According to Zdeněk Bochníček, the Vice-Dean for Teacher Programs at the Faculty of Science, the prestige of the teaching profession will improve when there will be a preponderance of teachers who are fondly remembered by students and pupils throughout their lives. Vice-Dean Bochníček, who teaches physics for students in physics and non-physics programs, is one of them. He has already won the university prize for outstanding teachers twice, as well as the Minister of Education’s prize. We asked Zdeněk what challenges teacher programs face?
Since spring, you have held the position of Vice-Dean for Teacher Programs, and before that you were Vice-Dean for Studies. What does the new agenda entail?
My new role is more conceptual. Several reforms are now being prepared in the field of teacher education that will affect teaching practices, and an amendment to the law on teaching staff prepared by the government will be approved. As Vice-Dean at the Ministry of Education, I participate in discussions on the shape of upcoming reforms. We also debate proposals with the guarantors of teacher study programs at the joint program council, where we try to move teacher studies in the direction desired.
What reforms are the Ministry of Education planning and what does it want to achieve?
The reforms are mainly aimed at two areas; first is the formulation of a so-called ‘competency framework for teaching graduates’, which should, more-or-less, unify the requirements placed on graduates of different schools or courses. Secondly, there are reforms aimed at improving the quality pedagogical practices through greater supervision of so-called accompanying teachers in secondary and elementary schools.
Even before the Covid epidemic, the Ministry of Education had commissioned an extensive survey of Czech primary and secondary schools, which confirmed earlier fears that there was the threat of a teacher shortage, especially in some subject combinations. These are the so-called deficit combinations, the teaching of which the Ministry has begun to support financially. At our faculty, this applies to practically all teaching programs apart from geography. The situation is serious and I believe there is no quick solution.
Does the upcoming amendment to the Act on Pedagogical Workers also solve the shortage of teachers for certain subjects?
The amendment expands the possibilities of obtaining a teaching qualification in ways other than through completing a Master's degree in teaching at a university. This measure may indeed alleviate the problem of teacher shortages, but we are still monitoring it with concern. For example, it is hard to imagine that it will be possible to ensure high-quality teaching in the branch of didactics, including science laboratories and practical school experiments, in a facility for the further education of teaching staff. According to the amendment, a secondary school teacher’s qualification will also be obtained by a graduate of teaching for the second level of primary school, thus creating new competition for us in the form of study programs at the faculties of pedagogy.
How can we attract enough applicants to teaching programs, especially when they are no longer interested in some of the subject combinations?
The truth is that the teaching profession is currently not very popular, and there is no easy solution to this. We have been trying to improve our image for some time. As part of the open days, for example, we have introduced a special section for teacher study programs, involving current students of the teacher programs. We believe that they will reach out and engage with their peers better. Indeed, listening to them, I have been really impressed about how they say they enjoy studying teaching and how much they value the teaching profession.
What are the main advantages of the teaching profession?
Working in an environment of young people is both uplifting and rejuvenating. I still don’t feel that old myself, even though I’m quite a bit older than my students. Working with young people is fulfilling. In addition, it is a significant form of social security these days. A science teacher, for example, will certainly have no problem finding a place, and may even be able to choose where they go. Teaching is a beautiful profession, with the certainty of employment in the labour market and a relatively decent salary.
Do young people know this? What could we change at the faculty level to improve their opinion of teaching?
The first step is undoubtedly promoting the study of teaching among secondary school students, ideally using our own students in the open days, for example. And here at the faculty, we should focus more on those student teachers for whom the primary motivation is to be a teacher. It is precisely in this way that motivated applicants and students are more likely to complete their studies and enter the teaching profession after graduation. Of course, we must not forget those who decide to supplement their teaching qualifications during their professional studies, even if only in one subject combination. Though there are few of them, the numbers are relatively high compared with the generally low number of student teachers.
From the very beginning of their undergraduate studies, we should make it clear to students in teacher education programs that we value them and their future work, that they are not inferior to students in vocational programs. We should also enable them to apply to teach at the beginning of their studies. We would also like the Bachelor’s degree to include more subjects and courses closely related to teaching. In many cases, it appears that the model where future teachers first encounter a scientific field and only then learn how to teach the knowledge gained just does not work. I know of cases where this approach has disappointed and demotivated students who were initially full of enthusiasm for teaching. In this way, we lose exactly those we should care about the most.
But won't such a study program be too difficult, especially in cases of subject combinations with demanding subjects?
It will be difficult; therefore, we should consider reducing the expertise required in individual scientific fields a little, so that there is room for other important things. We should check whether the professional sections of the study are not overemphasised, and conduct professional studies alongside teaching right from the beginning. For example, we are presently thinking about how to teach basic theoretical subjects in such a way that we do not lose contact with the secondary school curriculum.
Can it all be squeezed into a three-year Bachelor’s degree and a two-year Master’s degree?
We are also discussing the possibility of offering a five-year master’s degree in teaching; however, this variant currently faces a problem regarding continuity of studies with the teaching of subjects and combinations provided by other faculties. A five-year course brings with it both advantages and disadvantages. One of the advantages of a five-year Master’s degree, for example, is that students would have more time in the first three years as the obligation of a Bachelor's thesis and essays would be eliminated. It would then be possible to develop study plans more freely, perhaps making it easier to find a window for a stay abroad. Applicants could feel more confident that they will become secondary school teachers if they are accepted and subsequently fulfil their study obligations. What is more, they would not have to take additional entrance exams for a subsequent Master’s degree. We know from a survey that students would welcome this option.
You yourself have rich experience in teaching, having twice won the Rector’s Award for outstanding teaching and the Minister of Education’s award for excellent educational activity at a university. What is your guide to becoming a good teacher?
I don’t have any simple instructions. First, a person must enjoy it, they must like the field they are teaching. Students can easily sense whether you are doing something you enjoy. It is also important to like the students themselves and not look down on them for not knowing something yet. When I see that most of the students are not doing well, I try to adapt the teaching to focus more on the problem subject. I try to follow the saying that the worst teacher is not the one who doesn’t teach anything, but the one who opposes or poisons the subject with his approach.
How did you come to study physics yourself?
I always enjoyed physics, and it was the subject that remained after eliminating what I didn’t want to focus on. I find it hard to learn a lot of information by heart, and physics allowed me to think more about relationships and to try and understand phenomena and the patterns between them. Originally, I didn’t think about teaching physics, though I had tutored physics and mathematics from the 8th grade in elementary school. Even after I graduated, and married my wife and had children, students still came to us for tutoring. I enjoyed figuring out how to explain phenomena, how to say it differently, and how to find an analogy so that the person I was tutoring would understand. When a teaching position became available at the faculty where I was working as a researcher, I was happy to take advantage of it.
The Heart of Europe workshop is a traditional gathering of scientists dealing with thin films. The center of Europe is presented by the Technical University of Vienna, Masaryk University in Brno, and Comenius University in Bratislava.
At the beginning of April, the Day with ERC, an event for junior researchers took place. The aim of the discussion meeting for junior scientists is networking. Dr. Jakub Kelar from the Department of Plasma Physics and Technology was nominated as a representative from the Faculty of Science.
