What Is Teaching Out-of-Field?
In 1990, “teaching out-of-field” was described as “education’s dirty little secret.” The label “out-of-field” has been used since the early 1980s to refer to qualified (or certified) teachers (usually) teaching a subject for which they have no formal qualification. While the term “teaching out-of-field” is used in the literature, it is still a relatively contemporary and contentious label that is not widely adopted by practitioners. The term is more commonly associated with secondary school teachers (or middle school or high school, typically students aged 12–18 years).
Generally, a teacher is considered “in-field” if they possess a minor or a major and a teaching qualification (including a teaching method) in that subject. However, internationally, no universal definition for a suitably qualified teacher exists because of differences in teacher education, accreditation requirements variation in school systems, and state certification processes....
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References
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Hobbs, L. (2015). Teaching Science Out-of-Field. In: Gunstone, R. (eds) Encyclopedia of Science Education. Springer, Dordrecht. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-94-007-2150-0_211
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