Abstracts
Abstract
A basic premise of teacher education is the value of teacher agency, that is, the teacher’s capacity to take responsibility for one’s knowledge, beliefs, judgements, and relationships. How can teacher educators sustain a commitment to agency in light of critiques of western modernity, specifically in relation to the existence of a rational autonomous subject, the erasure of history, and the opacity of language? Drawing on existentialism, ethics, and psychoanalysis, we discuss three practicum vignettes to illustrate what we are calling “the chiastic complexity” of agency within the field of teacher education. We argue that admission of the limits of teacher agency may be the source of ethical insight, educational opportunity, and political resistance for student teachers and teacher educators.
Résumé
Un principe fondamental de la formation des enseignants est la valeur de l’agentivité de l’enseignant, c’est-à-dire, la capacité de l’enseignant d’assumer la responsabilité de sa connaissance, ses croyances et ses jugements, ainsi que de ses rapports éducatifs. Cependant, comment les formateurs d’enseignants peuvent-ils affirmer et soutenir un engagement aussi fondamental à l’égard de l’agentivité, compte tenu des critiques de la modernité occidentale, particulièrement par rapport à l’existence du sujet rationnel et autonome, l’effacement de l’histoire, et l’opacité de la langue? En s’appuyant sur les domaines de l’existentialisme, l’éthique, et la psychanalyse, nous analysons trois vignettes fondées sur les expériences d’un stage (practicum) pour illustrer ce que nous appelons « la complexité chiastique » de l’agentivité dans le domaine de la formation des enseignants. Pour cette raison, nous soutenons que la reconnaissance des limites de l’agentivité de l’enseignant peut être la source d’une perspicacité éthique, des possibilités d’éducation, et de la résistance politique non seulement des futurs enseignants, mais des formateurs des enseignants.
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Appendices
Biographical notes
ANNE M. PHELAN is Professor in the Department of Curriculum and Pedagogy at the University of British Columbia. Her research interests lie in teacher education, curriculum theory, and philosophy of education. anne.phelan@ubc.ca
DION RÜSSELBAEK HANSEN is Associate Professor in the Department for the Study of Culture at the University of Southern Denmark. His research interests lie in teacher education, educational policy, and philosophy of education. dion@ifpr.sdu.dk
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Appendices
Notes biographiques
ANNE M. PHELAN est professeure agrégée au Department of Curriculum and Pedagogy à University of British Columbia. Ses intérêts de recherche portent sur la formation des enseignants, les études du curriculum et la philosophie de l’éducation. anne.phelan@ubc.ca
DION RÜSSELBAEK HANSEN est professeur associé au Department for the Study of Culture à University of Southern Denmark. Ses intérêts de recherche portent sur la formation des enseignants, la politique éducative et la philosophie de l’éducation. dion@ifpr.sdu.dk