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Teacher Education Paradigm Research

Posted on:2009-10-26Degree:DoctorType:Dissertation
Country:ChinaCandidate:J L HeFull Text:PDF
GTID:1117360272472797Subject:Principles of Education
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In the 1950s, the emergence of postmodern society made traditional teacher education unsuitable for the development of the ages, calling for a shift of paradigm. Even today, setting a direction for the paradigm of teacher education is a practical and important task lying ahead of us. This task requires urgent solutions, which is also the focus of the current dissertation.The dissertation starts with introducing Kuhn's theory, which forms the basis of the structures and connotations of the paradigms of teacher education. The claim is then made that the shift of paradigm lies in the innovation of how to view knowledge. After analyzing the view of knowledge, the emerging conclusion is that the current paradigm of teacher education (characterized by instrumental rationality, and developed from viewing knowledge as a monologue) has resulted in a crisis that consists of a discrepancy between theory and practice, and a discrepancy between science and ethics. Only by constructing a novel paradigm of teacher education (characterized by communicative rationality, developed by viewing knowledge as a dialogue) can we overcome the crisis that arose from using a paradigm of teacher education based on instrumental rationality. Actually, the paradigm of teacher education based on communicative rationality is already manifesting itself today, for example in theatrical approaches. Dialectic and logical means are absolutely indispensable here, but are not the only ones one can turn to. Logical means can only ensure the correctness of the form of thinking, but not the rationality of the content of thinking. Presupposition of any theory should turn to philosophical thinking. Thus, I also use the critical research method from philosophy in my research.The dissertation consists of four chapters. In chapter one, the structure and content of the paradigm of teacher education is analyzed and studied on the basis of Kuhn's paradigm of Kuhn. Chapter two probes deeply into the views of knowledge based on monologue versus that based on dialogue, and contrasts the instrumental rationality resulting from the first, with the communicative rationality resulting from the second. In chapter three, the paradigm of teacher education is analyzed from the metaphysical, sociological and practical points of view and the crisis brought about by instrumental rationality is illustrated. The focus of the last chapter is on the essence of the teacher education paradigms characteristic of communicative rationality, under the influence of a dialogue-based view of knowledge, promoting the idea that the emerging crisis is caused by using instrumental rationality without communicative rationality.The conclusion is reached as follows:First of all, Kuhn's paradigm is more than a mere conception. It is a systemic theory including metaphysical, sociological and practical paradigms. Changing the view of knowledge in the scientific community is the key to realizing the shift of paradigm. The paradigm of teacher education, which is also a system consisting of the above-mentioned three aspects, differs in content from Kuhn's paradigm due to its humanistic and practical characteristics, thus being not only an academic system, but also a paradigm combining academic research with practical operation. Changing the view of knowledge of teacher education is the key to transforming the paradigm of teacher education.Additionally, the view of knowledge is divided into the view of knowledge about monologue and the one about dialogue. The former, based on subject-object relationship, taking everything we can see and learn as an object, makes the object a tool for the need or desire of subject. The view of knowledge based on monologue takes the consolidation of subject and object as the standard of knowledge. Knowledge is the ultimate truth. In the relation between subjects and objects, there is only monologue, but no dialogue. The view of knowledge based on dialogue relies on the inter-subjectivity relationship, taking everything we can see and learn as subject. Subjects and objects share an equally-dialoging and mutual-understanding conversational relationship. The standard of knowledge is open, and is shaped by common sense using conversation between knowers and beknowers.Moreover, the conventional paradigm of teacher education is a paradigm full of instrumental rationality characterized by the monologue as the foundation of the view of knowledge. The characteristics of instrumental rationality depict themselves as follows: the expert community compares teacher education to vocational skill or subjects such as iatrology and jurisprudence (teachers are skilled artificers in teaching); In the specific process of the training of teachers, educational experts are the main group of transforming learners into some "standard tools" who can transfer knowledge effectively in accordance with the intended target, plans and standards.Learners will be transformed into of the "standard tools." And Learners are the objects who are shaped and used, they do not have their own voice and rights;Governed by instrumental rationality, researchers take quantification and formalization in positivism as the means to study teacher education; the hegemonic situation of technology and knowledge deprives the validity of domestic knowledge, leading to the collective oblivion of the history of teacher education, the national tradition of respecting teachers and education as well as particular resources of teacher education, and also dischart multi-ideas by researchers. Instrumental rationality brings tremendous crisis to teacher education: Theory is separated from practice, science is separated from ethic. Crisis about paradigm of teacher education puts teacher education in the place of facing shift of its paradigm.Finally, the communicative rationality paradigm of teacher education based on the view of knowledge about dialogue has emerged. Its instrumental characteristics consist of three aspects: the community's faith, theoretical research and practice. The teacher education community is a community of affiliation formed by all participants of teacher education (including researchers, executants, future teachers as subjects, and policy makers). Through dialogues, communication, and cooperation, we can solve the problem that the theory of education and teaching separated from practice, as a result of the monologue in the community of experts.Teacher education is a humanistic social science and is practiced in a communicative community; teachers, being subjects with self-determination, are constructors of culture as well as researchers who can ponder over their own teaching practices - in a word, they are the masters of teacher education. Teachers' practical experiences are emphasized, teachers' cultivating ideas are changed accordingly, and the ideas of training and exercising are replaced by the conception of teachers' independent growth which became the essential concept. The concept of teaching resumed its essential meaning; teaching is learning, teaching is the process of convention and studying from each other. Conventional learning will have to overcome the traditional didactical monologue. The measures for research will not just be the demonstration, but will also lay emphasis on quality-oriented research, whose core is understanding. People have become aware of the importance of indigenous knowledge, which is the soil of teacher education. The communicative rationality paradigm of teacher education has also overcome the separation between science and ethics. Teacher education nowadays has already demonstrated this tide. Only the view of knowledge based on dialogue can take on the responsibility to rebuild the paradigm with its rationality.
Keywords/Search Tags:Paradigm, Kuhn, View of knowledge, View of monologue knowledge, View of dialogue knowledge, Paradigm of teacher education, Instrumental rationality, Communicative rationality
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