The Challenge to Change (?) Geography Teaching From a Number of Perspectives Offered By Polish Student-Teachers at the University of Gdańsk

Abstract

The author interprets comments made by student-teachers given during interviews, as well as notes written in their teaching practice journals, made during or completed shortly after their practices in school. The background to these interpretations are official documents (e.g. the Polish Standards for Teacher Education, the Polish National Curriculum) and theories of learning and teaching (constructivist vs behaviorist). The main questions asked are what knowledge is important for young teachers and how they want to teach it. Other questions include: What possibilities does school give them to try out their ideas about teaching? What does school actually give them? What does school demand of them? What do their practices at school actually teach them (the tacit programmme)? And, how do the students actually view the reality that exists in school? Overall, the student's impressions show school to be a very formal organisation, where the teacher-trainer decides on the content of lessons, methods of learning and the course of lessons ("for the good of pupils"). In many cases too, the students only realise their teacher's ideas. In such a situation, this raises the question of whether or not they will be able to provide innovative education if they cannot themselves attempt to implement their own ideas.