The Why is more important than the What: The concept of ‘mindframes’ as an integrative model for professionalization in teaching

4th June 2019 : 16:00 - 17:30

Category: Seminar

Speaker: Professor Klaus Zierer, University of Augsburg

Location: Department of Education, Seminar Room J

Convener: Katharine Burn

Abstract:
Professionalisation in teaching has been the topic of extensive research in recent years, following in general two different approaches: the ‘competence-based approach’ and the ‘critical reflection approach’. With large-scale comparative studies such as PISA, TIMMS and PIRLS at the beginning of the 21st century, the former approach came to dominate the field. However, these models do not seem unproblematic when one considers their roots. In this seminar I introduce a different approach which based on the Visible Learning research, started by John Hattie in 2009. This model of educational expertise takes as its roots on the one hand the low effect size of teacher subject matter knowledge (d=0.10) on student achievement and on the other hand the theoretical foundation of the didactic triangle, which has a rigid systematic structure for critical and reflective thinking about teaching since the ancient time.

At the core of this model of educational expertise are mindframes. They may be seen as a theoretically founded and systematically structured interaction between competencies and attitudes backed up by empirical findings. Thus, they stand for an integrative model for professionalisation in teaching. Finally, I use this model to provide an outlook on university teacher education and report some empirical results of intervention studies.