Reflecting on Personal Routines to New Ways of Teaching by German Geography Teachers: Effects of a Teacher Training Project in North Rhine-Westphalia

Abstract

The gap between educational knowledge that is taught in universities and actions by teachers can be sizeable. A sustainable change in teachers' efforts requires particular sensitivity and awareness of this gap between subject-specific educational thinking and acting and between theory and practice. This study explored the extent to which a reflection on personal routine in class undertaken by geography teachers, and the associated awareness of their deficits ("the gap"), can contribute to a change in action. In this study, ten teachers from German Gymnasiums in North Rhine-Westphalia participated in a four-month-long intervention. The teachers had to document their lessons, work through possible deficits in peer discussions, and discuss solutions. The results showed that although intervention helped raise awareness of deficits, it was not enough to bring about a lasting change in teachers' actions. Possible causes for this lack of lasting change are reflected upon, and teacher training consequences are considered.