Novices and veterans journeying into real-world teaching: How a veteran learns from novices

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Teaching and Teacher Education 24 (2008) 204–215

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Novices and veterans journeying into real-world teaching: Howa veteran learns from novices

Shosh Leshema,b,�

aOranim Academic College of Education, Tivon 36006, IsraelbFaculty of Education, The University of Haifa, Haifa 31905, Israel

Received 29 December 2005; received in revised form 30 June 2006; accepted 27 July 2006

Abstract

This paper illustrates the experiences of novice teachers through self-reflection by a teacher trainer. It shows how novice

teachers recognize deficiencies in their professional capacity, the coping strategies they adopt and implications for teacher

training. As teacher trainers we should know why novice teachers say ‘I wish they had taught me abouty’ or ‘how lucky I

am to have been taught this.’ The paper accounts for the initial experiences of novice teachers in their first school and

clarifies how they address their own self-improvement. It shows how novice teachers engage in meaning making as they

connect theory and practice in the classroom. It also illustrates how within one component of a teacher training

programme a veteran teacher-trainer learnt from novices whose experiences enabled practical theories to be recognised.

The evidence highlights potential areas of criticality in teacher education programmes in the real-world of teaching.

r 2006 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Keywords: Teacher training; Novice teachers; Teacher-trainer reflections

1. Prelude

What am I using that I have been taught?

How useful is it?

What else do I need?

What was lacking in my training?

These questions are central to novice teachers’experiences as they move from support by teachertrainers to their isolation in classrooms where theyteach English as a foreign language. As teachertrainers, we need to know why they may think ‘I

ee front matter r 2006 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved

te.2006.07.010

1 972 4 8377099.

ess: [email protected].

wish they had taught me about ...’ or ‘y how lucky I

am to have been previously exposed to this.’This paper illustrates how novice teachers recog-

nize deficiencies in their professional capacity inthree domains:

�

.

how they learn what they need as they enter thereal world of teaching;
� how they interpret what they encounter in the
field;
� what meanings they make from what they see
and experience.

From these three issues implications are drawnfor teacher trainers. Their significance is then

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ARTICLE IN PRESSS. Leshem / Teaching and Teacher Education 24 (2008) 204–215 205

explored, as they illustrate my learning through self-reviewing one aspect of my professional role. Thus,this paper has two themes. Firstly, it provides anaccount of the initial experiences of novice teachersin their first school. Secondly, undertaking thatresearch was a lens upon my own perceptionsregarding those initial experiences and it renewedmy contact, as a teacher trainer, with this importantstage of entering the educational profession.

2. Motives for this study

This investigation emerged from reflecting on myown professional practice as a veteran teachertrainer. I asked myself: how much do I really knowabout my student teachers’ needs, are their realneeds being catered for in the training courses, or,are we (teacher trainers) maintaining what Eraut(1994) calls a ‘routinized behaviour’ which mightnot always be relevant to their school reality? I alsopondered on our effectiveness in helping them makesense of the complexities of classroom life. Erautsuggests that for experts to maintain their expertisethey should engage in reflection and self-evaluation,and to learn from colleagues. This observationcaptured exactly my thoughts and the reality inwhich I found myself. It was apparent then that ‘My

Colleagues’ were in fact my own students.The relationship between teacher and students is

conventionally seen as one in which learning occursin and by the students. However, by emphasizingthe primary direction of learning in this way mayoverlook the potential for learning by teachers fromtheir students. Senese (2005) emphasizes the itera-tive pattern of learning and teaching for everyparticipant in a class. His assertion is based onWheatley (1992) who maintains that roles andpeople are not fixed entities. They are relationshipsthat involve one another. Further thinking aboutEraut’s suggestion plus the assertions from Seneseand Wheatley made me realize that over the years Ihad indeed learnt from my students. But I thenconcluded that this learning manifested itself in theextensive tacit knowledge that I had accumulatedabout how students develop. This realizationprompted me to give particular attention to one ofmy courses. Its major assignment was designed tohelp students realize that their own knowledge-building evolved from everyday-simple-classroom-and-school-events. As they undertook this task,inevitably they would discover how their pro-

gramme had prepared them for initial entry to theirfirst school.

3. My students

The students follow a 4-year national teachertraining programme in education. During years 1–3,they attend lectures in the various fields of educa-tion and also undertake practice teaching in schools.In year 4, they are allocated to a school where theybecome part-time salaried teachers. They also takeadditional courses at the college to complete theirstudies. Most of my students were in their early 20sduring their final year.

I became aware of a phenomenon that appearedregularly in my Teacher as Researcher courseswhich had a defined pre-planned syllabus. At timesI found myself yielding the control over the lessonplan to my students. I realized that considerablelesson time was being devoted to a spontaneous flowof stories that emerged from my students’ weeklyexperiences. These experiences, in practice teaching,had exposed them to the real world of teaching.

In this course, I wanted them to be aware of themicro-events both in the classroom and in theschool itself. Furthermore, these experiences wouldexpose them to ‘making-meaning’ from these eventsin a sensitive way. The effect of this was that thestudents mirrored their feelings about, and experi-ences in, their respective schools. As a result, Istarted to ask myself whether I was providing whatthey wanted. This pattern appeared every year inthe same course even when I presented it to differentstudents, and reinforced my belief that beginning-teachers needed some space for their voices (Carter,1993; Golombek, 1998; Richards, 1996) and my

immediate support.Thus, two assumptions prompted this study:Firstly, it had been a long time since I myself was

a ‘novice teacher’ and my mental pictures of theexperience might have lost their ‘vitality’; Secondly,every beginner’s experience is unique as each schooloffers its own individual ethos (Goodman, 1987;Zeichner & Gore, 1990). As my students came fromdifferent cultural backgrounds and were allocatedto different schools, their experiences could be seenas an interaction between the teacher’s own psycheand the school (Fullan, 1982). This made me realizethat providing generic prescriptions of do’s anddon’ts would not accommodate individual teachers’specific needs. A micro-approach to school eventswas needed for me to help my teachers in their first

ARTICLE IN PRESSS. Leshem / Teaching and Teacher Education 24 (2008) 204–215206

steps into real-world teaching. Finally, adaptingRobson’s (1993, p. Xii) acknowledgement I tooappreciate that the ‘real-world’ is something of aquestionable concept. It is a metaphor used toexpress my intentions. As the article suggests, it ismore of a state of mind than a real ‘real-world.’

These notions guide my belief that it is imperativeto get as close as possible to my teachers’ realitiesand learn how they use their repertoire of knowl-edge to interpret their experiences: What is it thatthey ‘see,’ how do they ‘perceive’ it and, what‘meaning’ do they ascribe to it?

4. Approaching the issue

Thirty accounts of critical incidents were writtenby a selected sample of 5 novice teachers (3 Jews, 1Arab and 1 Druze) during their first year ofteaching. The incidents were recorded on a weeklybasis during their first term in school, as part oftheir assignment in the Teacher as Researchercourse at the college. Narrative accounts weresupported by open interviews and weekly discus-sions with the respondents.

The student teachers were introduced to thecomponents of critical incidents which were usedas an instructional tool (Tripp, 1993). This involvedpractice writing while going through phases of peerquestioning to fill in gaps of information, followedby rewriting to provide a thicker description(Geertz, 1973). Students then discussed possiblesolutions in order to elucidate different definitionsof the situations (Eraut, 1994) and to examine allpossibilities before reaching a conclusion (Dewey,1933). These four processes helped them to producerich linguistic accounts of classroom events, thinkcritically and reflectively upon their practices, whilstsurfacing beliefs and emotions about their immedi-ate needs and professional expectations. Thisapproach is grounded in the assumption cited byHunter and Hatton (1998) that guided mentoring ofa writing process enhances reflection. Rodriquezand Syostrom (1998, p. 209) support this viewclaiming that ‘Writing is a critical level of learningthat provides a springboard from which studentscan move from the specific to the general as well asdevelop a habit of reflection.’ This finding issupported by more recent research which showsthat writing can become ‘a catalyst to raise levels ofreflection where interpretations become more intro-spective’ and less descriptive (Leshem & Trafford,2006, p. 11).

After 2 months of practicing the writing of criticalincidents, students had to compile a portfolio ofincidents from their daily teaching. These wereanalysed through repeated sorting and coding fordominant themes. Special attention was given to thetype of incidents teachers chose as critical and to thelanguage they used to unravel beliefs, levels ofinterpretation and insights.

5. Teachers’ experiences

Drawing on teachers’ critical incidents, I illustratethe experiences and insights that indicate significantturning points in the teachers’ journey. The analysisof the data revealed three distinct phases in theteachers’ journey into real-world teaching.

5.1. The transitional phase: looking forward

A transition from the known to the unknown, theanticipated and the unanticipated, the familiar andthe unfamiliar, the change from observers to activeparticipants, are all descriptors of first steps intoteaching. What is it that constitutes this transitionalphase? I was interested to discover what my teachersthought and felt at the threshold of real-worldteaching. What is it they expect? The school venuewas not new to them since they had played bothroles of audience and actor throughout theirpractice teaching.

A common feature in the teachers’ voices is thatthey were all aware of the notion of transition fromone phase into another and they all expressed acertain level of expectation. Lena is trying not to betoo idealistic. She has met ‘the youth of today’ ‘thesystem’ and ‘the world. However, she still hopesthat when she moves to the other side of the fenceshe will have the opportunity to make some change.

I have no delusion of saving the world, thesystem or the youth of today. I do have theintentions to make a positive impact on some ofthe lives that I come into contact with. I want tomake a difference in my own way.

Ana looks forward to ownership. She can hardlywait to move from the phase of dependence toautonomy.

When I have my own classroom, things will bedifferent. I can hardly wait.

Rana feels the same. She enters the field full ofenergy and good intentions.


I am keen on giving of myself. I am anxious tostart already and feel the ownership of my ownclass.

During their practicum teachers feel constrainedby their cooperating teachers’ methodologies andeducational philosophies. Many expressed theirdismay at being told how to perform in theirclassroom to fit into their cooperating teachers’pedagogical practices. They claimed to have nofreedom to display their personal enthusiasm andcreativity.

Similarly, Sue has it all on the tip of her tongue:ideas, tips, theories textbooks—all the scaffoldingthat she needs to get through the threshold into thereal world of teaching. She is excited to put it intopractice—is it the harmony between theory andpractice that she expects?

I begin my teaching career in a flurry ofexcitement and confusion. I have all thesewonderful theories, ideas, tips and experiencesfrom my practice teaching. I have done all thereading from last year and still have my textbookto refer toy’

The common feature in these teachers’ expecta-tions is their avid desire to make a contribution intheir own way.

5.2. The socialization phase: encountering reality

I entered the classroom. There was perfectsilence. A bunch of sweet little faces looked upat me with a puzzled look on their faces: Who isshe? What is she doing here? Where is Rachel? Iproceeded with my lesson plan. The childrencooperated and everything was so relaxed andpeaceful. How wonderful, I thought to myself. Itis exactly as I imagined it in my dreams.Suddenly, just out of the blue, one of the childrenstarted running around the class, as if in a race. Icouldn’t believe my eyes. I was paralyzed, Ibecame speechless. The other children seemed toenjoy the show, as they giggled and made all sortsof encouraging sounds. I was so miserable andcompletely lost. I couldn’t remember any song oractivity that I had learned to use as a savior insuch unexpected situations. My mind wentcompletely blank. As I turned around, I sawthe principal at the door. He was quite annoyedwith me for not being able to control the class.Once the bell rang, I was relieved and very

disappointed. It was after all my first day in anew school and hey, what a start!

This is how Ana was welcomed into her realworld of teaching. On the surface Ana’s story is notunique. It typifies the experiences of most noviceteachers’ first encounters with teaching. Someobservers would see this process as an emotionalroller-coaster during which the beginning teacherslearn about their emotional makeup (Ryan, 1970).This process for novice teachers could be calledexperimenting and testing while hesitating at class-room doors ‘to prepare a face to meet the faces thatyou meet.’ Corcoran (1981) describes it as ‘realityshock’ which is characterized by a gap between theprotected status of the student and the independentteacher. The consequence of this for the ex-studentteacher is that they now have to accept professionalresponsibility for their actions.

However, what makes Ana’s story unique is whatLave and Wenger (1991) call ‘situated knowledge’,how people respond to the specific context in whichthey operate. They claim that people learn throughsocial practice, and that knowledge is constituted bythe whole person in action, acting with the settingsof that activity. In the same vein, Leinhardt (1988,p. 147) argues that ‘we can learn much about the artof teaching if we seriously consider the nature of theenvironment in which teachers work and reason.’These notions have guided my conception of thenovice teachers’ experiences. What each teacherfound in their world of teaching was thereforeunique to themselves but not to others. How theymake sense of events is context-specific andinfluenced by their personal beliefs, values and lifehistories.

5.3. The learning phase: gaining insights

This phase affords us six reflective insights on theteachers’ entry into the real world of teaching.

5.3.1. Insight 1: mismatches and gaps

I am so thick!Today I learnt one of the biggest lessons ever,and it was from one of my pupils. Dana in my6th grade class is a non-reader. She has learningdisabilities that are connected to her short-termmemory, which makes it very difficult for her toremember the sounds and names of the letters.When she copies from the board, by the time herpen reaches the paper, she has already lost what


she was trying to copy. Along with this, she hashad some social problems which haven’t madeher life among her peers easy. I have tried to giveher some extra help but it is like trying to fill up asieve with water. Admittedly, I have given uptrying and just let her go her merry way in mylessons. I was inevitably thinking about all mypupils and what I still need to do with them untilthe end of the year. However, I decided to giveDana another try and see if I could get her toread. Today, at the end of the lesson I calledDana to me and discussed this with her. Shedidn’t say a word but gave me a note that she hadwritten to me asking to please include her in mylessons!!! I was totally blown away when I readthe note. I realized that I had not been helpingher by allowing her to go her own merry way; infact, I had actually given the impression that shewas not even worth my time or effort.

When will I be able to balance out my reactions?Do I get the choice to decide who is worthy of theextra push? All she asked for is for me to ask hereasy questions and to have her participate in thelesson. I should have thought of that!

In another instance with another pupil the sameteacher reflected:

Two things hit me like a ton of rocks: the firstwas that he had been trying for ME and not forhimself. The second was that, that was HISdefinition of trying. There was this huge chasmbetween HIS reality and MY expectations.

These accounts illustrate a two-folded realization.The teacher had to make a decision concerningDana’s learning difficulties. She was faced with adilemma; extra time devoted to Dana will be at theexpense of time for other pupils. She might even doDana a favour by leaving her alone. However,Dana’s interpretation of the event was different.The teacher is suddenly aware of the mismatchbetween her intentions and Dana’s interpretationand in the second instance between the pupil’sreality and the teacher’s expectations. Kumarava-divelu (1991, p. 106) argues that ‘the narrower thegap between teacher intentions and learner inter-pretations, the greater are the chances of achievingdesired learning outcomes.’ He also observes thatthough mismatches may be inevitable they need notbe totally negative. They can be sources of knowl-edge construction for both teachers and learners.These behavioural gaps created learning opportu-

nities for the teacher. They illuminated her dual roleas teacher and learner, sensitized her to the complexunpredictable nature of classroom events and to thelanguage lesson being ‘a very tricky balancing actbetween the competing pedagogic and social pres-sures of life’ (Allwright, 2005, p. 21).

5.3.2. Insight 2: quests for professional identity

Lakoff and Johnson (1980) suggest that meta-phors are a powerful tool to describe our percep-tions and understanding of experiences. Clandinin(1986) offers a similar view using the notion ofimage as a personal, meta-level, organizing conceptin personal practical knowledge, and a perspectivefrom which new experience is taken. In both, oraland written discourse teachers tended to use visualimages to describe their feelings and experiences.The concept of role identity was very stronglyexpressed and was mainly concerned with twoprincipal dimensions: role ambiguity and the multi-plicity of roles that teaching entails (Handy, 1999,pp. 63–67).

Hawkins (2005, p. 61) describes identity forma-tion as an ‘on going negotiation between theindividual and the social context or environment,with particular attention paid to operant culturaland power relations’ She contends that ‘newcomersto these communities (schools, classrooms) enterinto a complicated dance in which identities arenegotiated and constructed through social interac-tions.’ Having to face different people and uniquesituations, the teachers suddenly realize the dynamicnature of their identity and the impact of theseencounters on their perceptions of self. They arenow officially defined as teachers and they are nolonger student teachers. Within this role re-defini-tion their employers expect them to performprofessionally and competently, when actually theyfeel quite insecure as ‘knowers.’ Handy (1999, p. 64)maintains that ‘one of the crucial expectations thatshape the role definition is that of the individualyif his or her conception of the role is unclear-ythere will be a degree of role ambiguity’. Heargues that this feeling is not necessarily bad as theability to shape one’s own role is a freedom thatmany people desire, but it may lead to role stress.

Let’s listen to some of their voices:

I am still trying to find who I am as a teacher. Ifeel like an imposter. I am new and still unsure ofthings, but I am teachingy and I don’t evenhave my certificate. Am I faking?


I am playing the role of the ‘knower’ when in factI am still a student. I feel quite uncomfortablewith the ambiguity of my role.I am ‘the new teacher’ I wonder how long will Ibe called like that.I am first of all an educator and then and Englishteacher. I am responsible and obligated to guide,nurture and educate the kids in my care. Isometimes feel like a thermometer, feeling whenthey need me and always being there.I feel like God—creating a new something out ofnothing and being responsible for the conse-quences.I feel like a spy. I have to use all my senses tocrack the unresolved and on top of it to sensewhat is happening around me! I thought that myjob was to teach, but I very quickly learned that Ihad to become ‘one of the club’ and socialize,whether I wanted it or not.I feel like I am in a maze, going on a journey andnot knowing where I will end up. I feel like agiant question mark.

The teachers believed that clarifying the issue ofrole and stress were due to suddenly realizing thecomplex and multidimensional nature of teaching:‘There is much more to being a teacher than just

teaching, it is educating, creating, manipulating,

socializing and navigating.’ These aspects have beendealt with in their preparation courses, however,only when they encountered them in the real worldof teaching, did they fully understand the meaningof the enormity of the job and the pressure ofaccountability. This was often expressed in suchquestions as: Am I doing the right thing? Are they

learning?

5.3.3. Insight 3: power and status conflicts

The following examples depict the micro-politicsof the school environment. The insight that theteachers have gained was that socialization is not aneasy process and that they sometimes have tocomply with the school ethos which is against theirown beliefs (Lacey, 1977). Their enthusiasm to‘make a change’ has been challenged by maintainingstability. During conversations in course sessionssome expressed their frustration and even anger athaving to conform to the established norms.

Ana said. I had no chance in implementing mystrategy of dealing with the trouble makes. I trulybelieved in my way but I felt a sort of resistancefrom both the homeroom teacher and the

principal. They were not very much in favourof challenging the school norms.

(Homeroom teacher: a teacher responsible for theteaching and social events of a particular class for awhole year).

Others displayed a much more resilient attitudeand preferred to take an adaptive stance to avoidconfrontation. This is illustrated in a teachers’advice to her colleague: ‘When you are new, you

have to take a deep breath and suppress your feelings,

even if it is against your principles.’ Similarly, Sueand Lena describe their resilient stance when theyhad to comply with implicit power struggles thatresulted in feelings of loss of face and insecurity.

Ana refers to her pupils:

The message that has been conveyed by the 6thgraders was: we are the veterans around here.They knew their way around the school; I wasthe one who needed their help. It really made mefeel quite insecure and they might have sensed it

While Sue complains about her superior:

The homeroom teacher argued with me in frontof the pupils. They immediately knew who theauthority was. She crushed my self-image rightthere and then.

5.3.4. Insight 4: contradicting rationalities and

delusions of myths

The realities described by the teachers destabi-lized some of the set beliefs and values that framedtheir expectations about school agendas. Thisknowledge base is often derived from their pastexperiences and influence the way they interprethow things are and should be. They somehow feltthat they were at a loss in reconciling the twoconflicting ends.

Lena was ‘flabbergasted’ because she ‘ hadreceived two conflicting pieces of advice from thesame authority’. And Sue was ‘completely confused’at the mixed messages she was given by the staff.

I am completely confused. I was told that the45min of a lesson are precious and should bewisely exploited. Now I am reprimanded forbeing strict and self-centered. ‘Let go’, said theHomeroom teacher, ‘your lesson is not the mostimportant lesson, so what if the sports-teachertook 30min of your lesson.

The following day when I took an extendedbreak with one of my problematic pupils, I was


reprimanded for being late to my class. I wasspeechless. Am I naive?

In another incident that Ana had with the parentsof one of her pupils, she concludes:

Now I really know that we don’t know a damnthing!!! We are not equipped to deal with childrenand the parents of today.

Ana is confronted with different norms ofbehaviour that shake her moral and ethical beliefsabout what constitutes a ‘wisely exploited’ lessonand a caring teacher. She interprets the educationalevent in an assertion that:

The policy changes hourly and we are just tryingto keep our heads above water and keep ournames out of the newspaper.

Sue identifies the social schemes within the schoolsystem:

I thought I had to concentrate on my teachingand the pupils. I realized that there is more to it.

She articulates her own understanding of thesituation and asserts that:

You have to become one of the club and smile,mingle, even if you don’t feel like it. This is thename of the game—the hidden curriculum thatnobody teaches you but you have to discoveryourself, sometimes in the hard way, like me.

5.3.5. Insight 5: the rat-race syndrome

Teachers did not anticipate how long they had todevote to administrative tasks, apart from alsocoping with cumulative teaching responsibilitiesplus emotional or physical consequences of ‘theday’s teaching.’ This schedule was outside theirexperience of practice teaching as observers, havingto teach only a few hours in each school.

I can’t keep up with this pace of running fromone lesson to the other. I don’t have a minute tomyself.

Every ‘homeroom teacher’ has different require-ment. Each one of them wants me to follow her

way of doing things. I am going mad.

5.3.6. Insight 6: cultural differences

The cultural aspect of inducting novice teachersinto school was not given much attention in theclass sessions, despite the students’ cultural diver-sity. This alerted my attention to the issue and

prompted further introspection. It was illuminatingto observe the non-verbal astonished gestures of mytwo Arab teachers in one session when the Jewishteacher shared a recent experience from school life.They could sympathize with the pedagogical un-certainties and dilemmas; however, they were quitesurprised to learn about the feelings of loneliness,estrangement, and even the animosity that thisteacher experienced. Their social route into the realworld of teaching seemed to be less bumpyaccording to their perceptions.

I am shocked, said F (Arab teacher). I just can’tbelieve the stories you are telling. In my school, Iimmediately felt at home. I was introduced to theteachers on the first day, they all tried to help. Itseemed as if the teachers’ room is one big family.

I felt more or less the same, said the Druzeteacher, we always find somebody we know in theschool. They are either from the same village,family related or know somebody from myvillage.

6. Conceptualizing the mutual journey

Accompanying my teachers through their journeyof real-world teaching, I realized that my teachershad led me through their trail of knowledgeconstruction. This fed into my own reshaping ofexisting knowledge and belief systems.

Jacoby and Gonzales (1991) assume that expertknowledge is shifting and temporal. They claim that‘Viewing expert–novice as a bipolar dichotomyyfails to capture both the complexity of what itmeans to ‘‘know things’’ and the dynamic fluidity ofexpert–novice relations as they are constituted inunfolding interaction.’ Extending this view, Rogoff(1994) argues that when no one has all theresponsibility for knowing and expertise is notstatic, opportunities for learning seem enhanced.Cochran-Smith and Lytle (1999) support theseviews by claiming that teacher research blurs theseparation ‘between teachers and researchers,knowers and doers, and experts and novices’. Inow recognise those views.

My journey with my teachers reinforces thesenotions. I sensed that we were a community ofpractice (Lave & Wenger, 1991) where we learnedfrom each other. There was obvious interplaybetween their reflections and interpretations andmy continual self-examination of my own practicesand conceptions of teaching. These iterations


became critical features in my learning as theyprovided both theoretical (assumptions about tea-cher training) and practical (users’ evaluativejudgements) feedback. This can be illustrated inthree cameos.

When Ana asks ‘How do I build that bridge

between what I know and what I am able to do in the

classroom? I was intrigued to know what is it thatshe knows and what does she think she is able to doin class; what is the gap between the two and howwas it created; and, what theoretical basis underliesher final statement of the reflective account that:‘teaching has a life of its own.

These were typical of the insights that my teachersarrived at, and they became the raw material for meto pursue through my own self exploration as Ipondered on this question: Am I providing my

student-teachers in my preparatory courses sufficient

tools to help them in their self-study? We were alljourneying into our respective professional worldsfrom different starting points. I was looking backand surveying the repertoire of paths making-up myprofessional journey whilst my teachers were takinginitial steps to create their repertoire of personalexperiential knowledge. On a practical level thecritical incidents, the discussions and the randomconversations provided me with vivid opportunitiesto understand my teachers’ experiences and rekindlemy own memories of being a novice teacher.

7. My insights

Looking back at my teachers’ critical incidents, Irealized that some of their questions and assertionsrepresented introspective interpretations that re-quired a critical analysis of the event.

Ana’s speculative question ‘How do I build a

bridge between what I know and what I am able to do

in class,’ challenged my own perspective on noviceteacher’s practical knowledge. For me this wasevidence of what Daudelin (1996, p. 39) describes as‘a highly personal cognitive process which happensin the mental self’. She argues that ‘when a personengages in reflection, he or she takes an experiencefrom the outside world brings it inside the mind,turns it over and makes connectionsy’ Ana notonly shows ‘signs of deliberation in setting theproblem’ (LaBoskey, 1994) but is also able to forma hypothesis which is implicit in her questions: ‘If I

bridge the gap, I might be able to solve the problem.’The same accounts for Sue’s question: ‘When will I

be able to balance out my reactions?’ Balancing her

reaction might help her cope with pupils like Dana.Similarly, Lena explores her own feelings aboutparent–teacher relationships by asking: ‘Why do I

see a parent– teacher conference as threatening?’ and‘Why do I feel that I have to arrive with ammunition?’Following these questions is a search for possibleexplanations: ‘Is it the responsibility for the childrenthat threatens me?’ ‘Is it because I am new and stillunsure of what I am teaching them?’ ‘Am I beingnaıve?’

The questions that my teachers asked themselveschallenged my own appreciation of their experi-ences. My students demonstrated what Daudelin(1996) describes as ‘the stages of reflection’ leadingto learning e.g. articulation of a problem, analysis ofthe problem, formulation and testing of a tentativetheory to explain the problem. Or they may havebeen ‘developing a generality of knowing’ (Greeno,1997) to develop ways of seeing and interpretingclassrooms that are applicable to other situations(Edwards & Protheroe, 2003). Their assumptionsabout the micro politics of the school system and itseffect on teaching (Zeichner & Gore, 1990) mightalso display moral concern. Their exhibitions ofsensitivity to the uniqueness of situations seemed toacknowledge cultural differences. Perhaps all theserealizations were reconstructing their understand-ings of what it means to be a teacher.

These were the questions that challenged mybelief system about ‘novice teachers’ and extendedmy insights about my role in guiding my studentsinto the real world of teaching.

8. A bird’s eye view: conceptualizing the process

When the students stand at the gate of the realworld of teaching they are at a transitional point inboth their career and their learning (Bridges, 1991).They are leaving an institutional context whichprovided their professional training. This waspreparatory for them as teachers; it was of a genericand collectivist nature with a primary purpose todevelop their professional characteristics. Schoolsand colleges both expected students to gain appro-priate skills and knowledge. From the trainees’perspective they required basic knowledge in orderto overcome their inexperience as semi-professionalsand they recognized that they were dependantlearners. For them the outcomes of institutionaltraining should be gaining insights upon theprofession and becoming aware of the multipleroles that they would fulfil in a school.


When novice teachers enter the world of teaching,they are faced with ‘instant’ and ‘immediate’situations that turn into need-driven and continuousprofessional development. It is inescapable. Thisprocess is also irreversible. However, the school-based provision of induction and mentoring repre-sents on-the-job, individualistic, remedial assistancefor each student. This is professional guidanceprovided by schools for newly appointed noviceteachers. However, for the student who is now anovice teacher they are faced with personal inde-pendence, evolving professional autonomy and aconstant necessity to reflect in and on practice(Schon, 1983). For them pragmatism in handlingnew situations, applying previously learnt theory tothe reality of teaching and actively learning abouttheir new roles become their day-to-day life.

Bridges presents through a three-componentmodel of change, the relationship between ending/neutral zone/beginning that form a continuouschange from the old to the new. The practicalsignificance of Bridges’ model is his inclusion of aneutral zone. This, he argues, is an in-between statefull of uncertainty and confusion where peoplemight rush forward or retreat to the past. Hesuggests that change need not be a sudden alterationfrom one phase to the other; transition and itsduration will vary depending upon the individualand their respective change context. Thus, heproposes, that time in the neutral zone should notbe rushed, for this is where change takes place.

Bridges’ model explains the situation that thenovice teachers were experiencing. The studentswere passing through three phases of transition.Firstly, they recognized an end to their totaldependence upon a teacher training institution forguidance through each working day. Secondly,initial days and weeks in their new school con-fronted them with passing through a ‘neutral zone’.Here they had to cope with sets of roles, relation-ships and purposes as novices in a new schoolexperience. Thirdly, they were entering a newbeginning as accepted teachers within the profes-sional community of their new school when theywill inevitably take stock of both.

This notion of change emphasizes the transitionalstages through which the processes of altered statesmove. It portrays change as one in which previousstates are carried over into the subsequent stage.This was evident in my students who carriedforward their teacher-training experiences into theirinitial novice-teacher time in their new school.

Similarly, the experiences which they encou-ntered in those early days influenced how theyproceeded and perceived their new professionalenvironment.

The practical implication of the neutral zone forteacher education calls for the need to acknowledgethe notion that transition from one phase to anotheris developmental thereby teachers’ knowledge isshaped and reshaped by new insights emerging atdifferent stages in their personal experiences. Thishas to be nurtured during the neutral zone.Equipping students with sets of skills is notsufficient to help them in the transition process.What is required from both trainers and trainees isto adopt an enquiring and a more conceptual stanceto puzzling situations and allow space for studentsto make connections and derive meanings from their

experiences. This is when real and effective trans-formation takes place.

Using Bridges’ construct also allowed me torecognise my own transitional process of change.My ‘traditional’ view was that my students wereadequately prepared to cope with ‘novice days’ intheir first teaching appointment. This was myending stage. My neutral zone combined collectingthis data and reflecting upon it through myprofessional lens as a teacher trainer. Here, I hadmoved from a relatively unquestioning and accept-ing view of my role to a new realization of thecoping strategies needed by contemporary noviceteachers (my students). The outcome of thisinvestigation—my new beginning—are the insightsthat I have gained and the components which cannow be included in my future teacher-trainingprogrammes. Thus, appreciating these three stagesof change enabled me to realize that at times in thepast I had not really recognised that differentdemands were latent in my students. These weredetermined by their own passing through the threestages that Bridges outlined.

This bird’s eye view used my students’ experiencesduring their initial time in a new school as thevehicle to conduct my own self-review. In thisrespect my investigation contained multiple levels ofanalysis and interpretation. The evidence showed avariety of met and unmet expectations by mystudents of their initial time in schools. It is thepresenting issue in this investigation, and providesan illuminative and evaluative perspective (Parlett &Hamilton, 1972) on my assumptions regarding thesuitability and efficacy of one component in myprofessional role.


9. Conclusions

My interest in discovering what my studentteachers experienced in their initial weeks ofteaching stemmed from wanting to evaluate therelevance of their training. This was a regular partof my teacher-training role over many years.However, the specific focus for this investigationwas prompted by my re-acquaintance with Eraut’s(1994) ideas. As a consequence, in researching myown work it was ‘impossible for me to be detached,and so the examination of my involvement shapedthe way in which my data was interpreted’ (Hollo-way & Jefferson, 2000, p. 33). In this way, twocomplementary themes emerged from the evidence.Firstly, there were insights on how the teacherscoped in their new working context, and secondly,those insights then provided the foundation for myown learning.

Although seeking to understand the emotionalexperiences of student teachers as they took on therole of teachers is potentially complex, the evidencethat was collected simplified that task. The com-ments from my students represent very direct, real-time and practical feedback to my colleagues, and I,on the questions that initiated this investigation. Itshowed that teachers should be prepared toacknowledge gaps and dissonances between their‘college learning’ as opportunities for personaldevelopment on-the-job. Furthermore, they shouldbe willing to engage constantly in exploring theirown classroom events discourses and patterns ofinteraction. Their comments also confirmed thatthey drew upon ‘taught programmes’ for guidanceand clues to coping with emergent problems. Thissuggested that retaining ideas, or searching forpotential solutions, were significant parts of theircoping strategy.

Identifying how novice teachers make sense ofevents by entering their new world of teaching, canhelp to build a repertoire of cases. My investigationgenerated such cases as cameos and vignettes andthey were critical incidents of professional experi-ence. These can be used as teaching tools andguiding aids by teacher trainers to help subsequenttrainee teachers appreciate the experiences of join-ing a new school. Teacher trainers can use suchcritical incidents as instructional tools to raiseawareness of novice teachers towards their ownteaching processes. This will help them combine‘self-critical subjective perspectives’ (McIntyre,2005, p. 367) and Bridges (1991) three stages

through problematising (Orland-Barak, 2002) fordiscussion the practical issues that confront traineesteachers prior to, and on entry to, first teachingpositions.

Real-world critical incidents provide opportu-nities for teachers and learners to reflect onauthentic teaching experiences. This, in turn,enhances peer discussions that help to overcomefeelings of novice teacher isolation by recognizingthat ‘your own emotional experiences are notunique’ (Wincup, 2001, p. 29). This is a practicaloutcome from my investigation, and it applies to thework of my colleague teacher trainers as well as tome.

The evidence from this study suggests, though it isdifficult to prove, that these novice teachers werefaced with six dilemmas as they took up their firstpost in a school. Firstly, the relative significance andorder in which these dilemmas appeared waspersonal to each student. Secondly, the excitementof the first post and the first lesson seemed to be metby various levels of frustration. Thirdly, their needto survive both in the school and in their classroomoffset the fulfillment of becoming and independentteacher. This also reflected the dilemmas of wishingto be creative within the regularity of the school daywhich itself may have been simply mundane. Thesethree dilemmas are personal and reflect the necessityto cope emotionally with their new experiences.

The remaining dilemmas stem from coping withthe practicalities of schools as organizations.Fourthly, some frustration emerged when noviceteachers sought to take advantage of the opportu-nities that they experienced whilst coping with thechallenges from pupils, colleague teachers andadministrative demands of the school. Fifthly, thenotion of personal space and ‘ownership’ then hadto be balanced against the school culture ofcollective responsibility and professional flexibility.Finally, novice teachers had to reconcile theharmony that they anticipated in the school withthe multiple layers of discord that are found in anyorganization.

The potential for learning, therefore, was directlydetermined by how our students viewed their‘preparation’ by us to cope with their first formalteaching appointment. If teacher trainers are towork with the notions of Donald Schon, thenperhaps we ourselves might revisit our own earlierprofessional experiences in parallel with those ofour students. The feedback that we receive from ourstudents takes on far greater significance when it is


given from their real-world context of the school.Their insights at that time can incorporate ‘theexperience of practice.’ Thus, we should perhapsdistinguish between this type of feedback and otherevaluative comments that are made before suchexperience is gained by our students.

My world of teaching contained a different set ofinsights to those of the students. This study showshow within one component of a teacher trainingprogramme a veteran expert teacher learnt fromnovices whose experiences enabled practical theories(Kroath, 2002, p. 49) to be made more relevant totheir immediate needs. Kroath argues that ‘yprac-tical theories guide, monitor, and justify profes-sionals’ action and are functionally equal toscientific theories.’ He suggests that everyone guidestheir life through theories that are on the ‘virtualepistemological level and on the real-practical level(Kroath, 2002, p. 55).’ He implies that practitionerswho are also researchers possess a duality ofoutlook—giving conceptual meanings to eventsand seeking concrete ways to cope with presentsituations. This notion provided a deeper under-standing of my educative and developmental role asa teacher trainer.

I have learnt the importance of alerting students tothe great variety, complexity and richness of theteacher’s life by ‘sophisticating the beholding’ of theirown classrooms (Stake, 1995) and as a result, helpingthem to underpin the theories within their practice andconceptualize their experiences. The real world ofteaching is both unreal and surreal having itsdelightful absurdities and pleasures as well as itsdifficulties and problems. These absurdities, pleasuresand difficulties as depicted in their critical incidentscan be developed into what Orland-Barak (2002)describes as ‘occasions for learning.’ She argues thatthese moments of crisis then help novice teachers tomake sense of the world of teaching. I believe that themore rounded and educated they are the better theywill be able to navigate their own ways through themessy labyrinth of education and teaching. Thismeans that they have to be helped to see themselvesas people with their own points of view and sets ofvalues which then become lenses, prisms or crystalswith which they reflect and refract the teaching worldthey experience.

I felt that the engagement in a self-examination ofmy professional experience by ‘making the familiarstrange’ (Erickson, 1984) had enriched my under-standing of educational phenomena that I had takenfor granted. It is in this last conclusion that the real

value of this self-review account has value for me.Deciding to challenge the assumption that ‘oneknows’ or ‘I understand’ need not be a high risk issue(Parlett & Dearden, 1977). However, it can provide asimple and fairly immediate immersion in the valuesystems that have previously been unscrutinised. In awider sense, this implies the continuous need forteacher educators to reassess their practice throughintrospection of their own sources of information(Freiberg & Waxman, 1990) and accept reflectionabout the pedagogy of a teacher education course as aworthwhile exercise (Moguel, 2004).

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Novices and veterans journeying into real-world teaching: How a veteran learns from novices