Educational professionalism

Under Pedagogical professionalism in the narrower sense is next acquired in educational institutions knowledge base and the application of this knowledge in complex and specific work situations.

According to the current state of research and expert opinions, it is not possible to achieve pedagogical professionalism in full, as this process is on the one hand too lengthy and on the other hand cannot be completed due to the framework conditions.

However, the teacher has to come to terms with the discrepancy in the education system and deal professionally with the requirements as an expert .

It is therefore necessary to interlink the prerequisite and teacher perspective in order to enable largely professional action.

Professionalism in the teaching profession

Components of educational professionalism

Due to the complexity of the teaching profession, the triad of knowledge, routine and ethos is decisive for professional practice in everyday life .

Knowledge is understood both scientifically and didactically , since knowledge about the teachability of specialist knowledge is also important.
The routine enables the teacher to make decisions in a variety of teaching and educational situations that lead to the optimal result in the individual situation.
Ethos is understood to mean the teacher's attitude and attitude towards and in the teaching profession. Responsibility and commitment as well as compliance with certain principles lay the foundation for professional action.

A fourth and decisive component of pedagogical professionalism should be added: pedagogically instructed time management. The focus is on operational decisions by the teacher, which make it possible to coordinate the various time windows in such a way that individual learning can take place with the greatest possible success, namely the time of teaching (e.g. rhetorically structured teacher lecture: inventio, dispositio, elocutio, memoria, pronuntiatio) from the perspective of the prepared teacher, the time of individual learning (e.g. attention, perception, understanding / misunderstanding, acquisition, practice) and the time of pedagogical communication.

According to a changed understanding of the term, Ewald Terhart basically differentiates between three “approaches to determining professionalism in the teaching profession”, a structural theoretical, competence-oriented and a “professional biography” approach.

Professionalism in primary school

Necessary prerequisites for a professional development of the teacher are the freedom and autonomy in the area of the lesson design and a high level of responsibility for the students in everyday school life. This is best achieved in elementary school or primary level, as the interdisciplinary class teaching system makes lessons more flexible in terms of time and allows for methodical variations. The teacher can thus teach almost autonomously.

Studies on professionalization and expertise research in the teaching profession (Bauer / Burkard 1992, Bauer et al. 1996) confirm that a high culture of pedagogical professionalism can be observed, especially in the primary level area .

Domains - the building blocks of a professional practice

The EPIK study and the five-factor model , based on the results of their investigations into the abilities and skills of the professional teacher, have designed five fields of competence, the content of which distinguishes the professional from the layperson . These fields of competence are called domains according to the EPIK approach and the Big Five (B5) according to the five-factor model .

Professional awareness - perceiving yourself as an expert
Personal Mastery - the power of individual skill
Cooperation and collegiality - The productivity of cooperation
Ability to make differences - dealing with large and small differences
Ability to reflect and discourse - sharing knowledge and skills

Individual evidence

^ Edith Schneider: Professionalism of teachers. FIZ Karlsruhe, 2004.
↑ R. Vanderstraeten: Between profession and organization, professional formation in the educational system. In: W. Helsper, R. Tippelt (Ed.): Pedagogical Professionalism. Beltz, Weinheim u. a. 2011, p. 102.
↑ R. Vanderstraeten: Between profession and organization, professional formation in the educational system. In: W. Helsper, R. Tippelt (Ed.): Pedagogical Professionalism. Beltz, Weinheim u. a. 2011, p. 103.
↑ I. Step Eater: Professional Competencies: Systematic and Empirical Approach. In: M. Schratz, A. Paseka, I. Stepesser (Ed.): Educational professionalism: think outside the box - rethink - rethink. Impulses for next practice in the teaching profession. Facultas, Vienna 2011, p. 96.
↑ M. Schratz, I. Step esser, P. Forthuber, G. Pahr, A. Paseka, A. Seel: Domains of teachers / professionalism. In: Journal for teacher training. Issue 1/2007.
↑ S. Blömeke: Professional Teacher Action. Criteria and current empirical findings from teaching research. Lecture at the University of Passau, October 11, 2003.
↑ G. Schönknecht: The development of the innovative competence of teachers from a (professional) biographical perspective. 2005, p. 1.
↑ Hans Jürgen Apel: The teacher as a rhetorician? Teaching and rhetoric. In: HJ Apel, L. Koch (Ed.): Convincing speech and educational effect. On the importance of traditional rhetoric for educational theory and practice. Juventa Verlag, Weinheim / Munich 1997, pp. 53–80.
^ Otto Hansmann: From time management in school lessons. What teachers should know and be able to do. Waxmann, Münster et al. 2009.
^ Ewald Terhart: Teaching profession and professionalism. Changed understanding of terms - new challenges. In: W. Helsper, R. Tippelt (Ed.): Pedagogical Professionalism. Beltz, Weinheim u. a. 2011, pp. 202–224, here 205ff. (pedocs.de)
↑ G. Schönknecht: The development of the innovative competence of teachers from a (professional) biographical perspective. 2005.
↑ H. Brügelmann: 25 years of “opening up the classroom”: an interim balance. In: The primary school magazine. H. 105, 1997, pp. 8-11.
↑ G. Schönknecht: The development of the innovative competence of teachers from a (professional) biographical perspective. 2005, p. 21.
↑ M. Schratz, I. Step esser, P. Forthuber, G. Pahr, A. Paseka, A. Seel: Domains of teachers / professionalism. In: Journal for teacher training. Issue 1/2007.
↑ J. Mayr: The personality approach in teacher research. Concepts, Findings, and Conclusions. In: Handbook of research on the teaching profession. Waxmann, Münster 2011, ISBN 978-3-8309-2350-3 .
^ Ewald Terhart: Teaching profession and professionalism. Changed understanding of terms - new challenges. In: W. Helsper, R. Tippelt (Ed.): Pedagogical Professionalism. Beltz, Weinheim u. a. 2011, ISBN 978-3-407-41158-7 , p. 128.
↑ M. Schratz, A. Paseka, I. Stepesser (Ed.): Educational professionalism: think outside the box - rethink - rethink. Impulses for next practice in the teaching profession. Facultas, Vienna 2011, p. 26.

[1] Edith Schneider: Professionalism of teachers. FIZ Karlsruhe, 2004.

[2] R. Vanderstraeten: Between profession and organization, professional formation in the educational system. In: W. Helsper, R. Tippelt (Ed.): Pedagogical Professionalism. Beltz, Weinheim u. a. 2011, p. 102.

[3] R. Vanderstraeten: Between profession and organization, professional formation in the educational system. In: W. Helsper, R. Tippelt (Ed.): Pedagogical Professionalism. Beltz, Weinheim u. a. 2011, p. 103.

[4] I. Step Eater: Professional Competencies: Systematic and Empirical Approach. In: M. Schratz, A. Paseka, I. Stepesser (Ed.): Educational professionalism: think outside the box - rethink - rethink. Impulses for next practice in the teaching profession. Facultas, Vienna 2011, p. 96.

[5] M. Schratz, I. Step esser, P. Forthuber, G. Pahr, A. Paseka, A. Seel: Domains of teachers / professionalism. In: Journal for teacher training. Issue 1/2007.

[6] S. Blömeke: Professional Teacher Action. Criteria and current empirical findings from teaching research. Lecture at the University of Passau, October 11, 2003.

[7] G. Schönknecht: The development of the innovative competence of teachers from a (professional) biographical perspective. 2005, p. 1.

[8] Hans Jürgen Apel: The teacher as a rhetorician? Teaching and rhetoric. In: HJ Apel, L. Koch (Ed.): Convincing speech and educational effect. On the importance of traditional rhetoric for educational theory and practice. Juventa Verlag, Weinheim / Munich 1997, pp. 53–80.

[9] Otto Hansmann: From time management in school lessons. What teachers should know and be able to do. Waxmann, Münster et al. 2009.

[10] Ewald Terhart: Teaching profession and professionalism. Changed understanding of terms - new challenges. In: W. Helsper, R. Tippelt (Ed.): Pedagogical Professionalism. Beltz, Weinheim u. a. 2011, pp. 202–224, here 205ff. (pedocs.de)

[11] G. Schönknecht: The development of the innovative competence of teachers from a (professional) biographical perspective. 2005.

[12] H. Brügelmann: 25 years of “opening up the classroom”: an interim balance. In: The primary school magazine. H. 105, 1997, pp. 8-11.

[13] G. Schönknecht: The development of the innovative competence of teachers from a (professional) biographical perspective. 2005, p. 21.

[14] M. Schratz, I. Step esser, P. Forthuber, G. Pahr, A. Paseka, A. Seel: Domains of teachers / professionalism. In: Journal for teacher training. Issue 1/2007.

[15] J. Mayr: The personality approach in teacher research. Concepts, Findings, and Conclusions. In: Handbook of research on the teaching profession. Waxmann, Münster 2011, ISBN 978-3-8309-2350-3 .

[16] Ewald Terhart: Teaching profession and professionalism. Changed understanding of terms - new challenges. In: W. Helsper, R. Tippelt (Ed.): Pedagogical Professionalism. Beltz, Weinheim u. a. 2011, ISBN 978-3-407-41158-7 , p. 128.

[17] M. Schratz, A. Paseka, I. Stepesser (Ed.): Educational professionalism: think outside the box - rethink - rethink. Impulses for next practice in the teaching profession. Facultas, Vienna 2011, p. 26.