Developing as a teacher: changing conceptions of teaching and the challenges of applying theory to practice

Abstract

This paper reports on the development of a lecturer’s conceptions of teaching through formal training and explores how evolving conceptions of teaching impact on their plans and practices in teaching. In this study, lecturers who are participants in the University of London Postgraduate Certificate in Higher Education (PGCertHE) wrote narratives of their teaching development. The changes are described in terms of models of development of higher education teachers proposed by, chiefly, Kugel. Participants show clear evidence of conceptual development in terms of these models, but their changes to practice were less well developed within this study period. The paper identifies six different approaches to applying theory to practice and proposes that understanding these different stages in context is helpful for transforming lecturer practice in the longer term.