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of student competence as against the equally important and distinct
task of defining long term aims and developing a clarity about the
student’s stance as a teacher. This requires the development of
a reflective practice and this was basic to the Alternative Course.
The Alternative Course had the advantage of being developed without
the formidable pressures and constraints that face teacher educators
today. The most singular of these advantages was time to propose,
to develop and to reflect, in other words, to be involved in change
as an organic and long term process. At no time was the course or
its participants under pressure to go too far, too fast or in
directions which staff
themselves
lacked clarity about or confidence
in. The problems that faced the course too frequently came from
opposing pressures to remain where they were
or to move more slowly.
At
the time such opposition and conflict
was not welcome but reflected
upon it has the advantage of showing clearly where the boundaries
lie and how they constitute structural sources of opposition. And
beyond structures
which
direct attention away
fro;
teacher
educators themselves are those more intangible but equally real
sources of opposition and resistance that exist within the professional
knowledge and practices of teacher educators themselves. The
professional knowledge and personal practice of teacher educators
is
of
the dual focus of this thesis and in presenting the conclusions
of the research it puts the
same question that was put at the beginning
the Alternative Course and that hopefully will continue to inform
its
future
development.
Is your theory your practice? (Burgess
1975)
The emphasis
is put upon the personal and
professional consequences
of structural changes for those who work within the;
Il
because over