Pre‐service teachers’ conceptions about teaching
and the effect of teacher education programs on
their conceptions:Cases from Germany and Ethiopia
Prof. Dr. Thorsten Bohl
Dawit Mekonnen
Center for the Study of International Cooperationin Education
Hiroshima University
Oct. 27, 2011

Why studying pre‐service teachers’
conceptions of teaching?
 Teachers’ beliefs, personal theories of teaching, teachers’ thinking,images, implicit theories, orientations, perspectives, etc.
 Teacher beliefs are the ideas that influence how they conceptualize
teaching.
 These ideas encompass ‘what it takes to be an effective teacher andhow students ought to behave’ (Pajares,1992).
 Relationship between teachers’ beliefs and practices.
 Inconsistent findings, generally beliefs affect teachers’ actual practices.
 Teaching behaviors in and outside schools
 Assessment practices
 Classroom management
 Educational reforms
 New teaching methods, school organization, assessment practices
 Students’ learning

The levels of change: How to changeteachers’ practice?
Bateson’s model

environment

behavior
competencies
beliefs
identitymission

Origin of teaching conceptions
 School experiences: Education and reproduction(habitus)
 Family experiences
 Experiences in colleges and universities
 Socio‐cultural practices and values Teacher education programs Conclusion: beginning teachers’ have already,wittingly or unwittingly, developed beliefs aboutteaching before they join teacher education

Metaphors as a means of studying
teachers’ thinking/conceptions
 Metaphors: Meaning making and construction of meaning Self‐analysis and self‐understanding Disclose deep‐rooted personal beliefs

 Metaphors/Conceptions: Constructivism or behaviorism
 Teaching metaphors: Teachers’ understanding of teaching Professional identity
 Epistemological beliefs
Use and drawback

 Input in the design of courses
 Reconstruction and deconstruction of beliefs
 Limiting or restricting in scope

Why cross‐cultural studies in teaching
conceptions?
 Comparison across cultures
 Implicit beliefs and assumptions become moretransparent
 Gives teachers, educators and researchers a more
explicit understanding of their own implicit
theories Lessons on effects of teachers on students’learning
 Development of teacher education programs

Effect of of teacher education programs inchanging pre‐service teachers’ conceptions
 Some changes, temporal changes, or no changes
after teacher education programs Which programs succeed in changing beliefs?
 Thematic organization: teaching as problem solving…
 Progressive and intensive internships/practicum
 Reflection as a method of self‐study Incorporating courses directed on students teacherbeliefs

The study Close to and after the completion of the programs
 Higher secondary school teachers (Gymnasium in Germany andUniversity Preparatory in Ethiopia)
 Interview and questionnaire 45 minutes and a questionnaire emailed or given to the respondents.
 30 minutes to read and converse with the items and generate
metaphors Interview items asked student teachers to describe: ideal/good characteristics of a teachers from a personal
perspective
 Why they join teaching Teaching metaphor/metaphors and state the origin/source Conducted in German, English, and Amharic languages

Study contexts: Teacher Education inGermany and Ethiopia
 Teacher education programs aim at producing reflective, problem
solving and inquiry oriented teachers.
 Objectives such as teachers are facilitators, reflective practitioners,constructivist are indicated.
 Significant differences in duration of study and organization ofstudy Secondary school about 6‐7 years (including induction) in
Germany and in Ethiopia about 4 years
 School‐based teacher education
 Involvement of state education boards

Germany Diverse across the federal states Major elements:
 Two tier training: University education (5 years)
 Practical pedagogical training in schools and/or teacher
education institutes (1.5‐2 years)
 Induction, practice and seminars
 First and second state examinations: Conducted by education
boards of the states
Some changes (the Bologna Reform): 3 years bachelor +2 year
master of education (equivalent to first exam and qualifies forinduction)

Ethiopia
 Integrated and consecutive models of teacher education
 4 year programs (Content area and pedagogical courses
 3 +1 (Content area, followed by pedagogical courses)
 Mainly university‐based education
 Secondary education the responsibility of the federal
government

Some metaphors by pre‐service
teachers and their sources Teaching is like a shepherd. I remember reading a bookwhen I was a child. A teacher has to lead students to somedestination. She has to show them…(Chemistry andMathematics, pre‐service student teacher, Germany) A teacher is like a captain of a ship or like a compass. Thepeople have to get comfort and enjoy the journey.
Students have to enjoy learning. They have to think fromside of the ocean. The captain has to deal with the direction
and wind. Students have to swim in knowledge and get theuseful ones. (History and Philosophy student teacher,Germany)

Some metaphors…
 A teacher is like an enzyme to the students. He has tofacilitate the acquisition of knowledge as enzymes facilitate
the digestion of food. The best teacher teaches difficult
things in a simpler way so that students can understandthem (A mathematics student teacher, Ethiopia).
 A teacher is a good preacher. You teach and tell the students
what is good for them. He needs to be good to be listened
and attract the students in class. (Biology student teacher,Ethiopia)

Cont’d Mentor, father, gardener, learner, expert, moderator,innovator, shepherd, father, captain/compass, Entertainer, advertiser, investigative journalist,,facilitator, technician, preacher, coach, enzyme

Categorization of the responses:
trend and socio‐cultural reasons?
Preacher(E)
Advertiser(E)

Sharing andtransmission

Expert (G)Gardener(E)

Shepherd(G)
Enzyme(E)
Moderator(G)

Facilitate,
lead

Care andsupport

Father(G)Mentor(G)

Sources for metaphors Upbringing‐My father was always acting as a good teacher. (German
student teacher) Personal experiences: When I was in school, I read a novel whose
major character was a teacher. He was taking care of the kids in class.
He tried to help them learn and reach some goal. (German studentteacher) Schooling: My best teacher in school was…(German student teacher) Teacher education: Teaching has to be fun. In psychology, we
discussed teachers have to be humorous like entertainer (Ethiopiastudent teacher) Schooling: I think teaching is identifying the problems of students. My
math teacher asked us questions that we tried…(Ethiopia studentteacher) Teacher education: I learnt in a course that a teacher has to mediate
learning… (Ethiopia student teacher)Conclusions
 Teacher education programs were not influential factors in theidentification of metaphors.
 Respondents indicated their effect on developing some teachingskills.
 Although metaphors that can be categorized in the same group
have been formulated by student teachers from both countries,
differences have been very noticeable.
 Student teachers from Germany seem to base their metaphorsmore from personal experiences and schooling while student
teachers in Ethiopia mention courses in education and sometimes
previous teachers.

ARIGATOO GOZAIMASU!