Is transdisciplinary teacher education possible?

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• Is transdisciplinary teacher education possible?
• Peter McDowell
• School of Education
• Charles Darwin University
• peter.mcdowell_at_cdu.edu.au

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Our research questions

• Is transdisciplinary (TD) teacher education
  possible?
• What would a sequence of TD pedagogy units look
  like?
• How does TD pedagogy affect our views of
  education and teacher education?

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What is TD teacher education?

• More than a theoretical possibility
• Aspects have been trialled on a moderate scale
• Involves creating a complex narrative for
  multi-layered learning
• Punctuated with dialectical elements
• Offers an interpretive framework for education
  unfolding in context

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How can a TD approach help?

• In noticing the ever-present danger of using
  educational solutions designed for another era
• In countering representationalism persistent
  content-oriented categories in our educational
  institutions, curriculum, teaching, and learning
• In achieving the educational transformation
  needed for the 21st Century

Mason, J. (2002). Researching your own practice
The discipline of noticing. London, UK Routledge.
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What transformation?

• Edgar Morins Seven Complex Lessons in Education
  for the Future
• Calling for paradigmatic reform in education
• Argued on multiple grounds knowledge, ontology,
  values, ethics, ...
• Sensitive to cultural and political realities
• Designed to stimulate debate

Morin, E. (1999). Seven complex lessons in
education for the future. Paris, France UNESCO.
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Morins complex lessons

• Seven particularly problematic areas, demanding
  substantial reconceptualisation
• Areas of emphasis (reactive) exposing error and
  illusion, negative effects of disciplinarity,
  and fragmentation of human identities
• Areas of emphasis (proactive) embracing
  uncertainty, promoting mutual understanding,
  world citizenship, and planetary futures

Disciplinarity also has positive effects
needing retention.
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What is at stake?

• Education plays a fundamental role in fuelling
  the problem areas
• Education (if reconfigured) can play a vital part
  in advancing the positive, proactive areas
• Reconfiguring education demands that we rethink
  our approaches to teacher education
• Reconfiguring education is complex and uncertain

Davis, B., Sumara, D., Luce-Kapler, R. (2008).
Engaging minds Changing teaching in complex
times (2nd ed.). New York, NY Routledge.
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The TD narrative (fabula)
situations in time order
Successful learner Entry
Directed learner Pedagogy
Self-directed learner Andragogy
Self-determined learner Heutagogy
Transdisciplinary learner Explore the TD narrative
Transdisciplinary teacher Orchestrate the TD narrative
Hase, S., Kenyon, C. (2000). From andragogy to
heutagogy. ultiBASE, 00(December). Retrieved from
http//ultibase.rmit.edu.au/Articles/dec00/hase2.h
tm
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The TD narrative (sjužet)
situations in order of presentation
Learner Identities Learner Identities
Normative Pedagogies Educational Futures
Negotiated Curriculum Collaboration
Self-Determined Learning Expansive Learning
Disciplinarity Disciplinarity
Prince, G. (2003). A dictionary of narratology
(rev. ed.). Lincoln, NE University of Nebraska
Press.
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The TD narrative (dialectic)
Teacher ? Learner
Pre-specified ? Negotiated
Directed ? Self-directed
Determined ? Self-determined
Knowledge ? Praxis
Success ? Struggle
Question do the left-hand and right-hand columns
cluster naturally?
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Does it work?

• Necessary in the presenters teaching context
• Large cohorts of generalists and semi-specialists
• Students study curriculum and pedagogy as a
  single cohort in two common units
• All learning areas and subjects are accommodated
• Uses cross-curricular areas to develop teacher
  awareness in preferred disciplines and contexts

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Humanities (small scale)
Disciplinary Studies Disciplinary Studies Entry
History Geography Learner Identities
History Geography Normative Pedagogies
Cross-curricular areas e.g. sustainability Cross-curricular areas e.g. sustainability Negotiated Curriculum
Cross-curricular areas e.g. sustainability Cross-curricular areas e.g. sustainability Educational Futures
Specialist studies e.g. psychology, economics Further specialisation e.g. modern history Self-Determined Learning
Specialist studies e.g. psychology, economics Further specialisation e.g. modern history Expansive Learning
Multidisciplinarity exploration Multidisciplinarity exploration Collaboration
Multidisciplinarity exploration Multidisciplinarity exploration Disciplinarity
An example of two curriculum method units
designed to meet local regulatory requirements
and curriculum. Students enter with some prior
disciplinary studies.
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What are the impediments?

• It can be difficult to embrace the TD narrative
• Identity work can get in the way (disciplinary
  affiliations of learners, teachers, teacher
  educators)
• Pedagogy complicates matters (as opposed to? ...
  )
• Existing curriculum is usually heavily
  disciplinary
• Administrative matters (existing policies,
  procedures, current investment, staff profiles,
  ... )

Suggested activity try using the TD narrative
(fabula, sjužet, and dialectic) to interpret
these impediments
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Our research questions

• Is transdisciplinary (TD) teacher education
  possible?
• What would a sequence of TD pedagogy units look
  like?
• How does TD pedagogy affect our views of
  education and teacher education?

The answer must be a cautiousyes, both in
principle and in practice
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Our research questions

• Is transdisciplinary (TD) teacher education
  possible?
• What would a sequence of TD pedagogy units look
  like?
• How does TD pedagogy affect our views of
  education and teacher education?

Various ways of retelling the multilayered
narrative according to context
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Our research questions

• Is transdisciplinary (TD) teacher education
  possible?
• What would a sequence of TD pedagogy units look
  like?
• How does TD pedagogy affect our views of
  education and teacher education?

Familiarity with the TD narrative helps us better
understand the current situation and conceive of
educational futures consistent with the
planetary era.
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Conclusion

• Transdisciplinary teacher education is possible!
• Even where there isnt much regulatory support
• Can be implemented in full programmes, parts of
  programmes, or even single units
• Its also exciting to teach and transformative
  for many of the learners (which is another story
  ... )

Please see the full paper in the Proceedings for
further details.
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Coda
Strategy, like learning, is navigation on a sea
of uncertainties dotted with islets of
certainties.Edgar Morin
(Morin, 1999, p. 48)
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Questions and comments?Thank you

• peter.mcdowell_at_cdu.edu.au

McDowell, P. (2012, June). Is transdisciplinary
teacher education possible? Proceedings of the
International Conference on Responding to the
21st Century Demands for Educational Leadership
and Management in Higher Education, Ho Chi Minh
City, Vietnam.