Conceptual Change of ‘Teaching’ among Experienced Teachers after Studying Attentive Teaching

Abstract

One of the obstacles preventing change of teaching methods in schools is teachers’ traditional conceptualizations of ‘teaching’ as transmissive and teacher-centered. The aim of this study was to track changes in experienced teachers’ concept of ‘teaching’, following their exposure to attentive teaching. This is a dialogical method in which the learners represent their concepts in drawings and written explanations, and discuss them with their teacher and peers. Method: This was a multiple-case study. The participants were three teachers who attended an attentive teaching professional development course. They drew ‘teaching’ in the first, sixth, and the last, fifteenth, session, and provided explanations of their drawings. Findings: At the start of the course, they described teaching as a unidirectional process of transmitting knowledge. In the middle, they became more aware of the students as individuals who should be listened to. By the end of the course, teaching was portrayed as multi-directional (and enjoyable), so that all the participants, including the teacher, teach and learn from each other. Conclusions: This study shows that by studying, experiencing, and implementing attentive teaching, it is possible to change experienced teachers’ traditional beliefs without directly challenging them, and that drawings can track the changes’ trajectory.