This article provides a literature review of research articles published in the Journal of Transformative Education. The analytical purpose is to provide knowledge of what characterizes transformative learning, how this type of learning can contribute to students’ professional competence development and the implications that can be drawn for teacher education. Findings show that transformative learning can promote critical reflection on professional practice. More specifically, transformative learning can lead to change in perception of teaching and learning, increase social awareness about how diversity issues affect students’ learning, and change student teachers’ attitudes regarding the role of the teachers and schools and their obligations towards the students and society. On the basis of these findings it is argued that transformative learning can promote their development of professionally related practical wisdom and identity as a teacher. Furthermore, to successfully engage students in a transformational learning process, students’ mastering of basic teaching skills is an important prerequisite, and important factors to take into account are practical experiences, student active learning methods and perceived relevance. However, there is a need for further research that examines the use of transformative learning activities in Norwegian teacher training and research, that compares transformative learning theory to other learning theories.

This article investigates changes in how mathematics is described in the national guidelines for primary and lower secondary teacher education from 2010 to 2017. Whereas the guidelines from 2010 emphasized the development of mathematical knowledge for teaching, the guidelines for the new five-year teacher education programs seem to focus more on preparing student teachers to carry out core components of the mathematical work of teaching. Whereas the focus in teacher education has shifted from mathematical knowledge for teaching to core practices in the work of teaching mathematics, a similar shift of focus can be observed in the international research literature on teacher education. In this article, we analyze the national guidelines and the changes that have been made in these, before we use exemplary data from an ongoing research project to discuss potential implications for initial teacher education.

In this article, we will present and discuss how we have worked with the students’ formation in the second year of teacher education at NNN. The importance of the students’ professional formation is highlighted in regulations and official policy-documents, even though the students have barely experienced that this is an explicit theme in their education. This text is a contribution to the discussion regarding how we can concretize the work with student formation in teacher education. The text will argue for a formation-perspective in teacher education which is open and dynamic and builds on the idea that professional processes develop through concept-awareness, actions and reflections. Our main research question has been: How can a thematic week about human rights and democratic citizenship contribute to the understanding of the concept “formation” and the students’ professional formation processes? NNN has arranged “Formation Weeks” since 2010 for all second-year students on the campus. Our research question in this text is discussed on the basis of student-evaluations and focus-group interviews from “The Formation Week 2016”.

The authors have in different ways been involved in and been responsible for arranging “The Formation Week”.

While the research literature frequently focuses on teachers’ professional development, interest in teacher educators’ development has only recently emerged. Being a teacher educator is described as complex because of the double role of being a researcher as well as a practitioner. There is no formal education for teacher educators, they must learn on the job. Consequently, professional development becomes important, however, there are few studies related to the issue. This article presents and discusses the Norwegian part of an international survey about teacher educators’ professional development. The survey consisted of questions with quantitative and qualitative response alternatives, aiming to learn more about teacher educators’ needs and possibilities for professional development. The findings reveal that in spite of different experiences and knowledge, teacher educators first and foremost want to develop their research competence. They seem to meet national and institutional expectations where mainly publications count when it comes to employment and promotion. Consequently there is less attention towards the teaching part of the job. Lack of time is the main hindrance to professional development.

Academic staff in higher education publish to present results from research and developmental work. This article reports from an empirical study on a year-long writing course for lecturers. The process tells about a gentle development of a community of practice during the course, a tool to cultivate an engagement through a joint activity that also gives insight into writing barriers that the participants had to overcome. For groups of lecturers who have teaching as their primary activity, it is challenging to develop a competence as an academic writer focusing on teaching and learning. The loyalty among lecturers in this project seems to be with the teaching duties, and cultural change happens slowly. From an overall perspective, the writing course contributes to academic and professional development. Writing is a prerequisite to the anticipated developmental work that lecturers are supposed to do in the study programs. The article calls attention to a possible career path based on educational development and concludes that this type of a community of practice may be a basis for educational development in higher education.

A field course is one of the most important activities for students in field-based disciplines such as geography, biology, geology, architecture, physical planning, etc., since the ability to observe is essential for understanding such subjects. Unfortunately, lack of prior knowledge, little resources, and large numbers of enrolled students make students passive, rather than active, during field-based education. More student-activating learning methods are therefore desirable in field-based learning. Students’ preferred learning methods affect motivation and learning outcomes and are of great importance when developing new teaching materials. We have therefore conducted a survey and focus group interviews to study students’ preferred learning methods and perception of field courses, their preparation and post-work. The results show that the students are comfortable with traditional teaching, but also that they are positive to use a variety of different learning methods. Based on the teaching principles of the acronym KAMPVISE, we reflect on the possibilities of introducing digital tools in field-based teaching and looking at how this can be supported by the theory of blended learning, flipped education and the students’ wishes for varied teaching.

Background: Bachelor degree programs in nursing have used considerable resources in implementing simulation. A simulator (mannequin) mimics a human to varying degrees, called low-, medium- and high-fidelity. Research shows that simulation increases students’ cognitive skills, although is unclear whether simulation provides greater knowledge acquisition than other teaching methods.

Purpose: To investigate whether medium-fidelity simulation provided greater knowledge acquisition than skill training (low-fidelity simulation) among nursing students.

Methods: 150 students were randomized to skill training (n=74) or simulation (n=76). In a knowledge test, the acquisition of knowledge was measured through identification, prioritization and implementation of nursing interventions based on the ABCDE-algorithm (primary outcomes) and systematic communication using the ISBAR-principle (secondary outcomes).

Results: Independent t-tests showed no statistically significant difference between the groups regarding knowledge in the ABCDE-algorithm after the interventions (0.13, CI: –0.53–0.79, p=0,693). Similar results were for the ISBAR. Paired t-tests from baseline to post-intervention showed statistically significant increase in the ABCDE within simulation (+1.15, p<0,001) and skill training (+1.35, p<0,001), with moderate effect sizes of 0.57 and 0.60, respectively. Similar results were for the ISBAR.

Conclusion: Simulation does not provide greater knowledge acquisition than skill training among nursing students. As simulation requires more teachers than skill training, the least resource-intensive teaching method should be used.