The learning preferences and tendencies of technological education teachers

Technological education teacher candidates are the focus of attention in this study. Teacher education research suggests that most general studies teachers adopt some variation of a transmission model of teaching. Many potential technology teachers, by comparison, bring a different framework and set of premises to teaching. They have a perspective on learning that is practical rather than academic. Background experiences in an apprenticeship, in a cooperative education programme, or in a business and industry environment often nourish a learning ethic that is quite a contrast to the predominant one found in schools. The result, for these teacher candidates, is that preparing for and practising in the profession are perplexing to them. The fundamental premises about learning which drive curriculum policy and implementation in schools are examined in light of this finding. What the case studies reveal is that those values and beliefs which differentiate academic versus practical learning tendencies among technology teachers are discernible but repressed. The case studies help the reader understand the dynamics of two distinct viewpoints, and their impact on teacher socialization. In a teacher development and curriculum change context teacher learning preferences and tendencies are particularly important. To what extent do these preferences and tendencies determine teacher effectiveness? How do the classroom and workshop experiences of technology teachers differ from those which characterize teachers in general studies subjects such as mathematics, social studies, or english? The methodology associated with assessing and documenting the lived experience of these teachers is 'life histories' and 'narrative inquiry'. The paper and/or poster session will feature a problem statement, research methodology, vignettes written by technology teacher candidates, an analysis of the vignettes, and a section on 'the implications for practice/study in teacher education'.