How far should the teacher trainer feel obliged to do this?

Just as course contents need to be considered, so too must the needs and wants of student teachers, and it is expected that the trainer be aware of these. A clear case therefore emerges of the need to focus on the student, particularly in terms of student interest and relevance. The trainer is obliged to establish such needs and wants:

[b]y asking how the students would do something then add their own ideas as well. (But not saying: ‘This is my idea)’

Unsurprisingly, given the avowed trainee preference for the practical over the theoretical, as already demonstrated above, the role of theory received only very scant mention:

[t]o teach theory

Given that the role of the readings should be to represent a significant part of the input of the course it is disappointing that they merit so few mentions. However, in view of the previous data entry this is less than surprising. In spite of this, their role is recognised in so much that the trainer’s shared experience and expertise complement the readings, that is goes [a]long with the readings, with commenting. More importantly, the readings are seen as a way to:

add comments on the subjects raised by the readings, with relevant anecdotes

Given trainee recognition that teachers should share their experience and expertise, the first sub-question seeks to ascertain to what degree students consider this appropriate. In this section the caveats to the data previously mentioned will now be more closely explored.

Student teachers hold a variety of views regarding the degree to which their trainer should feel obliged to share as the following data will reveal. For some trainees it is seen as paramountthat the trainer meets this obligation:

[t]hey should feel obliged…

and trainees go on to qualify their clearly expressed point of view with the claim that it would definitely be useful for the students.

Equally, it is an obvious obligation for other trainees that the trainer shares:

I think he/she should share their own experience as much as possible

Trainees are likewise clear as to the degree of sharing: [v]ery⁄⁄pretty much, Up to the greatest extent, "quite far"' or, referring to the practical administrative and content requirements of the seminar, [a]s far as [the]course requires it.

Additional responses offer a variety of reasons for this obligation ranging from a somewhat vague claim that it is very useful for us, to the far more explicit reasoning behind such questions as [v]ery much. Otherwise what is the point in teaching “teaching”?,to such pertinent observations of the like of [v]ery much! Since our training is only the first step to become professional, we should find opportunities to share ideas from the very beginning.

Such views reveal that trainees are very much aware of the situation in regard to their own classroom experience and the pressing need to gain as much exposure to ideas from as many alternative sources as possible.

As already exemplified above in relation to trainee views on the role of theory and the role of the course readings, trainees continued to display a bias towards the practical over the theoretical in their expressed agreement in regard to the obligation of trainers to share experience of teaching: I think this kind of practical information is more help than any reading or lecture or whatever. In the same vein devoting classroom time to the practical rather than just the theoretical is preferred: [s]ince they are the trainers I think they should feel very obliged to be practical as well and not just theoretical. As a consequence, the data produced in response to this sub-question can be seen to corroborate the main thrust of the data yet to be presented and discussed, namely the trainee teacher tendency to prefer the practical to the theoretical, as exemplified by the following data item:

I think the best they can do for us is share their experiences. The theories we can read from the books, and we will learn the most from practice, so what we really need is [to]

learn from their experience

A number of equally forthright views cited the common thread of vicarious practical knowledge available from the teacher trainer in the Methodology Foundation and Methodology specialisation seminars:

… because you can learn the theory from a book… you attend this course to learn something about practice

and so would appear to provide justification for attending such courses.

Having made such a claim, it is important to bear in mind that trainees are also keenly aware that the sharing of experience and expertise must be done in a considered and measured way by their trainer. They accept that the trainer experience should be shared, but are quick to attach their own clearly thought-out provisos:

I think (s)he should share any experience he had but with objective criticism (tell us it that was wrong/good because…)

However, the notion of [b]attlefield experience, of which more in other data sets, casts doubt on the very idea of trainers being able to transmit their experience and expertise to their trainees: Battlefield experience is useful, but I cannot see a way to hand it down effectively. It is refreshing to see such a healthy dose of scepticism and temperance on the part of trainees.

This may result from a rational analysis of their own situations, potentially a consequence of their having reviewed their own teaching experience and practices, or of having reflected upon their time spent in classrooms, behind rather than in front of the desk, that is their 'apprenticeship of observation' (Lortie, 1975, p.62). By the same token, student teachers are also keenly aware that trainers can exert a significant influence on their trainees, whether consciously or not, and that they, the trainees, should be suitably cautious in how they regard the trainer's approach and in how far they make use of it, that is the extent to which they allow it to influence their subsequent practice. Trainers are encouraged to be aware of their own practice and be balanced in their delivery:

[i]t is very difficult to decide, but harmony should be kept, because your teaching style may have an influence on your students

Once again, trainees are able to perceive that not everything that the trainer advocates may be appropriate, and that alternatives are welcome: [d]on’t give the feeling that theirs is the only option. By the same token more sharing of trainer experience may not necessarily mean better, that quality should be preferred to quality: Some ‘real’ examples but too much would make the lesson like story telling. Similarly trainees points to the need for trainers to be self-aware in regard to their views, experience and expertise in order to be able to temper themselves. They ought not to go too far. The comment that:

[s]tories about teaching can be funny and instructive maybe

implies the possibility of restraint, the requirement for trainers to limit the number of instances when they should input their own experience and expertise. For trainers to talk about their own practice merely for the sake of doing so is not perceived as acceptable by trainees.

Trainees are therefore forthcoming in expressing the need for restraint: [h]e/she should tell his/her views but not force personal approaches on trainers or that experience be shared [t]o an extent that helps students to have an idea of this experience. Moreover, there appears to be an acute awareness that trainers need to be genuine in how they present their experience: [a]s far as it comes spontaneous and doesn’t take too much time (e.g. the whole class), pointing to the potential pitfalls of presenting contrived content.

Student perceptions of the role and status of the trainer aside, the trainer is seen by some as a member of the whole group and therefore is expected to contribute just as they expect students to do so. This element points to the notion of congruence; as a full member of the group, the trainer is obliged to behave as he or she expects others in the group to behave:

[t]hey are not obliged to do that at all but if they ask anybody’s opinion about a topic they should comment it or share their opinions with the students

Equally, the trainer's opinion/experience counts as they are a group member that is the teacher trainer is a full member of the group [and] his opinion is equal to that of the others.

6.4 How can the teacher trainer avoid the temptation to lead their students down