Support teachers learning difficulties (STLD) have made a significant contribution to the provision of support for students experiencing learning difficulties and learning disabilities in Queensland state primary schools over almost forty years. During the 1990s with the implementation of an inclusive curriculum in schools, and in recent years, with changing systemic expectations of how academic performance might be improved, these teachers have increasingly participated in collaborative models with their classroom colleagues to provide for students experiencing various barriers to learning. This study focuses on the nature of exemplary practice as perceived through the eyes and voices of six exemplary STLD teachers. In keeping with this intent, a process of selecting the participants for in-depth study was instigated in a professional community of state primary STLD teachers located in a Brisbane education district to determine at the grass-roots what an exemplary STLD teacher might “look like”, and which six teachers in that community might contribute to the community‟s understanding of exemplary STLD teaching practice. These contributions are represented in six case studies, referred to as “portraits” and were co-constructed, that is through a dialogic process between the participant and me. Each portrait communicates an aspect of teaching practice and the experiential knowledge that underpins it. The term “exemplary” has been adopted consciously to denote “that serves as an example” (Harper, 2001) in contrast to the term “expert”, which frequently carries a technical connotation. A mixed methodology was adopted (Lincoln & Guba, 2003) in this qualitative study in anticipation of the need to draw upon various methods that in combination might assist in viewing, conceptualizing and harnessing the dynamic complexity expected to be evident in grassroots practice. First, various expressions of constructivism contributed, with the major influence being social constructivism to denote a “house” or a community of professionals in ongoing dialogue. 6 This provides the framework within which the study has been undertaken. Second, phenomenology, most particularly the work of Moustakas (1994) and van Manen (1990, 1994, 1995, 2007), is the primary source for the inspiration (van Manen) and the methods and tools (Moustakas) to explore the nature of their practice. Phenomenological approaches were adopted with the expectation they could assist in highlighting the essence of each individual‟s practice while allowing for the eliciting of experiential themes that are of importance to the professional community of STLD teachers. Finally, studies of practical teacher knowledge (Elbaz, 1983) in association with narrative inquiry (Connolly & Clandinin, 1988) have provided further insights into how the collective expression of these teachers might be displayed. The primary preoccupation of the portraits is the teachers‟ provision of support for individual students, and the nature and quality of the relationships enlisted in the service of making this provision. The teachers‟ transactions on behalf of these students are indicative of a raft of values, ideals, collaborative and communication skills which might be subsumed by the term relatedness, and the ability to see astutely the elements in various situations that need attentiveness. Their practice in action appears to be best encapsulated by Van Manen‟s (1995) term “pedagogical tact”, a term borrowed to capture the nature of the pedagogical relationships infused into their personal and professional selves. Three views of practice are provided to display and illuminate the nature of the six exemplary teachers‟ collective practice – View 1: “From the inside” which reveals the metaphors that inhabit their practice and the significance they have for their practice; View 2: “From the outside” which, through the vehicle of a narrative highlights a STLD teacher and a classroom teacher undertaking a collaborative process of providing for Dayne a student experiencing significant difficulties; View 3: “Thinking together” which provides an edited script elicited from a conversation of the participating exemplary STLD teachers. Collectively, the three views reveal what is at the heart of learning support for the six teachers. In addition, aspects of practical knowledge that are particularly pertinent to learning support practice are discussed. 7 Finally, the effectiveness of the methods adopted for the study is explored. First, the screening process successfully enabled the selection of participants who had developed their craft to a sophisticated degree enhanced by their own “personal signature” (Eisner, 1991). Second, the adoption of a combination of a social constructivist framework and phenomenological approaches provided appropriate vehicles to enable the construction of six portraits of practices that exemplified significant aspects of practice. Third, the difficulties of authenticating the portraits using a cohort of critical friends from the STLD community and forging links with the community are discussed. Finally, I raise the possibility of embedding the portraits in professional development contexts where early career STLD teachers may wish to reflect on their practice.

This paper has it´s starting point in the leisure teacher's profession and deals with the reality many leisure teachers find themselves in, and what qualities the leisure teacher needs to perform the profession in the best way. What is the leisure teacher's assignment and how hasthe leisure teacher's profession looked historically are other parts that I also discuss in this exam. This exam is written in essay form. The text is based on my self-perceived dilemma "the story" where I portray my dilemma, which then results in the question that becomes thebackbone of this exam. This question then results in discussions based on my own thoughts, which are discussed with the help of control documents and other relevant literature. Other literature dealing with the history and assignments of the leisure center, such as Ann S Philgren's books Fritidshemmet and Fritidshemmets didactics and more. But also books dealing with practical knowledge, Alsterdal and Pröckl's book, from Within and from outside but also Bornemark and Svenaeus book, what is Practical knowledge and others. The importance of the play will also be discussed, and Öhman's book The most important thing is to play will have a big role together, with for example, Good learning environments for children by Kragh-Müller, Orstedt Andersen and Veje Hvidtved. The text will also include general advice for leisure centers. The issues that this exam come to address are partly how the leisure teacher assignment changed from a historical perspective, what does it look like today and what has it looked like in the past? also what changes have taken place when it comes to the professional role and how has this affected the pedagogical work at the leisure center? But also what skills a leisure teacher needs to carry out his/her work in the best way In other words, this text makes visible the leisure center and it´s profession with the aim of strengthening the importance of the leisure centers in the school world.

Syftet med uppsatsen Utomhuspedagogik som en arena för praktisk kunskap äratt undersöka fritidshemslärarnas uppfattning om på vilket sätt utomhuspedagogik bidrar till barns lärande. Resultatet avundersökningen visar att utomhuspedagogik kan vara ett lärande komplement till inomhusundervisning och ett sätt för fritidshemslärarna att komplettera skolan. Undervisningen utomhus bidrar till att öka elevernas lärande, sociala utveckling och hälsa. Jaghar i uppsatsen använt mig av semistrukturerade intervjuer med praktiserande fritidshemslärare. Jag har analyserat intervjuerna genom filosofen John Deweys syn på praktisk kunskap där handling, teori och reflektion binds samman. / The purpose with this thesis is to investigate how leisure-time teachers perceive outdoor teaching and how it contributes to the learning process amongst primary school students. The findings indicate that outdoor teaching can be a useful complement to traditional classroom teaching and it also enables leisure-time teachers to be involved in the educational process. Outdoor teaching has been proven to have a positive effect on student’s cognitive learning, social development and general health. In my thesis I have used semi-structured interviews with practicing leisure-time teachers. The thesis uses John Deweys views on practical knowledge to analyze the interviews.

Denna uppsats är till sin form en reflekterande vetenskaplig essä som undersöker en normkritisk jämlikhetsarbetares praktiska kunnande och yrkesvillkor. Författarens egen yrkeserfarenhet finns med i form av en berättelse från ett genusprojekt inom högre skådespelarutbildning. Denna dilemmasituation bildar utgångspunkt för ett undersökande i dialog med historiska och samtida tänkare och praktiker. Framträdande i undersökningen är Aristoteles kunskapsbegrepp fronesis – den praktiska klokheten. Undersökningen beskriver några av de komplexiteter som finns i att bedriva ett arbete som utmanar maktordningar i en organisation och visar att det krävs praktisk klokhet för att hantera motstånd, starka känslor och våld. / This reflective scientific essay examines the practical knowledge of the equality worker involved with anti-oppressive education in a Swedish context, where the term “norm critique” is used. The writers personal experience is included in the work, in the form of a narrative from a “messy situation” in a project centered on gender perspectives in actor training. This dilemma is the starting point for an inquiry in dialogue with contemporary and historical thinkers and practitioners. Prominently in the essay is Aristotle's term for skill and practical wisdom, phronesis. The inquiry describes some of the complexities that lies in doing counter hegemonic work within organizations and it shows that this kind of work demands practical wisdom to be able to handle resistance, strong emotions and violence.

The name of this essay is “’Just’ go play – A scientific essay of children’s free play in nature”. Its purpose is to investigate what happens to us educators, and what we can see in children’s free play in nature, when we adopt a more observing and inquiring attitude and when the children steer their own play. The background to my interest in this is that I have been reflecting over the fact that my team organizes many activities, organized by us educators, and that I have a feeling that I am missing something in the children’s play and learning. My starting point consists of three essays, where I first depict two activities, organized by educators, and after that a situation where I follow and participate in the children’s play on their terms. Based on this I ask the following questions: Which learning and what experiences can we observe in the children’s free play in nature, by interpreting their actions, when us educators take a more flexible approach? What practical knowledge does an educator, who encourages free play, need? What abilities need to be strengthened, unlike an educator who is focused on the measurable, or what can be shown outwardly to others? Except reflecting over my experiences I have used participant observation of the child group. I was was filming the child group while playing, and taking notes on conversations between us educators. During the process, I decided to also let my colleagues film. My theoretical approaches are the theory of practical knowledge and theory of play, and my study has the form of an essay. I reached the conclusion, that we discovered new things in the children’s play; that the play went more harmonically, when we didn’t take the lead, and that us educators got calmer and more concentrated. The practical knowledge which us educators need is a responsive attitude towards children’s play, and a gaze which not only sees what’s apparent, but also perceives that which is not immediately obvious. / Denna uppsats heter ”Att ’bara’ få leka – En vetenskaplig essä om barns fria lek i naturen”. Syftet med den är att undersöka vad som händer med oss pedagoger, och vad vi får syn på i barnens fria lek i naturen, när vi intar ett mer observerande och medforskande förhållningssätt och då barnen styr leken. Intresset har väckts i och med att jag reflekterat över att mitt arbetslag har många pedagoginitierade lekar i naturen och i känslan av att jag missar något i barnens lek och lärande. Min utgångspunkt är tre gestaltningar, där jag först skildrar två pedagoginitierade aktiviteter i naturen, och därefter en situation då jag följer med i barnens lek på deras villkor. Med utgångspunkt i detta har jag följande frågeställningar: Vilket lärande och vilka upplevelser kan jag och vi se hos barnen i deras fria lek i naturen genom att tolka deras handlande, då vi pedagoger intar ett följsammare förhållningssätt? Vad är det för praktisk kunskap som en pedagog, som ska uppmuntra den fria leken, behöver? Vad är det för förmågor som behöver stärkas, till skillnad från en pedagog som är fokuserad på det, mätbara eller det som går att visa upp utåt mot andra? Förutom att reflektera över mina erfarenheter har jag använt mig av deltagande observation av barngruppen; jag har filmat barnen i deras lek, och dessutom gjort anteckningar av samtal oss pedagoger emellan. Under processen bestämde jag mig för att även mina kollegor skulle få filma. Mina teoretiska ansatser är den praktiska kunskapens teori samt lekteori, och uppsatsen är skriven i essäform. Vad jag kom fram till var att vi upptäckte nya saker i barnens lek, att leken blev mer harmonisk då vi inte styrde den, samt att vi som pedagoger blev lugnare och mer koncentrerade. Den praktiska kunskap som vi pedagoger behöver är en mer lyhörd hållning gentemot barnens lek och en blick som uppfattar det diffusa och inte endast det uppenbara.

<p>I den kvalitativa studien undersöks vad som ligger till grund för bedömning i fyra ämnen inom gymnasieskolan. De ämnen som undersöks är teater, idrott- och hälsa, hotel- och restaurang samt träteknik. Intervjuer med lärare visar att det läggs stor vikt vid bedömning av processen i den dagliga undervisningen, dvs. närvaro, samarbete, ansvar, behov av handledning, självständighet och ambition. Även den produkt eller det slutresultat som undervisningen leder fram till tas med i bedömningen. Lärarna uttrycker även att teoretiska aspekter på undervisningen såsom faktakunskaper, analys, att problematisera och reflektera är underlag för bedömning. Personlig färdighet, talang, förkunskaper samt att kunna göra kopplingar till yrket dvs. elevens förmåga att tillämpa sina kunskaper väger även det in i bedömningen. Observationer vid omdömessamtal samt analys av skriftliga omdömen visar att det är processen som får mest utrymme i bedömningen. För att dokumentera och avgöra om eleven nått målen för undervisningen använder sig lärarna av anteckningar men även den produkt eller det resultat som består. Lärarna beskriver även att de genom kommunikation med eleverna och genom att uppmärksamma hur elever reflekterar kring uppgifterna gör bedömningar. Lärarna uttrycker att de skulle önska att de kunde arbeta mer med bedömning men det som hindrar de är fram för allt tiden, att man upplever att man i så fall skulle behöva strukturera om eller göra avkall på viss undervisning. Andra hinder som lärarna beskriver är att man är fast i vissa traditioner vad gäller undervisning och organisation. Dessutom beskriver lärarna att de saknar tydlighet hur de själva kommunicerar mål och betygskriterier till eleverna.</p>

<p>This essay describes how the author gradually gets a deeper understanding for his profession and the development of his professional skills, attitude and practice. </p><p>The essay contains two main narratives representing examples from the author´s occupational practice, and through those narratives he tells how his practice alters and develops. These stories are also the basis for considering different aspects on how to get good models for practising a profession when you are a beginner, and how to manage ethical dilemmas. </p><p>The starting point is when the author in the beginning of his career as a rural pastor is visiting a seriously ill parishioner at a province hospital. The course and the outcome of this call is surprising the young pastor, and the author tries to analyze the background to the outcome and assesses several possible explanations for the result of his call. </p><p>The narrative is used to examine the attitude, the professional skills and the social and existential context for the author at that time. The patriarchal patterns in the parish are illuminated and questioned. </p><p>In the second part of the essay the author investigates what will happen when pastoral cure transforms to psychotherapy, and how the author deals with phenomena in the therapeutical process such as idealization and secondary traumatization. </p><p>On basis of texts written by among others Ingela Josefson, Fredrik Svenaeus, Christian Nilsson and Ulla Ekström von Essen the author seeks explanation for the development of his practical knowledge. With references to philosofers as Plato, Aristotle, H.G. Gadamer, Hannah Arendt, Dreyfus&Dreyfus among others he discusses how the theory of practical knowledge can be used in describing the development of professional skill and professional ethics in a person being both curate and psychotherapist.</p><p> </p>

This essay describes how the author gradually gets a deeper understanding for his profession and the development of his professional skills, attitude and practice.  The essay contains two main narratives representing examples from the author´s occupational practice, and through those narratives he tells how his practice alters and develops. These stories are also the basis for considering different aspects on how to get good models for practising a profession when you are a beginner, and how to manage ethical dilemmas.  The starting point is when the author in the beginning of his career as a rural pastor is visiting a seriously ill parishioner at a province hospital. The course and the outcome of this call is surprising the young pastor, and the author tries to analyze the background to the outcome and assesses several possible explanations for the result of his call.  The narrative is used to examine the attitude, the professional skills and the social and existential context for the author at that time. The patriarchal patterns in the parish are illuminated and questioned.  In the second part of the essay the author investigates what will happen when pastoral cure transforms to psychotherapy, and how the author deals with phenomena in the therapeutical process such as idealization and secondary traumatization.  On basis of texts written by among others Ingela Josefson, Fredrik Svenaeus, Christian Nilsson and Ulla Ekström von Essen the author seeks explanation for the development of his practical knowledge. With references to philosofers as Plato, Aristotle, H.G. Gadamer, Hannah Arendt, Dreyfus&amp;Dreyfus among others he discusses how the theory of practical knowledge can be used in describing the development of professional skill and professional ethics in a person being both curate and psychotherapist.

A study on skills among healthcare workers investigates how healthcare workers use skills in difficult caring contexts, aiming to describe how practical knowledge is employed in decision making in occuring situations. The dialogue seminar method, with it’s elements of reading and writing to explore practical knowledge, was used to gather information. Contributing healthcare workers represent a multiplicity of experiences and perspectives. Their narratives on caring dilemmas are presented and used as framework for the study. The author creates an analogy between caring dilemmas and performing knowledge in professional art work. The narratives of the healthcare workers has been arranged in a documentary composition and on several occasion presented to a wider audience in order to make a reality-check on the study’s conclusions. The study shows how terms from professional art work such as presence, interpretation and reflexive techniques are useful in understanding skills of healthcare workers. The investigation also points out problems related to the inability of healthcare organizations to comprehend and acknowledge the practical dimension of healthcare workers skills. The study has been carried out within the KTH Advanced Programme for Reflective Practice presented at www.dialoger.se. / QC 20100823

Denna studie fokuserar på konflikthantering och dess egenskaper. Jag har fördjupat mig i praktiska och teoretiska kunskaper i konflikthantering med eleverna. I denna studie kommer jag att intervjua fyra pedagoger, två erfarna lärare och två nyexaminerade pedagoger. Jag kommer också att förklara vilka känslor har för roll i konfliktlösning. Varför jag har valt att skriva om konflikten är på grund av min osäkerhet när det gäller att lösa konflikter med elever så jag har valt att intervjua två erfarna pedagoger. Slutsatsen av min studie är att alla mina fyra informanter anser att den praktiska kunskapen är lika viktig som den teoretiska kunskapen. Studien visar att vi kan få in de olika kunskaper på två olika sätt; genom utbildningen som är den teoretiska kunskapen samt ute i arbetslivet som är den praktiska kunskapen.