Deakin University
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Teacher professional learning through pedagogy of discomfort

journal contribution
posted on 2018-01-01, 00:00 authored by Andrea NolanAndrea Nolan, Tebeje Molla MekonnenTebeje Molla Mekonnen
The established link between quality early childhood programs and positive child trajectories has led to the professionalization of the early childhood workforce in Australia. Attention has concentrated on the upgrading of qualifications and opportunities for professional learning. This paper focuses on exploring teacher professional learning, positioning it as a reflective practice. It considers teacher dispositions, moments of disjuncture and how these influence teacher learning. Theoretically, the paper is informed by Bourdieu’s concepts of habitus and reflexivity; Mezirow’s theory of transformative learning; and Boler and Zembylas’s notion of pedagogy of discomfort. The data are drawn from a statewide mentoring project for newly graduated early childhood teachers in Victoria, Australia. The findings suggest that for teacher professional learning to be transformative, the process must be informed by a pedagogy of discomfort thereby considering the interplay of teachers’ professional dispositions, experiences of disjuncture, and acts of deliberation.

History

Journal

Reflective Practice

Volume

19

Pagination

721-735

Location

Abingdon, Eng.

ISSN

1462-3943

eISSN

1470-1103

Language

English

Publication classification

C1 Refereed article in a scholarly journal

Copyright notice

2018, Informa UK Limited, trading as Taylor & Francis Group

Issue

6

Publisher

ROUTLEDGE JOURNALS, TAYLOR & FRANCIS LTD