**2. Research design**

*Teacher Education in the 21st Century - Emerging Skills for a Changing World*

context for all three pre-service teachers.

online mode will be referred to as remote and flexible teaching, remote and flexible approach or remote and flexible contexts. For the three Australian pre-service teachers that have co-authored this chapter, the remote and flexible approach to their final placement was to be part of a new norm. The classes that they were a part of were delivered via remote and flexible contexts on an array of learning management system platforms in various modes. This included WebEx and Zoom digital platforms. The students that the pre-service teachers taught within their remote and flexible contexts had irregular attendance and they often were not able to 'see' the students due to their video cameras being switched off. Participating in a practical placement within this radically different way displayed to the pre-service teachers that there was a necessity for a change in their approach to teaching. They observed this not only for themselves but also in what they saw modelled by the in-service teachers who were their mentors. The nature of practical placements, including remote and flexible placements, allows for pre-service teachers to develop their application of theory in a practical mode. This opportunity in a remote and flexible placement also highlighted the emergent capabilities, teaching skills and strategies that were a by-product of this unfamiliar

Known by a number of terms, capabilities, attributes, dispositions; the notion of what makes good, quality teachers has been widely contested across policy and theoretical constructs [3]. These capabilities can also be interpreted as being attributed to academic-based or non-academic capabilities. Recent recommendations around the selection of entrants into Initial Teaching Education courses from the Australian Institute of Teaching and School Leadership [4] included a non-exhaustive list of non-academic capabilities (see **Table 1**) drawn from various educational literature. For the purpose of this chapter, the emergent attributes identified in the reflective journals and subsequent case studies will be referred to as 'non-academic capabilities'. This chapter does not seek out to measure these non-academic capabilities in relation to teacher effectiveness, nor does this chapter provide a non-negotiable list of preferred non-academic capabilities. Rather, this chapter seeks to highlight one set of identified capabilities and the formative, non-static nature of pre-service teacher capabilities that have been identified through this research. Additionally, we discuss how these capabilities can evolve in a significantly different way within the experience of remote and flexible contexts. We argue that teacher capabilities are continually building and that are influenced by a myriad of experiences. This has never been as true as in the current context where teachers have emerged as first adopters of new pedagogical approaches and modes of teaching and learning. Through this research we also highlight the importance of pre-service teachers developing their reflective practice, in particular, their ability to notice in action. The research question that has guided the data analysis in this chapter is: What

**Non-academic capabilities [1] Case study linked non-academic capabilities** 

Motivation to teach Inference Interpersonal and communication skills Empathy Willingness to learn Creativity Self-efficacy Deduction Conscientiousness Adaptability Organisational and planning skills Pivoting

**(Bradbury, Stewart, Barker & Rowe)**

**158**

**Table 1.**

*Non-academic capabilities.*

The intent of qualitative studies such as this is to allow for the emergence of rich, 'thick' descriptions of the phenomena being experienced [5]. Case study methodology was applied in order to represent the experiences throughout remote and flexible placements of three pre-service teachers: Tatainia, Anabelle and Jessica. Reflective journals were kept throughout their placement and contained first–hand accounts from each pre-service teacher. This was a regular practice for all three preservice teachers during placement and for the purpose of this research, was a way to record perceptions and actions in their individual settings [6]. Qualitative research is applicable in this study as written language in the form of reflective journaling forms the base of the data. The data drawing from journaling will be about the researchers themselves and the events that have influenced and affected them. Tatainia, Anabelle and Jessica kept reflective journals from the beginning through to the end of their placement, dated all entries and used themes from their journal to provide a "final account of the research" [7].

Although there were many pages of journal entries, only certain excerpts will be drawn upon that highlight the themes that link back to the research question. The journal entries were then analysed as a whole document where an inductive approach was applied to uncover the emergent themes. An inductive approach includes the aspects of language; meanings, worldviews and perspectives are taken into consideration and culminate in the theoretical understanding of the people(s) that are being studied. These perspectives create the pre-service teachers' social world and will allow for the "theoretical ideas to emerge" [8] out of the data. The data collection also included un-structured reflective conversations during and after the placement concluded. The combination of the journals and the unstructured conversations were then analysed in order to construct three separate detailed examinations of the author's experiences in the form of case studies. All four authors were involved in the discussions around the reflective journals. Group and paired conversations focusing on themes and patterns in their reflections in order to construct the three case studies. The case studies were written and then reviewed by each of the pre-service teachers in order to provide feedback around content accuracy. Contributions were then made to the analysis and identification of broad themes and sub-themes within the data. A thematic analysis approach provided a framework for thinking about the emergent themes in a data set and has been applied to the analysis of a variety of qualitative data [8]. Broader themes were identified and recorded in the style of a word table [9]. These themes were analysed and recorded by all authors and directed by the research question.

#### **3. Literature outline**

#### **3.1 Practical placement experiences – identifying non-academic capabilities through reflection and noticing**

The complexity of teaching cannot be underestimated and within a range of educational research, there is not a single agreed upon set of attributes, capabilities or behaviours that is universally agreed upon in relation to what makes a quality teacher [9–11]. There are often overt considerations related to the academic

capabilities of pre-service teachers on placements due to the measurement via the Australian Graduate Professional Standards for Teachers [4]. Intrinsic or less apparent are the non-academic or non-cognitive [11] attributes or capabilities. These capabilities are often seen as the personal or 'soft' applications that encompass "motivation, attitudes, dispositions and personality" [11]. In relation to the types of attributes that constitute teacher quality, measurement and evaluation are problematic and no one set of behaviours can be linked to overall teacher effectiveness for all students [12]. The discussion and subsequent analysis of these capabilities does not [13]. On the contrary, the juxtaposition of these capabilities to a teacher's academic qualifications is an essential combination when discussing teacher effectiveness rather than academic qualifications alone [12].

Post-placement discussions centred on the reflective journals and were constructed with discussions around *noticing*. As pre-service teachers in a new and often unfamiliar context, the professional practice of noticing may not come as second nature. This approach to reflective practice, noticing, allows the professional to make informed choices and considered approaches to how to act in different situations [10, 14]. Naturally, noticing for even the most seasoned professional requires disciplined application. Underpinning professional practices, but when applied systematically, noticing can develop into "the Discipline of Noticing" [10]. Explicit noticing is critical for change in individuals as the lack of noticing can result in perpetuating practice [15]. While completing placement in a remote and flexible context, it is evident that the pre-service teachers were able to continue to reflect on their academic and non-academic capabilities. This noticing of strategies enabled Anabelle, Tatainia and Jessica to adapt to either adapt to the needs of their students in the moment, or to reflect and consider a variant approach in future contexts.

#### **3.2 Adapting to a new space in remote and flexible placements**

Amongst the varied opportunities practical placements present for pre-service teachers, one major benefit is that they allow for authentic applications of teaching experiences in classroom contexts [16]. In traditional contexts, this would allow for theory that was learned within the higher education contexts units to then be observed or applied once the pre-service teachers entered the classroom. As the nature of what constituted the classroom had evolved in remote and flexible contexts, often referred to as online learning [13], both in-service teacher mentors and pre-service teachers were applying adaptive teaching approaches and strategies to an unfamiliar teaching environment. Adaptive teaching research takes into account the classroom environments that are ever changing and dynamic [14]. Arguably, the change in teaching contexts that can be seen within this chapter are displaying what Gibson and Ross [14] refer to as microadaptive teaching approaches. This is apparent while Tatainia, Anabelle and Jessica were moving between remote and flexible contexts and then back to traditional face-to-face classroom contexts. These microadaptive approaches are informal and responsive to teaching in order to "overcome impediments to learning" [14]. The impediments in relation to the evidence in the case studies were the new pedagogies of teaching in an online mode, in addition to engaging learners in this new environment. Additionally, all three pre-service teachers conducted microadaptations to their teaching in "direct *observation*" [14] of the responses of their students and looked at these teaching strategies as an opportunity and growth [14].

Within traditional practicum placements, the mentors of pre-service teachers play an important role and guide for the pre-service teacher during the placement journey [17]. Mentors and pre-service teachers work closely together to develop the skills, strategies and capabilities that emergent professionals will require to graduate

**161**

*Building Pre-Service Teacher Capabilities through Remote and Flexible Placement - A New…*

and into their first graduate teaching year. Hobson et al. [18] found in their review of literature that mentoring is a highly important and effective support system for pre-service teacher development. They found that positive impacts on pre-service teachers within effective mentor and mentee relationships include increased confidence and self-esteem, decreased feelings of isolation, and an increased capacity to reflect and problem-solve. In addition to the development of pre-service teacher capabilities during placement and with the mentor support, mentors themselves tend to observe their own development in their position as mentor. Hobson et al. [18] argued that the mentor mentee relationship can also be positive for the mentor resulting in the mentor building their self and critical reflection, having their ideas validated, learning from their mentee(s) and aiding in career planning and progression. This reciprocal professional learning relationship became increasingly important in the remote and flexible context as both in-service teacher mentor and pre-service teacher adapted to their new ways of engaging students within their

This section of the chapter provides each individual pre-service teacher's reflection within the form of case studies. All of the case studies were constructed from the outline of Tatainia, Anabelle and Jessica's experiences as noted in their reflective journals. The contexts of the case studies include remote and flexible placements and then the experiences of moving back to traditional forms of face-to-face

During her final practicum Tatainia's approach to pivoting in this space took many forms. Remote placements hindered the provision of feedback from teachers to students. As written feedback was commonplace, it often targeted certain areas of learning for students in a personalised way. Although provided for each student, it was often not read. This was obvious from the follow-on lessons. Tatainia was aware of the changes in the students during remote and flexible contexts. Tatainia juxtaposed this with the face-to-face context where providing feedback allowed for a follow-up conversations and clarifications. As remote and flexible teaching and learning continued, discussions stemming from probing questions and other ICT games like Kahoot were beginning to be less engaged with. The mindset of going back to school overtook the drive to participate online. Tatainia noticed that students who had usually engaged were no longer taking part in their usual way. Student owned checklists were being ticked but the work was not getting done. Tatainia felt disappointed by this and grappled with how to analyse and interpret the reasoning behind these occurrences. Rather than fixate on the negative feelings around this occurance, she compartmentalised this in order to follow-up once back into the face-to-face setting. Although much of the time teaching remotely without seeing the student's faces, "You could tell" how the students were feeling. Tatainia use the notion of inference and deduction when moving through this process of planning for the students in her care. Voice and choice were emphasised throughout the remote and flexible teaching. Selections of resources to inject fun and engagement elicited engagement and discussion. These were often digital games and fun activities accessed through digital sources. Tatainia felt a sense of pride with the selections of these activities. This was in addition to considerations around the health and wellbeing of the students once they returned to face-to-face contexts.

*DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.5772/intechopen.96468*

approaches to teaching and learning.

**4. Analysing the case studies**

**4.1 Tatainia's experiences**

teaching.

*Building Pre-Service Teacher Capabilities through Remote and Flexible Placement - A New… DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.5772/intechopen.96468*

and into their first graduate teaching year. Hobson et al. [18] found in their review of literature that mentoring is a highly important and effective support system for pre-service teacher development. They found that positive impacts on pre-service teachers within effective mentor and mentee relationships include increased confidence and self-esteem, decreased feelings of isolation, and an increased capacity to reflect and problem-solve. In addition to the development of pre-service teacher capabilities during placement and with the mentor support, mentors themselves tend to observe their own development in their position as mentor. Hobson et al. [18] argued that the mentor mentee relationship can also be positive for the mentor resulting in the mentor building their self and critical reflection, having their ideas validated, learning from their mentee(s) and aiding in career planning and progression. This reciprocal professional learning relationship became increasingly important in the remote and flexible context as both in-service teacher mentor and pre-service teacher adapted to their new ways of engaging students within their approaches to teaching and learning.
