The aim of this dissertation was to interpret and analyze how preschool teachers described their professional skills and to deepen understanding about this. Two questions were used to achieve this aim. The first question concerned what preschool teachers talked about regarding their experiences work in praxis. The second question concerned the manner in which preschool teachers' individual and collective reflection could contribute to new insights regarding their professional skills. Based on the three different forms of knowledge that Aristotle inspired: episteme, techne and fronesis skills can be said to consist of both theory and to a high degree, of practice in which the various forms both interact as complementary. Thus it is not enough merely to have scientific knowledge (episteme), or to know how something should be done only by general rules and principles (techne) to possess a skill. Rather professionalism is largely characterized by fronesis, a concept that can be translated as practical wisdom, and it cannot always be put into words. Dewey has highlighted the importance of reflection over every day conduct as an important tool to both broaden and alter the quality of practice work in praxis. In order to fulfill answer the aim of the dialogueseminar method was seen as a viable approach to collect empirical data. The emphasis of the method was to continuously reflect, both individually and in interaction with others and then share stories about their experience of practical work in praxis. The results showed that preschool teachers' professional skills emanated from their own life-world experience. Through this it was possible to focus and link practical action to two prominent themes. The themes were: expectations and approach and they describing the basis for the practical conduct preschool teachers related to and put into various concrete settings from the context they were operating in. Based on the study's second question, reflection was highlighted as both important and central to raising awareness of- and making new insights visible. According to preschool teachers, it had been enriching and energizing to be given opportunity to do this and the reafter to share their thoughts about their profession in dialogue. The results showed that preschool teachers' professional skills, with a focus on practical work, could both be widened and developed. Partly through individual reflection, but above all through collective reflection and conversations.
| Identifer | oai:union.ndltd.org:UPSALLA1/oai:DiVA.org:mdh-35246 |
| Date | January 2017 |
| Creators | Larsdotter Bodin, Ulrika |
| Publisher | Mälardalens högskola, Utbildningsvetenskap och Matematik, Västerås : Mälardalen University |
| Source Sets | DiVA Archive at Upsalla University |
| Language | Swedish |
| Detected Language | English |
| Type | Licentiate thesis, monograph, info:eu-repo/semantics/masterThesis, text |
| Format | application/pdf |
| Rights | info:eu-repo/semantics/openAccess |
| Relation | Mälardalen University Press Licentiate Theses, 1651-9256 ; 261 |
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