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An integrated part of teaching is to face unexpected situations. Teachers have to make immediate decisions, and these decisions may have a great impact on many people. An important question is how teacher education can prepare students for unexpected situations. The aim of this practitioner research study is to investigate if case-based teaching can contribute to reducing the perceived gap in teacher education. A step-wise model was introduced for the students and data based on the student teachers' experiences was collected through questionnaire and focus-group conversations. The findings show three main arguments for why teacher education should be case-based. First, analysing cases helps students to understand that every situation in practice is unique. Second, cases link to practice and theory, and finally, a case opens for different perspectives depending on how the diagnosis is made.

The present study asks what challenges student teachers meet in today's school and how they present, respond to, and reflect on these challenges in an online discussion forum. The study explores these questions by analysing cases written by student teachers in their last practice placement in a one-year post-graduate teacher education programme for secondary school in Norway. The findings show that the cases centre around students and classroom management, and that student teachers take on a role as either participant or observer. The responses are a mix of advice, descriptions of similar experiences, and support. They tend to normalise the situations rather than explore them. Learning from challenging incidents does not happen by itself. Timing is crucial, and so is space for reframing, reflection, and for considering alternative perspectives. This means that there is a need for distance to the situation and a process of interaction with various perspectives.

The current study is a collective self-study on how we as 15 teacher educators at a university in Norway tried to improve our teaching through working with cases with the aim of better supporting student teachers in making links between theory and practice. We wanted to address the common criticism in teacher education concerning a perceived gap between practice and theory. Our presupposition was that one way to prepare student teachers for work and bring together theoretical and practical knowledge would be through case-based teaching. We agreed that we wanted to try different ways of working with cases and to follow our own actions with research and conduct a self-study. Throughout the project, each teacher educator experienced to learn about case-based teaching, but our joint learning was limited due to practical issues and lack of time. With teacher education as a shared responsibility, our conclusion is that teacher educators need time to develop as a team, not only as individual teachers.

Recent development in policy and learning theory encourages higher education institutions to send their students out of campus and into work placements. In this paper, we report on students' engagement with various aspects of knowing through practice in work placements. We employed focus group discussions to gather students' accounts of their knowing in the three higher education programmes: Teacher Education, Aqua Medicine, and Music Performance. The students' accounts of knowing were analysed as personal epistemologies. Thereby, we aimed to focus on how enacted practices in work develop students' appraisals of knowing and subjectivities. Three prominent epistemologies were present across all three student groups: professional judgment, professional practice, and professional identity. After the work placements, the students better understand how to enact their knowledge and what knowledge to pursue further. Based on these findings, we hold that there are key educational processes that arise in the interplay between students' situated enactment of practices, knowing, and personal epistemologies through work placements, and propose a conceptual model to frame students' learning in work placements.

This study describes higher education-based teacher educators' professional trajectories, i.e. their professional activities and learning as developed throughout their career. Semi-structured interviews were held with 41 teacher educators from Ireland, Israel, Norway and the Netherlands. Findings show that teacher educators were recruited mainly from schools and universities. As novices, they received some, but no formal, support. Research and teaching are the main areas for on-the-job learning. Most teacher educators have positive attitudes towards research, are active researchers and contribute to teaching. However, they believe their respective institutes are not sufficiently appreciative of teaching, given that institutes do not prioritise practice-oriented research, nor align their policies with research findings. While socially coherent and idealistic attitudes are present among teacher educators, they are predominantly responsive to institutes' perceived individualistic and pragmatic expectations. Such expectations include contribution to their institutes' academic status through their academic publications.

This qualitative study investigates, through focus groups, how students in upper secondary school in Norway experience schooling. The background for the study is a tension between measurable outcomes and the educational aim of supporting students' human growth, their "Bildung." As teacher educators, we wanted to learn about situations that made an impression on students and thereby might promote Bildung and the desire to learn. Findings show that what made an impression was primarily related to teachers, fellow students, school atmosphere, and to aesthetic experiences and variations. Students emphasise teachers' attitudes, interpersonal skills and ability to vary their teaching. Teachers content knowledge was taken for granted. Based on the findings, we suggest implications for how to educate teachers, for teachers working conditions and for cooperation in schools. In order to promote students' Bildung, also teachers' human development needs to be put on the agenda.

The induction period is a frequently discussed element in a teacher's career. While there is a recognised need for support during induction, the access to support is not available to all newly qualified teachers (NQTs). However, little is known about the micro-political processes of NQTs' access to support in the workplace. The purpose of this study is to investigate experiences of support during NQTs' first year in teaching, using concepts from micro-political theory. The findings show that NQTs experience reactive support, a lack of formal support, and self-initiated informal peer support. The findings are based on a thematic analysis of written accounts collected from 15 NQTs in Norwegian secondary schools every month during their first year, as well as individual interviews at the end of the year. The study concludes that the use of power in interactions among members of the school organisation impact NQTs' access to induction-support. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Student teachers have been found to be critical toward the research approaches they learned from their master's-based teacher education programmes. Our aim is to discuss how certain research approaches learnt during a 5-year academic master's level teacher education, may bring student teachers close to practice and provide them with conceptual and practical tools for a thorough understanding of the practice of teaching. The argumentation is based on an elaboration of master's-based teacher education programs in Finland and Norway and the essential characteristics of teachers' work. We elaborate on student teachers' need to understand constative, critical and constructive research approaches. This includes critical approaches such as observations and interviews for understanding and interpretation, and constructive approaches such as action research and lesson studies. Finally, we argue that, through these approaches, student teachersmake use of research knowledge in teachers' work with an inquiring orientation as well as develop and change their practice. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This article examines the sociocultural shaping of "teacher agency" by focusing on how various conditions "mediate" teachers' perceived professional space. Agency is understood from a "sociocultural" perspective as the mediated capacity to act, which is achieved and exercised "in" a professional space, and, consequently, shaped by the "perceptions" of this space. Based on thematic and interpretative analysis of interviews with Norwegian L1 upper secondary teachers, the article identifies several conditions that mediate the teachers' perceived professional space: the exam, the curriculum, accountability demands, school leadership, colleagues, students, learning materials, and subject traditions and purposes. Two aspects of mediation are identified, what we respectively term "extension" and "remodelling." Extension conveys how mediating conditions provide resources or constraints that contribute to "expanding or narrowing" the teachers' perceived professional space. Remodelling, however, conveys how mediating conditions "qualitatively transform" the perceived professional space. Findings highlight the subject as a resource for teachers, and teacher agency as socioculturally shaped by the perceived size and character of professional space.

Current literature suggests that while teacher educators perform a multitude of complex roles, they receive minimal preparation or possibilities for professional development to fulfil these roles. As a result, they need to acquire relevant knowledge and skills after taking on the position of teacher educators. Therefore, it is important to learn what skills and knowledge teacher educators need and how they acquire such skills and knowledge throughout their career. The purpose of this study is to describe the professional development needs and activities of 61 teacher educators across six national jurisdictions (England, Ireland, Israel, Norway, Scotland and The Netherlands) and to reveal influencing factors and affordances conducive to professional development. Semi-structured interviews constituted questions on professional learning opportunities and teacher education and research. Results from the interviews convey themes around the areas of (i) self-initiated professional development, (ii) the importance of experiencing professional development through collaboration with peers and colleagues, (iii) accessing opportunities to improve teacher education teaching practices, and (iv) the inextricable link between teaching and research and, consequently, the need to upskill in research skills. Discussion points that arise include the induction period, frustration and tension in navigation, haphazard professional learning and learning with, and from, each other.

Teacher education is often criticised for not being relevant and for there being a lack of continuity between practice teaching and the university coursework. In the literature, action research is presented as a way to bridge the gap and connect the two. The present article explores, through a qualitative study, how research-based knowledge communicated at the university and experiences from practice teaching interact in student teachers' action research projects. The study also explores the outcome, for the student teachers, of conducting research in their practicum. The findings show that student teachers use theory and research in many different ways, and they are both consumers and producers of research. They especially emphasise the outcome of theory interacting with real situations encountered in the teaching practice. Contributing to a positive impact on their outcome were the opportunity they are offered to reflect on their own practice, the possibility they have to focus on something they find important, and the chance to make their own experiences with a particular tool for professional development.

This study investigates how work placement contributes to the integration of practical skills and theoretical knowledge in teacher education. The lack of connection has commonly been criticised in teacher education as well as in other professional studies. The aim of the study is to gain a deeper understanding of how practicum interacts with the university coursework to enhance professional competencies among student teachers. The context is three different Norwegian teacher education programmes that prepare for secondary school. In focus groups the students describe the placement context and the differences between learning on campus and in the practice field. Furthermore, they explain the outcome of field experiences. The findings show that the learning in practicum should not be taken for granted. The students experience great differences between workplaces related to attitudes, support, facilities, mentoring and possibilities to learn from experiences. Practicum should be recognised as an important part of student teachers' education. It should not be left to chance, but have a binding framework related to the quality of mentoring and the working conditions student teachers are offered.

Education is described as a moral enterprise and many of the professional dilemmas teachers encounter have an ethical aspect. Research on ethical situations that novice teachers experience, however, seems to be limited, and we know little about how teacher education can prepare student-teachers for dealing with ethical issues. In this article a narrative approach is used to examine what kind of dilemmas with ethical aspects new teachers in upper secondary school in Norway may experience. The findings suggest that their dilemmas are related to the induction phase in teaching, and that the students are unprepared for dealing with these dilemmas. Based on what we learned from the new teachers, we suggest various implications for teacher education about how to prepare future teachers for handling the variety of professional dilemmas including ethical aspects they are likely to meet.

Alarming numbers of teacher attrition are reported in many countries, including in Norway. Whereas most of the research tells about personal and professional negative experiences which have a harmful impact on teachers' resilience, a different approach is taken in the current paper. Four cases of leavers are purposefully selected because they represent qualified teachers who left the profession, not because they were unhappy with the job or had negative experiences, but because they needed more space and autonomy than they had as teachers. The findings show that their motives for teaching were mainly intrinsic, they were successful teachers, however, they became restless and left their secure jobs to start afresh, and they succeeded. We suggest that it is time to examine the strength of the leavers and accept that teaching is not a lifelong 'call' for some of its best people. It is time to seek new ways to revive the profession.

The present study asks what challenges student teachers meet in today's school and how they present, respond to, and reflect on these challenges in an online discussion forum. The study explores these questions by analysing cases written by student teachers in their last practice placement in a one-year post-graduate teacher education programme for secondary school in Norway. The findings show that the cases centre around students and classroom management, and that student teachers take on a role as either participant or observer. The responses are a mix of advice, descriptions of similar experiences, and support. They tend to normalise the situations rather than explore them. Learning from challenging incidents does not happen by itself. Timing is crucial, and so is space for reframing, reflection, and for considering alternative perspectives. This means that there is a need for distance to the situation and a process of interaction with various perspectives. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This article presents a case study aiming at deepening the understanding of action research as a tool in professional development in pre-service teacher education. The case is the practice of action research in a teacher education programme for secondary school teachers in Norway. While there has been limited research on consequences of inquiry, this article asks how student-teachers experience the process and outcome of doing action research and what we as their teacher-educators can learn from these experiences about facilitating the student-teachers' processes. For most student-teachers the process started with numerous challenges, but in the end the majority experienced a positive outcome. We found that an important condition to ensure that action research functions as a tool for professional development is enough time and space to make it possible to reflect in depth. Familiarising students with research and linking theory and practice seem to need specific attention even after a completed action research project. Reflecting on actions seems to help student-teachers to develop their practical and theoretical understanding in a way that gives their experiences transfer value.

School leaders are in a position to make decisions that influence beginning teachers' first year in school. The leaders' attitudes to new teachers and mentoring have an impact on such teachers' professional possibilities. Through open-ended interviews, this qualitative study investigates how school leaders perceive newly qualified teachers' needs and mentoring. The data analysis reveals that their views vary. While some see the beginning teacher's need mainly as a need for information about practical solutions, rules and routines, others want to support the teacher's professional development. Generally, the mentor role is perceived as being concerned with informing and guiding. The mentors chosen are mainly teachers with senior positions and experience in teaching. Few of the school leaders view being a mentor as a professional activity or perceive education for mentors as necessary for mentoring. The consequences of the school leaders' perceptions of mentoring new teachers will be problematised in the article.

Teaching in today's changing society requires teachers' independent judgement and development. One way of fostering professional development is action research; described, however, as a challenging and time-consuming process. This qualitative study asks whether action research is worthwhile already in pre-service teacher education, or whether the challenges outweigh the gains. Furthermore, it asks how a teacher educator, here the author of the article, could guide student-teachers' action research projects. The main data source is student-teachers' research reports, which are analysed and reflected upon in light of professional development. The study revealed that action research under certain conditions offers a potential for professional development for student-teachers.

Research on beginning teachers often focuses on the problems they encounter. This study, however, is based on the view that it is better to build on what people do well rather than to focus on their failures and helplessness. The aim of the study is to investigate teachers' strengths by examining the areas in which new teachers in upper secondary school in Norway excel, and how they are or could be used as resources in their workplaces. The study is based on open-ended questionnaires completed by new teachers and their mentors as well as on interviews with two new teachers. The new teachers and their mentors find it easy to list areas where experienced teachers can learn from beginners. Nevertheless, there are few examples of new teachers being used as a resource. This article challenges this practice. (Contains 1 table.)

Practice teaching is regarded as a key component of teacher education and often highly valued by student teachers, even if the aims of field experiences vary from context to context. This article takes a closer look at the practicum in a one-year postgraduate teacher education programme (PGCE) in Norway by listening to the voices of student teachers, school-based mentors and university-based supervisors. The study aims to obtain a deeper understanding of how the practicum is understood and whether the various stakeholders in the same context share a common view of the practicum.

Unlike many other countries, Norway has no induction programme or reduction of teaching load for newly qualified teachers. However, an interesting model has been developed through the "New Teachers in Norway" project. This project involves teacher education institutions and schools, novice and experienced teachers as well as teacher educators in the learning process. Future enterprises that are currently discussed in a Parliamentary Proposition have an individual focus. The only suggestion is that all new teachers should have a mentor. The aim of this paper is to investigate how the needs of novice teachers correspond to the aims of the national project and the future plans of Norwegian policymakers.Keywords: novice teachers, mentors, reflective dialogues, networks, learning communities

The aim of this study is to gain an insight into novice teachers' diverse experiences. The study is conducted among nine beginning teachers in upper secondary school in Norway, and the research instrument was semi structured interviews. The main findings indicate that there are two sides of the coin of being a new teacher, positive as well as less positive aspects. The beginning teachers want to be recognised as who they are, new to the job, and on the other hand, they want to be accepted as fully qualified teachers. The two contradictory perceptions of themselves as professionals represent two sides of the same coin.