The diversity and complexity of the post-modern era places new and important challenges on Teacher Education. The crucial role that personal dispositions have for professional learning needs to be better understood and acknowledged. Teacher training programmes need to focus more on objectives such as promoting conflict literacy, self-awareness, empathy, leadership and collaborative skills, i.e. taking into account not only the cognitive but also the social and emotional aspects of human development. In this article, Swedish lecturers’ descriptions of what they consider to be competences and qualities necessary for future teachers constitute the starting point for a wider discussion on the decisive role of beliefs and emotions in being and becoming a teacher. Issues raised here should be able to contribute to a better understanding of what it means to be a teacher and, consequently, result in improvements in the planning of teacher training programmes.

In this article the concept of authenticity is explored within an educational context, using examples from the lives and work of teachers to illustrate the many qualities, dimensions and complexities involved in striving to be true to oneself. In educational settings authenticity has been aligned with personal commitment, meaningful contexts, realistic intentions, respect for students and on‐going professional development. In essence, general fulfilment is attained when values pertaining to teachers' personal and professional selves are in unison; when “what I am” and “what I do” are as true to ones nature as they can possibly be. By recognising and acknowledging authenticity as a personal process of engagement, manifested in teachers' lives and work, we may acquire a deeper understanding of the kinds of practices and pedagogical encounters that enhance, or even limit, student and teacher development. 

DRACON (DRAma for CONflict management) is an interdisciplinary and comparative action research project aimed at improving conflict handling among adolescent school children through the use of educational drama. The main purpose of our research has been to develop an integrated programme using conflict management as the theory and practice, and drama as the pedagogy, in order to empower students through an integrated, school-based programme to manage their own conflict experiences in all aspects of their lives. In our studies we have used different forms of self-reported data, such as questionnaires, diaries and questions requiring problem solving. Interviews with students and their teachers as well as observations have been used; drama exercises have also been video-recorded for further analysis. While students found it difficult to articulate their understanding of conflicts verbally, their engagement in the reconstruction of conflicts disclosed their grasp of the components of a conflict clearly enough. Peer teaching was found to be an effective method of teaching about conflict management. Results within DRACON have shown promising results with regard to empowering students to manage their own conflicts.

In this study, the occupational life histories of a small group of female Montessori teachers in Sweden are in focus. Of interest has been to shed light on underlying values, ways in which professional roles reflect personal values as well as teachers' reflections on the present and future perspectives of their profession. Of special interest has been to discover if and to what extent these teachers are able or willing to adapt to changing conditions within the overall educational establishment, i.e. in the light of current pedagogical development and research. Data exploration based on journals, interviews, written reflections and conversations has culminated in a collection of occupational life histories. These in turn have been able to shed light on the ways in which personal and professional lives are formed, influenced and developed. Tendencies towards continuity or change in education depend to a great extent on the ways in which teachers are able to critically reflect about how they think and what they do. Taking seriously what teachers have to say is in fact essential in order to understand the forces that, among other things, govern and sway teachers' inner as well as outer motivations, something I believe to be of relevance and concern to all involved in teaching and educational processes.

Det övergripande syftet med föreliggande studie är att utveckla en bättre förståelse om vad det innebär att vara montessorilärare. Utgångspunkten är lärarnas egna liv och verksamhetsberättelser. Insamling av data har skett genom loggböcker, intervjuer, skriftliga reflektioner och diskussioner. Analys av lärarnas livsberättelser i samband med övriga data har granskats för att belysa grundläggande värderingar, lärarrollen och fram-tida perspektiv. Åtta kvinnliga montessorilärare deltog i studien. Det visar sig att Montessorimetodens styrka ligger i en välutvecklad filosofisk medveten-het, ett holistiskt perspektiv och en genuin känsla av omsorg. Montesso-ris grundläggande principer stämmer väl överens med den nu gällande läroplanen (Lpo 94). Svårigheter är motstridiga tolkningar av montessoris teori och praktik och en allmän brist på samarbete mellan lärare. En mer öppen diskussion och ett delgivande av idéer och erfarenheter bland montessorilärare borde leda till att grundläggande principer kan applice-ras på nya och innovativa sätt, utan att montessoris ?identitet? går förlo-rad. Detta synsätt delas av montessorilärarna i denna studie. Tendenser mot att hålla fast vid det gamla eller att bidra till menings-full förändring beror till stor del på lärarnas förmågor att kritiskt granska den egna verksamheten. Genom att ta lärares röster på allvar kan en dju-pare förståelse uppnås för krafter, som styr lärarnas motiv och handling-ar. Det metodologiska angreppssättet är av relevans för alla som är in-tresserad av lärande och utbildning.

The overall aim of this study has been to come to a better understanding of what it means to be a Montessori teacher, by getting a group of Montessori teachers to reflect on their lives and work. Data exploration has comprised journals, interviews, written reflections and collaborative con-textual analysis. Analysis of the teachers? occupational life histories and the findings as a whole have been used to shed light on: ?Values and specific aspects of the philosophy of Montessori edu-cation that primarily attract teachers to this profession. ?Ways in which teachers? conceptions of their professional roles reflect their own personal values, beliefs and convictions. ?Teachers? views regarding the role of Montessori education to-day and in the future. Eight female Montessori primary school teachers participated in the study. Findings reveal that the strengths of the Montessori method lie in its focus on philosophical awareness, the holistic approach and a genuine ethic of care. Montessori?s fundamental educational principles are also in alignment with the current Curriculum for Compulsory Schools (Lpo 94). On the other hand, difficulties are experienced due to conflicting tradi-tional/contemporary interpretations of Montessori theory and practice and a general lack of collaboration among Montessori teachers. Open discussion and a sharing of ideas and experiences would help Montessori teachers come to terms with how to apply fundamental principles in new ways without the fear of losing an educational ?identity?. The Montessori teachers in this study reflect this attitude. Tendencies toward continu-ity/meaningful change in education depend to a great extent on the ways in which teachers are able to critically reflect about how they think and what they do. Taking seriously what teachers have to say is in fact essen-tial in order to understand the forces that, among other things, govern and sway teachers? inner as well as outer motivations, something of relevance and concern to all involved in teaching and educational processes.

This paper discusses the implications of using life history methodology in teacher research. By examining teachers’ life stories within a cultural and historical context the researcher and teacher, in collaboration, construct a life history. Biographical material based on the personal and professional aspects of being a teacher were collected from eight Montessori teachers in Sweden. Empirical data included interviews, diaries, written narratives and discussions. Theoretical and philosophical issues raised in conjunction with the biographies included counterconcepts such as traditional educational theory/critical reflection and continuity/change within the profession. Specific issues were raised in regard to students, parents, the work situation, etc. Valuable insights were gained concerning the changing roles of teachers in contemporary educational contexts. The voices and visions of teachers should thus be able to contribute to a deeper understanding of the role of the teacher and by so doing lead to improvements within the profession as a whole.