In this study student teachers (n=74) make some initial visits in practice schools, during their very first teacher education course. The student teachers observed how their mentor teachers handled a school day start (during day 1), followed by reflections after having managed a school day start by themselves (during day 2).
Theoretically, a school day start can be seen as a “baseline condition” were minor details can lead to ”major turbulence and unpredictability later on” (Koopmans, 2014, p. 31-32). For example, a teacher´s unexpected absence in the morning may involve rescheduling available staff, or asking teachers to forgo their preparation period, dividing the class into smaller groups and so forth.
During a school day start important role transitions are also being made (Ashfort, Kreiner & Fugate, 2000), while adults and children start to approach the school yard and the school building, and dynamic social processes are starting. Different situations in school corridors or elsewhere can demand micro role transitions, when teachers enter a caring role in front of a sad pupil, or a discipline role in front of pupils who break some rule. In total, complexity theory suggest that ”small events/actions can have big effects” (Ell et.al., 2017, p. 329), not least during initial conditions such as a school day start when time is approaching for the first lesson of the day, and for the teacher to enter the teaching role in front of the pupils.
The first research question (1ab) is about the student teachers´ observation day one, and the second research question (2) is about how the student teachers reflect after having managed a school day start by themselves:
1a)What examples of care (i) and discipline/moral education (ii) do the student teachers note while observing the school day start?
1b)How do the mentor teachers enter the teaching role in front of the pupils, according to the student teachers?
2)What experiences do the student teachers describe, after being responsible for starting a school day in front of the pupils?
Qualitative content analysis was used to analyze students´ written reflections. The concepts care, discipline/moral education and teaching was used in a deductive coding phase (Xu & Sammit, 2020), followed by inductive coding which led to subthemes. Findings reveal how the student teachers noticed mentor teachers´ micro rituals together with the pupils, how different artefacts in the schools facilitated teachers work, and how the student teachers´ own attempts were emotionally challenging. The students´ emotions and doubt are discussed in relation to how teacher education programs can involve regular meetings with practice schools where it is possible to be open and honest without grades, performances or assessment being in focus.
The study was a part of the Swedish national pilot project ULF (Swedish acronym which stands for Development, Learning and Research). The aim of the project ULF is to develop and test sustainable collaboration models between academia and the school or school system regarding research, school activities and teacher education.
2022.