that teaching might be a career choice is the focus of the first paper, by Tia Pavin Ivanec, from the University of Zagreb in Croatia, who looked at factors that motived prospective teachers (early years, primary and secondary) in that country. Importantly, all groups evinced the intrinsic value of teaching (passion for education; having a positive impact on young people’s lives; making a difference; personal growth and development opportunities, etc.); the social value of teaching (job security; work-life balance; competitive salary/benefits, etc.) and a positive perception of their own abilities as the most important motivators. Interesting differences between the groups arising from the data analysis substantiate the view that secondary candidates are more strongly motivated by a love of their subject. A strong motivation for teaching remains as important in the C21^st as it has been since formal education began. However, as will unfold in the articles to come, the complex and multifaceted challenges of contemporary life are having a direct impact on all aspects of teacher education.

Closely linked to career motivation is the concept of professional identity formation, which is the focus of the next article, by Dario Banegas of the University of Edinburgh in Scotland. Drawing on an in-depth evaluation of a language curriculum development module in a TESOL course, Banegas elicited important aspects of the development of the formation student teachers’ professional identities: that of the reflective practitioner and the language teacher as a researcher and curriculum developer. Significantly, this paper demonstrates that the development of these characteristics is important in reinforcing a sense of professional identity, which in turn increases student teachers’ investment in their initial teacher education course and their future career as well as enhancing a greater sense of purpose and meaning in their work.

The next article in this issue, from Ge Wei and colleagues from three universities in China, describes a study situated within the framework of expansive learning, developed from cultural-historical activity theory (Engstrom 2001). Not merely a cognitive process of acquiring knowledge and skills, expansive learning is also an active process of transforming the social and cultural contexts in which learning takes place. Wei et al. examined different aspects of their initial teacher education programme through the lens of expansive learning using formative interventions to discern how and when various aspects of practical teaching knowledge were gained. This fine-grained taxonomy demonstrated that the trajectory of growth in practical teaching knowledge acquisition occurs when the student teachers engaged in challenging, novel activities that required them to solve problems, develop new skills and interact with their social and cultural contexts in new ways. This study offers new insight into learning to teach in the C21^st: holistic and socially situated approaches that are especially well-suited to preparing student teachers for the complex and dynamic modern school environment.

Teacher educators are in general agreement, borne out by a considerable research base (see for example White and Forgasz 2016), that university-supported school practicum (teaching practice) is an essential component of learning to teach. The next paper emerges from research done into the new teacher education curriculum in Japan, by Kengo Kakazu and Minoru Kobayashi from Okinawa and Bunkyo Universities respectively. Looking specifically at an early-stage practicum, these authors investigated the challenges faced by the student teachers. Factors highlighted include acquiring knowledge pf pupils, pedagogic methods and skills and active communication. They were also able to demonstrate that even at an early stage in their programme, student teachers were able to appreciate the importance of theoretical learning at university. This has been much debated through successive volumes of JET, and a nexus between practice and theory is essential for providing aspiring teachers with practical and experiential learning opportunities, underpinned by an intellectual understanding of what it is to teach.

The next article focusses on professional commitment, which is strongly linked to some of the aforementioned themes: motivation, identity formation and acquisition of professional knowledge and understanding. It is set in the context of beginning university teachers of Chinese-as-a-foreign-language (CFL) working in New Zealand and focusses on the relationship between professional commitment and self-efficacy. Highlighted is the importance of professional development to foster a teaching workforce that is both highly committed and highly effective. Teaching Chinese as a foreign language has a particular set of challenges which necessitate a significant investment of resources and time to manage. However, CFL teaching is increasingly valued as an advantage in an increasingly globalised, C21^st world.

Reform of teacher education curricula, important in the C21^st, not least to ensure that teachers worldwide are prepared to meet the challenges of a rapidly changing and diverse pupil population, is the focus of the next article, by Benjamin Loo and Jariya Sairattanain from universities in Singapore and Thailand. Although it has been deferred for a year, Thai educational policy makers have recognised that reform is needed to address issues of equity and to attract and retain a diverse and skilled teaching workforce. Student teachers were surveyed for their views on national teacher education reform, and although they were not especially well-informed about the nature of the proposed changes, it is good to see the empirical evidence in this paper that these prospective teachers felt well prepared for teaching in the C21^st and in a contextually appropriate manner.

Since the start of the technological revolution in the 1980s, changes to the priorities of teacher education have gained greater impetus, which has of course been greatly accelerated by the CV-19 pandemic and its consequences for ‘emergency remote learning’. Incorporation of digital tools and online resources into planning and instruction has featured strongly as an important part of the C21^st teacher’s work. Discernment of the relative value of the burgeoning plethora of material available is the subject of the next article, by Lee and Han from universities in the US and South Korea. Their study, into the decision-making criteria used by student teachers in selecting and evaluating educational digital resources, showed that whist they had some understanding of functionality, content and the need for curricular alignment, they also demonstrated the need of support for better informed selection and implementation.

For the next article, from Xueer Chen and Yibing Liu of Southwest University in Chongqing, China, we return to the topic of cultural diversity, which is the focus of their study into the development of understanding about teacher-pupil relationships in a transcultural setting. Chinese student teachers visited Canada on an exchange programme, which featured a supportive professional network with practical experiences. As a result of this they gained knowledge and understanding of teacher-pupil relationships in a transcultural context. The pedagogic environment in which this took place no doubt added richness to this learning, as the knowledge was co-constructed, reflective and practice-oriented, in contrast to the experiences they had in their home programmes.

Continuing with the theme of diversity and contrasting cultural values, the next paper, also from China by Catalina Sau Man Ng and colleagues, reports on an evaluative study of a professional development programme that incorporated culturally responsive teaching (CRT) to the learning motivation of ethnic minority pupils in the context of the Chinese pre-school. As the programme showed positive development of the teachers’ understanding of differences between ethnic minority and Chinese young children in their motivations towards learning, these authors stress the importance of and make recommendations for teachers’ cultural diversity training. By incorporating the cultural backgrounds and experiences of learners into C21^st curricula internationally, educators at all levels can create a more inclusive and welcoming learning environment that also nurtures academic success and social-emotional well-being. CRT helps to promote equity and reduce disparities in educational outcomes by recognising and valuing diverse perspectives and strengths of pupils from different cultural groups (Gay 2002, 2018; Byrd 2016). Additionally, and of particular relevance to the education of all teachers for the C21^st, CRT can help to prepare young people for success in a global society by developing their intercultural competence and understanding of diverse perspectives.

The importance of CRT is thrown into sharp relief in the next paper, from Johanna Ennser-Kananen and Maria Ruohotie-Lyhty of the University of Jyväskylä in Finland. They tell the story of a migrant teacher’s identity positioning within a peer mentoring group setting in Finand. Using the framework of teacher narrative, they describe the teacher’s positions as that of ’foreigner’, ’novice teacher’, ’cultural broker’ and ’expert teacher’, with the latter two least emphasised. These authors highlight the stuggles of migrant teachers in shedding their ’foreign’ label and of having their expertise recognised in culturally contrasting settings. As mass migration is a fact of C21^st life, harnessing and enabling the experience and expertise of migrant teachers becomes a priority for contemporary teacher education, which must address issues of language barriers, cultural differences, social isolation, discrimination and bias, family separation and recognition of qualifications, all of which can negatively affect migrant teachers’ professional effectiveness, as well as contribute to their personal stress, anxiety and burnout.

Mitigation of these experiences requires the empathy of colleagues, and this is the focus of the next paper, by Louise Campbell, writing from the University of Dundee, but now with the Teaching Council of Scotland. Her study, into the role of professional empathy between teachers engaging in collective professional development activities, highlights potential fear of critical gaze and associated shame, which can inhibit participation. Campbell emphasises the importance of the development of professional empathy at three simultaneous levels of engagement: the collective, the interpersonal and the individual. The significance of the nurturing of professional empathy in any educational setting is discussed and a strong argument is made for its role in fostering better communication, collaboration and problem-solving as well as increasing trust and respect for colleagues.

The final paper in this issue, whist primarily methodological, echoes the importance of the development of collegial rapport among teacher learning groups (TLG) for initial teacher education and professional development. The article, by Emmy Vrieling-Teunter and colleagues from the Netherlands, presents a validation study of a questionnaire designed to map the social configuration of TLGs and features measurements for practice integration, long-term orientation and goals, and shared identity and equal relationships. It is good to conclude the substantive papers of this issue with an instrument that can offer insight into many of the characteristics needed for C21^st teacher education described in the papers contained.

Two Research-in-Progress papers follow: the first, from Tom van Rossum and colleagues from the UK describes the experiences of student teachers learning to teach physical education during the closure of schools and universities through the pandemic, and the second, from Lan Yi and Ju Wen from China returns to the topic of career motivation of English teachers there.

The changes to all our lives in the C21^st have generated a number of new challenges for teacher education. Because our community has shown itself to be infinitely adaptable and agile, there is good evidence, not least in the published pages of recent issues of JET, including this one, that the chances created by the challenges are seen as not as obstacles, but as opportunities for growth and development. Bravo!