Teaching is a Story Whose First Pages Matters – Four Type Narratives From The Beginning of a Teaching Career

Merja Meriläinen; Maarika Piispanen

Vol. 15 No. 1 (2022) IEJEE

Teaching is a Story Whose First Pages Matters – Four Type Narratives From The Beginning of a Teaching Career

Merja Meriläinen
Maarika Piispanen

Published November 20, 2022 | Pages: 65-74 | Views: 240

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Abstract

From a broad perspective, the entire time spent in teacher training can be characterized as a period of professional growth. Specific professional growth and development are realized when the students enter the advanced stage of master's studies to independently practise their profession in their own class of pupils. The uncertainty of a novice teacher and, on the other hand, the ‘burden of competence’ gained from teacher training make this induction phase very sensitive and critical, as all the competencies they have obtained during teacher training should culminate in this specific phase.

The development of a student into an independent teacher is a growth story in which each person's identity, experiences of teaching, and the knowledge structures gained from teacher training determine how they experience their growth, how their multiple skills develop, and how their individual growth story evolves.

In this study, we look at the writings of primary school teacher students who have just entered working life. In their writings, the students who are in the beginning of their teaching career highlight their experiences, critical points, decisive moments, meaningful experiences, and professional growth in different ways. What can we, as teaching practice supervisors, learn from our students’ experiences? What conditions and actions strengthen or destabilize the teacherhood of a newly graduated teacher? This study examines these questions through type narratives specific to narrative research by summarizing the students’ experiences in four different type narratives.

From a broad perspective, the entire time spent in teacher training can be characterized as a period of professional growth. Specific professional growth and development are realized when the students enter the advanced stage of master's studies to independently practise their profession in their own class of pupils. The uncertainty of a novice teacher and, on the other hand, the ‘burden of competence’ gained from teacher training make this induction phase very sensitive and critical, as all the competencies they have obtained during teacher training should culminate in this specific phase.
The development of a student into an independent teacher is a growth story in which each person's identity, experiences of teaching, and the knowledge structures gained from teacher training determine how they experience their growth, how their multiple skills develop, and how their individual growth story evolves.
In this study, we look at the writings of primary school teacher students who have just entered working life. In their writings, the students who are in the beginning of their teaching career highlight their experiences, critical points, decisive moments, meaningful experiences, and professional growth in different ways. What can we, as teaching practice supervisors, learn from our students’ experiences? What conditions and actions strengthen or destabilize the teacherhood of a newly graduated teacher? This study examines these questions through type narratives specific to narrative research by summarizing the students’ experiences in four different type narratives.

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Keywords

student supervision, peer support, collegiality, professional growth, professional support

Affiliations

Merja Meriläinen

Kokkola University Consortium Chydenius

Maarika Piispanen

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How to Cite

Meriläinen, M., & Piispanen, M. (2022). Teaching is a Story Whose First Pages Matters – Four Type Narratives From The Beginning of a Teaching Career. International Electronic Journal of Elementary Education, 15(1), 65–74. Retrieved from https://iejee.com/index.php/IEJEE/article/view/1912

Author Biography

Merja Meriläinen

I ́m a Senior Lecturer, working as a primary school teacher trainer in adult teacher training in Kokkola University Consortium Chydenius. My sphere of responsibilities in pre-service teacher training studies is as following: language arts and literacy didactical and pedagogical studies, multicultural practicum, the final practicum period in advanced special studies as well as some studies in subject related studies connected to authentic, contextual pedagogical learning environments from the perspective of art-based methods and individual learning possibilities in primary school context.

Maarika Piispanen

I work as a university teacher in Kokkola university Consortium Chydenius, in adult teacher training. The main areas of my work in pre-service teacher training studies are linked with the following: pedagogical aspect in pre-primary and primary education, the development of learning in the authentic Contextual-pedagogical environments, individual learning, and well-being in the aspect of art-based methods in elementary school environments. In addition to pre-service teacher training, my interest and responsibilities lies on in-service teacher training, where I concentrate on developing an early foreign language learning model into Finnish basic education. Currently my interests lie on ubiquitous, authentic learning and learning environments as well as education on individual learning, art-based methods, and well-being.