Search

This paper forms part of an exploration of assessment on one part-time higher education (HE) course: an in-service, professional qualification for teachers and trainers in the learning and skills sector which is delivered on a franchise basis across a network of further education colleges in the north of England. This paper proposes that the validity and reliability of portfolio-based assessment, a key component of many HE programmes in addition to the course being researched here, is contestable. Analysis of the processes of compiling portfolios for assessment, through the conceptual framework of the New Literacy Studies, suggests that the ways in which portfolios are assessed and the ways in which the crucial requisites of validity and reliability are assigned to them, mask complexities and contradictions in their creation by the student. This paper argues for a new, critical analysis of portfolio production and raises a number of questions about the validity, reliability and authenticity of the assessment process that the portfolios reify. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Alice Buckton was a Froebelian educator who was involved in early childhood education and the training of teachers. She was a prolific writer, at first writing articles for the Froebelian journal Child Life and later writing poetry and plays, which were read and performed in London and elsewhere. Alice Buckton became interested in the spiritual and creative movements in Glastonbury in early 1907, and in 1913 she bought a property then known as Tor House, where she and her colleague and lifelong friend, Annet Schepel, moved in 1913, renaming it Chalice Well. This paper aims to explore the relationship between Alice Buckton's early influences as a Froebelian, the inspiration of mystical landscape and the development of her work in Glastonbury. While very little direct evidence of her continued Froebelian influence relating to the education project at Chalice Well remains, the links are demonstrated throughout the paper in the form of quotations from Froebel that reflect her work. The paper concludes with a brief account of the emerging interest in Alice Buckton in Glastonbury's local community, and in particular the work of the Chalice Well Trust. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper is a research-informed response to the paradigm shift that has taken place in the world of teacher education for the further education sector in England during the last few years. We begin by outlining the various changes that have taken place in terms of regulation of the sector and show how this has impacted upon the agency of those who have been involved in the 'delivery' of a curriculum based on a set of new and prescribed standards. Making use of a life history approach, we compare and contrast two very different stories: one of a lecturer new to teacher education and the other of a lecturer who has been involved in teacher education for more than 25 years. Drawing upon these two cases we show that the myriad changes and prescriptions introduced into the further education sector have not closed down the achievement of agency of those involved in teacher education programmes. Rather, the changes have transformed the ways in which their agency can be articulated. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

If education is a solution in working toward a sustainable future then initial teacher training (ITT) provides a strategic opportunity for ensuring that all teachers are able to teach for sustainability when they begin their teaching careers. This paper reports on a study of how four Postgraduate Certificate of Education (PGCE) student teachers planned and taught education for sustainable development (ESD) through geography during a school placement. It was carried out to provide exemplification of the nature of student teachers' planning and teaching about ESD in secondary schools in England and to identify ways of improving their PGCE course. The findings are based on interviews with student teachers after the school placement, as well documentary evidence. Policy-driven changes in the provision of both ITT and school curricula and pedagogy in England are an important context for the study. The paper concludes by arguing that ITT faces considerable challenges if it is to be reoriented towards sustainability. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In the first part of this paper the author outlines some of the main characteristics of citizenship education in England and in particular he discusses the nature of the active citizenship dimension to the curriculum and the importance of teacher preparation. In the second part he reports on the first three years of a project with history and citizenship trainee teachers. In this section he analyses student teachers’ written work and their reflections on school experience. These reflections address the practical and political challenges of developing experiential learning and active citizenship within a school system which is often authoritarian and wary of pupil dissent. The student teachers’ reflections are organised under two broad themes—the meaning of active citizenship, and the implications for schools. The paper concludes with an outline of the benefits the student teachers have gained through the project and some comments on the extent to which this project helped prepare these teachers for their role in facilitating active citizenship in schools. Whilst their experiences have been mixed, the tasks and reflective assignment seem to have provided a mechanism for transforming experience into learning and avoiding Dewey’s warning that such experiences may become mis‐educative. By doing so the training process has mirrored the experiential learning that these new teachers will be pursuing with their pupils. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

By 2010 all educators in the English lifelong learning sector were expected to embed ‘education for sustainable development’ to support their learners in becoming sustainable citizens. The teacher training team at a college in southwest England used a ‘cooperative inquiry’ approach to develop themselves and their curriculum, to support their trainee teachers in achieving this. The participative nature of a cooperative inquiry made it an authentic methodology for a values-driven research project. It encouraged a sense of community within the team that extended into their practice as they engaged trainee teachers with this subject. Highlighting key aspects of the cooperative inquiry process, this paper provides an account of the team’s journey, considering challenges such as time/institutional restructuring and successes, where students began to embrace education for sustainable development. Actively reflecting upon and sharing these experiences served to empower the team, leading to informed changes in their practice and behaviour. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Can disaster risk reduction and dealing with disasters be taught in the classroom at the secondary school level? This paper seeks to answer this research question in order to apply and critique pedagogical theories for improving how teachers are trained to teach disaster-related topics and how these topics could be introduced into the classroom. The case study used is secondary school geography education in England. Three main geography education theories are examined in the context of disaster-related education: experiential learning, multiple intelligences and self-theories on whether or not people have a fixed amount of intelligence. An overview is given of putting the theories into practice for improving the disaster-related component of secondary school geography education in England. Then, specific proposals are provided for improving curricula, for classroom and extra-curricular action and activities, and for teacher training and support. The overall ethos aims to make education interesting and relevant, for both the educators and the students. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

This paper explores the issues that secondary history teachers on an initial teacher education (ITE) programme in England encounter in attempting to incorporate more cultural and ethnic diversity into the history curriculum. It also assesses the impact that changes in their training course had on their views and pedagogical practice. Using questionnaires and scenario based interviews with three cohorts of trainee teachers, key challenges were identified, which were related to the purposes of teaching history and diversity, appropriate pedagogy and content, dealing with pupils, and teachers' personal concerns. A framework for analysing trainees' stances towards cultural and ethnic diversity based upon a confident-uncertain-uncomfortable continuum was developed. The research revealed that the course had had an impact, although this was in subtle rather than marked ways, which raises further questions about what is possible within the confines of an ITE training programme and the need for additional support beyond the course. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The paper presents a radical critique of the competence-driven initial teacher education (ITE) paradigm, focusing on the official standards for qualified teacher status in England and Wales, the legal basis for teacher education courses, and specifically the Postgraduate Certificate in Education (PGCE). Broadly, the developing perspective here is that based on critical pedagogy (CP), as presented and proposed by Paulo Freire and others, thus providing a theoretical base for pertinent exploration. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Media education forms part of the National Minimum Curriculum of England, Malta and Germany. Teacher training courses differ greatly in how teachers are prepared to teach media education. In this paper we shall investigate the attitudes of a sample of teachers trained in England, Malta and in Germany towards their perceived importance of media education and the teachers' preparedness to teach the subject. This preliminary study had a sample of 132 participants, 33 teachers from England, 47 from Germany and 52 teachers from Malta. The tool used to collect data was an online questionnaire. The results show that teachers taking part in this study were not given enough training, or any training at all to be able to teach media education with the result that they do not feel sufficiently prepared to teach the subject. It is suggested by the authors that media education becomes a compulsory component of the initial teacher training courses as well as advanced training for teachers. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Information Technology (IT) is currently included in all aspects of the National Curriculum for England and Wales. At the same time, the Council for the Accreditation of Teacher Education (CATE) has endorsed the recommendation of the Trotter Report (HMSO, 1989), that it should be a condition of approval for all initial teacher training (ITT) courses that they provide students with at least a minimum training in IT capability. Students are also required by other CATE criteria to acquire an understanding of the different ways in which pupils develop and learn. This paper therefore reports on an experiment in which an essential requirement of an assignment on ‘learning’ in the Education Studies component of a Postgraduate Certificate in Secondary Education (PGCE) course was that it be word processed or desk top published. One hundred and fourteen secondary students following one of seven main methods courses took part in the experiment. It was found that despite initial misgivings on the part of most of the students, they all learned to word process to an acceptable standard and all gained some insight thereby into the learning process. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This article is based on research with a group of one‐year Postgraduate Certificate in Education secondary trainee teachers during their initial teacher education and training in England. It considers tensions between trainees’ prior experiences and conceptions of teaching and their training programme. In doing so, it seeks to examine how a trainee’s dispositions as revealed through practice in various contexts are reflective of Bourdieu’s ‘habitus’. Associated with this, the paper also examines how particular forms of pre‐existing cultural capital and manifestations of biographical identity also pre‐dispose trainees to form affinities and disaffinities within particular fields. Lacanian concepts of the symbolic, imaginary and real are used to help explain how trainee teachers articulate resonance and dissonance during their field experiences, particularly in relation to ontological concerns of securing a professional stable sense of self. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Research on primary physical education (PE) in England and other countries has shown that it is an aspect of the curriculum that has suffered from sparse initial teacher training (ITT). As a consequence of ‘insufficient’ time spent on PE in ITT (PE-ITT), primary teachers often have low levels of confidence and competence with respect to teaching the subject. Evidence also points to inadequacies in traditional forms of professional development in PE (PE-CPD), leading to calls for more effective ways of developing teachers' competence to deliver high quality PE. Purpose: To explore primary school teachers' experiences of PE during ITT and the PE context in their schools prior to them engaging in a national PE-CPD programme, and their perceptions of the immediate and longer-term effects of this programme. Setting and participants: Primary school teachers in five local education authorities in England. Research design and data collection: A combination of quantitative and qualitative methodological approaches were adopted, including: pre-course audits, course evaluations, focus groups and semi-structured interviews. The pre-course audits captured information about the teachers' experiences of PE-ITT and the PE context in their schools prior to them engaging in the CPD. The course evaluations focused on initial impressions of the PE-CPD, and the focus groups and interviews captured the teachers' perceptions of its longer-term effects. Findings: For up to half of the teachers, their PE-ITT was ‘insufficient’ in terms of the time dedicated to it and the breadth of coverage of the subject. The PE-CPD programme, which was designed in the light of ‘insufficient’ PE-ITT, demonstrated features of ‘effective’ CPD in that it was considered relevant to classroom practice and partially addressed some of their many needs (especially in relation to content ideas and inclusive practice). However, its effectiveness was undoubtedly limited due to: its short time span and minimal engagement with teachers; a heavy reliance on resources; and the absence of follow-up support. In addition, it did not adequately address known areas of development for primary PE (such as medium to long-term planning and assessment) and was challenged in meeting the diverse needs of primary teachers of 5–11 year olds. Furthermore, inadequate PE time and reduced opportunities to teach PE in some schools limited implementation of learning from the PE-CPD. Conclusions: The findings of this study confirmed that PE-ITT continues to be ‘insufficient’ for many primary teachers and that the PE-CPD in question, whilst partially ‘effective’, was not, and could never have been, the panacea for the inherent issues within and predicament of primary PE. In effect, this PE-CPD programme with its limited duration and engagement with teachers, a heavy reliance on resources, and no planned follow-up support was not sufficiently different to forms of CPD described in the literature as ‘ineffective’; consequently, it could not hope to compensate for long-term systemic weaknesses such as inadequate primary PE-ITT. These weaknesses need to be addressed through a dual approach of ‘sufficient’ PE-ITT followed by ‘effective’ PE-CPD which engages teachers and their colleagues in long-term collaborative endeavours that support transformative practice. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The way in which professional knowledge is presented in initial teacher education (ITE) in England and Wales is significant. Not only is it emblematic of the way teaching itself is conceived, but it is likely to influence the way that students engage with their development. The following analysis therefore describes and critiques the kinds of knowledge presented within the predominant model of primary ITE in England and Wales. Bruner’s concepts of paradigmatic and narrative modes of thought are used to frame this analysis. Firstly, the presentation of professional knowledge within different dimensions of primary ITE is examined: in the curriculum; in higher education institutions; and in school. Next, life history research from the last 20 years is used to explore what practising teachers have seen as significant in the formation of their professional knowledge in order to create a critical perspective on the kind of knowledge evident in ITE. Various tensions between paradigmatic and narrative orientations towards knowledge located within both ITE and within teachers’ lives are explored and ultimately seen as contributing in complex and ambiguous ways to what Clandinin and Connelly refer to as a ‘professional knowledge landscape’ (1998). Ultimately, it is argued that recognizing this notion of a ‘professional knowledge landscape’ is useful in framing the kind of teacher professional knowledge required in ITE. The implications of this for primary ITE programmes are also discussed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This article investigates the professionalism of a group of women teacher educators working on initial teacher education (ITE) courses for intending primary school teachers in England. The article draws on data from an empirical study in the education departments of two universities. At the time of the research, these universities had just undergone major changes to the ways in which their ITE courses were organized and taught. The data show how the women teacher educators challenged these changes to their established ways of working and the implied threats to their constructions of caring professionalism. The article analyses how and why the changes affected the women’s senses of professionalism, drawing on Davies’ concept of gendered inclusion in professional life. It also discusses how and why these women’s form of professionalism developed within these institutional settings by identifying a cumulative convergence of discourses within the field of primary ITE. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This article examines the respective roles of the training of teachers and educational studies at the London Day Training College (LDTC), 1902-1932. Following an introduction that indicates different models within the United Kingdom and summarizes the subsequent history of the LDTC's successor, the Institute of Education of the University of London, three major themes are examined. These are control and status, staffing, and students and courses. Conclusions are drawn concerning the nature of educational studies in England and the relative contributions of different groups of staff to the development of educational studies in this period. Future developments in respect of disciplinary dimensions are noted. Although the Institute of Education is now a research-led postgraduate institution it remains committed to the initial training and education of teachers at primary, secondary and further education levels. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The UK Government's Key Stage 3 Strategy (KS3S) aims to transform teachers' approaches, including pedagogy, and pupils' expectations in England. It places new demands on specialist subject teachers to undertake cross-curricular work in the fields of literacy and numeracy development. However, there are insufficient research data concerning trainee teachers' readiness for such a broadening of their responsibilities, and it is also unclear whether, or how, teachers will be trained in the underpinning pedagogies associated with literacy and numeracy. This study, funded by the British Academy, investigated how trainee teachers across a range of disciplines conceive of literacy and numeracy, as such pre-concepts are likely to frame their approaches to teaching, and, thus, impact on the effectiveness of the cross-curricular elements within the Strategy. It discovered differences according to subject background and between attitudes to literacy and numeracy. The interview process was found to be helpful in getting trainee teachers to `think through' their views on these issues. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article discusses several issues related to the training of geography teachers in England. Initial teacher-training is an extremely small part of the total picture of higher education, and it is easy for geographers to ignore teacher-training altogether. The quality and quantity of pupils applying to study geography in higher education could be gravely affected, in the longer term. There is a small number of geographers involved in initial teacher training in England. A series of historical accidents, both modern and quite ancient, have resulted in the distribution of geography teacher-training courses. There is no current map of courses available, but they are clearly listed in the annual Graduate Teacher Training Registry handbook. The public-sector contribution to this area, in the last decade, has been decimated. In PGCE Geography courses, new universities are hardly represented, with the exception of Keele, Sussex, and Bath. There is only one "team" of geography teacher-trainers still in existence in England--at the University of London Institute of Education.