SUBASTAS PUBLICAS

into practice in school. This equates to communicating first order habitus in the second order field. He spoke about this in terms of the structure of the programme (‘we have a large up-front loading…of

information. And then they go and try and fit it into practice’), and with regard to the assignments: most of our assignments are about how you put it into practice…some of the key things

around…differentiation, about working in small groups, about powerful pedagogies like that: how do you work, how does that work in the classroom. So, if they’ve seen it, they can do it empirically; if they haven’t seen it, it’s got to be through the research – through

what…has been transmitted to them.

Recognising the practicum as a valuable learning experience, he appeared to be questioning the value of his own meta-pedagogical practice (here restricted to ‘telling’) as compared to real ‘experiential learning’:

You get that situated learning, within a community of practice… (A)ll of those things add

up to far more powerful experiential learning than just being told by somebody this is

how you attempt to…scaffold… If you’re actually doing it, it’s more powerful.

This appears to question the potential impact of second order meta-pedagogical practice on (embryonic) first order habitus.

4.5.3.3Recognition of distinctions between pedagogy and meta-pedagogy

Whilst Steve perceived there to be a difference between teaching adults and children, he did not appear to demarcate between first and second order teaching, or habitus. Perhaps related to this, within the interviews, there appeared to be an element of confusing student teachers and pupils in Steve’s responses. He referred to the former as ‘kids’ on three occasions, subsequently correcting himself only once. There was similar ambiguity about whether he was scaffolding student teachers’ learning in the observed session on one occasion, and setting them a ‘linguistic challenge’ on another

– or modelling these practices to them.

4.5.3.4Theoretical underpinnings of meta-pedagogical practice

Whilst Steve’s doctoral study involved research into how student teachers develop their pedagogy, he did not appear to have thought about the possible existence – or relevance – of a knowledge base for meta-pedagogy which might have impacted upon his own habitus as teacher educator. Although he referred to ‘texts’, these were concerned with content rather than process, which reflects findings from Cochran-Smith (2003). When prompted directly, Steve remarked that he was aware ‘there are studies

into it’, but that these were not disseminated to new teacher educators. (He went on to equate this to

lack of awareness amongst teachers in primary schools about ‘how teachers learn’, by which he meant continuing professional development, or CPD.) He suggested the need for new teacher

educators’ self-examination of personal epistemologies in order to develop a new identity and new ways of working, and talked of having had the courage to finally enact practice with which he was comfortable. This would suggest that he is developing his habitus through self-questioning. Although he commented that he would continue ‘espousing’ these ideas (rather than perhaps developing them) the best he could, he did acknowledge that there was one area (guided group time) that he was still working on.

4.5.4 The impact of former school teacher identity 4.5.4.1Transference of skills and knowledge

Steve suggested that his meta-pedagogical practice was essentially a continuation of what he had been trying to do as a school teacher combined with his reading (therefore essentially first order habitus in a second order field). When asked about the skills and qualities required of a teacher educator, Steve initially talked of the qualities of a (school) teacher, and, when prompted, considered what he had

‘added to myself’ in his current role and the new field.

4.5.4.2 Professional values and commitment to the profession

Steve demonstrated a particular affinity with primary education throughout the interviews. He referred to going out from the university to ‘teach poetry’ in a local primary school, providing the following explanation: ‘you start to feel after a while, I haven’t been in schools for ages. So, let me get back in

and pretend I’m a real teacher’. This suggests he is more at ease in his former field. 4.5.4.3Passion for subject/children/education

Quite early on in the stimulated recall interview, Steve observed ‘(t)hat’s where my passion lies

though, teaching children’. He also talked about the need for primary teachers to demonstrate a ‘nurturing presence in the class’, although this could also be ‘used’ for classroom management

purposes:

in many ways it’s easier to be friends with children [than student teachers], ‘cause they

want your love. I know that’s not a phrase you’re supposed to use, but kids need, in my

opinion, to love you. You know, they want to know that you want them in your classroom,…you’re happy with them around, you want to spend your time with them.

Which makes, in my opinion, discipline much easier, ‘cause if you withdraw that love –

however temporarily – they really feel it. So, you’re not angry with them, you just withdraw that…affection for the child.

This again reflects more of an affinity with the first order field.

4.5.4.4Sensitivity to student needs

Steve referred to differentiating to accommodate individual student teacher needs, and showed sensitivity towards them. When one of them did not respond well to a task in the observed session

(‘(s)he put her scarf over her face, and just had a mental block’), Steve went over to sit with her, explaining in the stimulated recall interview that ‘I tried to make that as friendly and as non-

threatening as possible, you know, by making a joke of it as I went over and so on’. However, he also

told her and the other students that he wanted them to experience what ‘children are faced with every

day’, which suggested more empathy with pupil needs. This could be seen as a form of modelling, but

it is also a reflection of first order habitus.