Mother Tongue Teacher Education in Sweden

Abstract

This chapter looks at the development of a course for mother tongue teachers in Sweden and discusses the methodology of teaching a course that allows participants acquire a deeper knowledge about the challenges of mother tongue instruction and engages them in collaborative learning. The course focused on developing knowledge, skills, and attitudes to prepare the participants for working professionally as mother-tongue teachers of Russian and to be involved in the development of the subject. The main purpose was to bring together relevant knowledge from research, provide necessary cultural competence, and create an atmosphere for open reflection. The ambition was that the course participants would understand that the way they teach and the choices they make should be aligned with previous research. The results suggest that the participants had very different perspectives on their role as a teacher as a result of their cultural background. This role became much clearer with the help of reflection with colleagues.