Educator's perception on students 'communication competences

Didactic communication is part of human communication, but it has a peculiar specificity, it implies a premeditation and a clear intentionality in the sense of producing profound and long-term changes in the individual and in society. The nature of this type of communication is intensely persuasive, which puts into action a whole set of means, channels and procedures that can and must be combined in order to achieve the goals set. This is why it is important to be able to assess the student's communication skills, for having to an appropriate perception of their level, in order to assure and streamline communication in the classroom.

Lærerutdannerens profesjonsforståelse En innfallsvinkel til å profesjonalisere lærerutdannerfeltet

SammendragHva er lærerutdannerens ekspertise og mandat – og hvem avgjør det? I denne artikkelen foreslås profesjonsforståelse som en tilnærming til å kvalifisere og profesjonalisere lærerutdannerpraksis, og som et refleksjonsverktøy for å diskutere kvalitet i lærerutdanningene i det 21. århundre. Begrepet profesjonsforståelse er utviklet i et doktorgradsarbeid om musikklærere og musikklærerutdannere (Angelo, 2012a), og handler kort sagt om oppfatningen av hva utdanneren kan og skal. Dette dreier seg om kunnskap og identitet betraktet som sammenvevde størrelser, regulert av ulike typer makt. I artikkelen blir profesjonsforståelse diskutert på individuelt, kollektivt, institusjonelt og politisk nivå. I lærerutdanninger trekkes forståelsen av ekspertise og mandat i mange retninger, noe som kan henge sammen med blant annet utdanningsinstitusjonens profil, hvilke fellesskap som er av betydning for utdanneren, og om lærerutdanneren ser seg selv som for eksempel fagutøver, forsker, klasseromsekspert eller politiker. Lærerutdanningsfeltet er så langt lite formelt regulert, og det er mye opp til den enkelte lærerutdanner å bestemme hva slags kunnskapsutvikling og identitetsutvikling som lærerstudentene skal tilbys, og å avgjøre hvilke kvalitetsnormer som får gyldighet. Denne autonomien har fordeler og ulemper, og den er også truet i utdanningslandskapet. For å styrke og videreutvikle lærerutdanningene i det 21. århundre trengs det refleksjonsrammer som tar utgangspunkt i et særlig viktig aspekt i lærerutdanningene – nemlig lærerutdannerne. I denne artikkelen foreslås profesjonsforståelse som en innfallsvinkel til nettopp dét, og dermed også som et refleksjonsverktøy for å kunne diskutere kvalitet i lærerutdannerpraksisene.Nøkkelord: lærerutdanning, lærerutdannere, lærerutdannerprofesjonen, profesjonalisering, utvikling, lærerprofesjonalitet AbstractWhat expertise and mandate do teacher educators have, and who decides this? This article proposes professional understanding as an approach by which to professionalise and develop the field of teacher educators and to access the difficult topic of quality in the teacher education of the 21st century. The term professional understanding was developed in a research study of music teachers and music teacher educators (Angelo, 2012a) and concerns the perception of what educators can and should do. This concerns both knowledge and identity, which are regulated by diverse types of power. In the article, professional understanding is discussed on an individual, collective, institutional and political level, at which different mechanisms stretch perceptions in various directions. The teacher educator’s perception of his/her expertise and mandate might be affected by their institution’s profile, what collectives are significant for the educator and whether the teacher educator sees him/herself as a subject performer, researcher, classroom expert or politician. Such conditions influence his/her goals and the communities he/she wants to (or not to) be part of. The field of teacher education has little formal regulation, and individuals therefore have a great ability to decide upon their own expertise and tasks, and to judge what is seen as good or poor professional practice. This autonomy has both advantages and disadvantages. Notably, it is threatened in the educational landscape. To strengthen and develop teacher education in the 21st century, one needs frames for reflection that start with a particularly important aspect of teacher education—teacher educators. This article proposes professional understanding as an approach to strengthening teacher education, and as a tool for reflecting and discussing quality in teacher education practices.Keywords: teacher education, teacher educators, the profession of teacher edu­cators, professionalisation, development/transformation, teacher profession­alism

Effects of Labels on Attitudes of Educators toward Handicapped Children

Effects of clinical labels on attitudes of experienced and inexperienced educators toward exceptional children were explored. Labeled and unlabeled descriptions of mentally deficient, psychopathic, schizophrenic, and cerebral palsied children were distributed to 160 educators. Attitudes toward the children, and the labels, were measured on a 25 item rating scale. Results were interpreted to mean that labeling does affect the educator's perception of exceptional children. The effects were not consistent for different labels. For the mentally deficient, the child was seen more negatively when the description was unlabeled than when labeled. Labeled descriptions of psychopathic, schizophrenic, and cerebral palsied children were rated more negatively than were unlabeled versions. Experience did not seem to affect educators’ perceptions of exceptional children.