The Future of Education

Today teachers’ relational proficiencies are increasingly seen as a reasonable and necessary prerequisite for didactic competence. However, the relational field is small and largely unexplored, and needs a more precise theoretical starting point. This paper presents a new theoretical multi-relational perspective, Pedagogical Relational Teachership, PeRT, which can support development of new knowledge about teachers’ relational proficiencies and how these can be established in school practice. PeRT is a theoretical perspective within the field of inclusive education, that addresses relational challenges in today´s and tomorrow’s school, focusing on interpersonal relationships and relational values. It is a radical alternative that explores teaching conditions to enable subjectification and how students can emerge as unique subjects. Within the field of relational pedagogy, Pedagogical Relational Teachership can be seen as a new branch. Through a relational oriented approach the searchlight is directed towards pupils’ participation in education. PeRT has a three-dimensional model highlighting interpersonal relationships at different levels within the educational system. The first dimension contains the child's rights, where four articles in the Children's Convention are indicative. The second dimension includes a model which highlights different aspects of relational teachership, as well as the relationship between teacher and students. This part of the model is inspired by Bronfenbrenner´s ecological theory focusing on qualities for children and young people growing in different environments. However, PeRT is a pedagogical perspective highlighting micro, meso and macro levels of interpersonal relationships within the educational system. The third dimension of the model makes visible a tool for relational and didactical aspects in teaching. In total, PeRT´s relational multi-dimensional model illustrates a relational teachership and provides an enhanced understanding of different educational environments. The model, and its various parts, can be used in teacher education as well as in research within pedagogy, didactics and special educational studies. In addition, PeRT can support schools and teachers in their quest to develop educational environments focusing on interpersonal relationships. Hence, PeRT is a new perspective that can support future empirical research on students´ participation and aspects of accessibility and equity.

Keywords: Relational teachership, inclusive education, participation, accessibility, equity.

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