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THIS TENTH ANNIVERSARY OF EARTH DAY finds the earth it celebrates a more populous one, a more polluted one, and one beset by wars and threats of wars- the ultimate destructive impulses of our speci...

The Rose Review has been published to sort out all those nasty curriculum and pedagogical problems that have bewildered, frustrated and exhausted so many primary teachers over the recent past! This article addresses one aspect of the recommendations, namely, the role of cross-curricular approaches to strengthen teaching and learning. Perhaps this is the ‘Holy Grail’ for which we have eagerly waited. On the other hand, perhaps it is a ‘poisoned chalice’ to corrupt the sanctity of subject divisions and impose a modern version of project work on unsuspecting teachers and learners. Hopefully, it is a welcome flash of warm sunlight beaming through the dark clouds of curriculum prescription and government ‘recommended’ teaching methods. In this short article I offer a variety of perspectives on the place of the cross-curricular proposals and suggest that whatever our viewpoint, a curriculum review of any sort is an opportunity to interrogate the purpose of education for children and young people, who deserve ev...

People are more likely to associate Einstein with complex scientific theories and mathematical calculations than with education theory. In fact, Einstein's own experiences of schooling and his reflections on the meaning of life and the significance of education are profound and oddly relevant to the situation that pertains in England today. It is difficult to believe, but never the less true that the great man valued imagination above knowledge and passionately promoted the need for perseverance, thoughtful reflection and the opportunity to fail as a necessary precursor to success. For teachers who are tired of labouring under a tightly prescribed curriculum, narrowly focused learning outcomes and formal teaching methods, Einstein's perspectives provide a refreshing wind of hope and inspiration. For teachers who are content to embrace and implement every nuance of government policy, his assertions will appear idealistic and banal. Either way, Einstein has much to teach us about education.

Every teacher wants to do the job well, but opinions vary over the qualities and competence required to be successful. This article explores the nature of the teaching profession and current govern...

Teachers are under scrutiny as never before. Politicians, parents and pupils invest a great deal of capital in teachers' ability to deliver the goods, notably in terms of national test results. In this essay I challenge the view that a teacher's role and value should be defined solely with respect to measurable outcomes, and argue that the influence of a passionate teacher can be powerful, motivating and even life-transforming for pupils. Teachers' affective influence is neglected at its peril, not least because it provides for considerable personal satisfaction and moral agency.

After issuing a flood of missives about education during its time in office, the Government is now actively encouraging the exploitation of creativity and offering schools the opportunity to be more flexible in their interpretation and teaching of the curriculum. This apparent change of heart has left school leaders and classroom practitioners with the formidable task of interpreting and evaluating its implications, in which they face two main challenges. First, to understand what creativity means and how it can be implemented. Second, to develop the confidence to be more innovative while not adversely affecting test results.

(2002). Purpose, power and constraint in the primary curriculum. Education 3-13: Vol. 30, No. 1, pp. 5-11.

This case study is largely based on written accounts provided by student primary teachers in which they disclose the factors they perceived to be most influential in affecting their progress while on school placement. In line with previous studies, the research confirms that the attitude and skills of mentors and teachers is a critical factor in raising the confidence and self-esteem of student teachers. The case study also indicates that student teachers may experience considerable variation in the quality of the tutoring and mentoring they receive. In particular, the extent to which student teachers are absorbed into the 'community of practice' and the skill and sensitivity with which teachers offer feedback to their trainees, has a significant bearing upon their teaching and professional development.

The present United Kingdom government has continued its predecessor's close involvement with influencing education policy in England, affecting both the curriculum content of schools and the teaching methods used in its delivery. This article argues that by doing so, the government is bringing about a significant change in teachers' professional status. A new breed of teacher is emerging, characterised by a willingness to comply with the government's wishes and concentrate wholly on raising pupils' examination results. At the same time, those teachers who place an equal emphasis upon establishing and maintaining harmonious relationships with their pupils are being marginalised. As well as regretting the abandonment of the nurturing principle, the article concludes that a culture of compliance is at the expense of divergent thought and critical practice. Teachers are in danger of losing their ability to exercise autonomy, influence education decisions or oppose unsatisfactory, centrally imposed measures. S...

In the light of the demands made by exit competences on student teachers and those in their first year of teaching, this article examines the influence of decision-makingas a factor in ‘getting better at teaching’. It begins by examining a variety of models which purport to explain the way in which decisions are made, the factors that influence the process and the difficulties facing those who assess competence. Suggestions are made about the relevance of experience, the cyclical nature of development and the tension between rational decision-making and spontaneity. The value of using competence statements to describe the complexities of classroom teaching is challenged and the article concludes by warning that the existence of tightly-bound exit competences has the potential to suppress creativity and enterprising teaching as student teachers settle for compliance rather than operating innovative forms of decision-making.

In this article, Denis Hayes discusses the competence model for teacher training in England in the 1990s. This model uses Circulars — policy guidelines that list competence statements — to outline the level of achievement that student teachers must reach before obtaining qualified teacher status. Hayes considers the impact that the competence approach to monitoring standards of achievement has had on teacher-training institutions and student teachers. He explores questions of terminology and examines the limitations of using a competence model, the difficulties of separating competences for the purposes of assessment and of structuring competence statements in a hierarchy that reflects the way that student teachers progress in their ability to teach. He presents a case study based on his own institution's attempt to develop a hierarchy of competence acquisition and cautions that a competence approach to the training and assessment of teachers is extremely complex. Hayes concludes that, in aligning their programs with the statutory competence model, teacher-preparation institutions must not neglect the developmental aspect of the skills that enable student teachers to reach the competences.

Mentors responsible for student primary teachers on school placement were asked about the qualities they expected to see in their trainees. The key finding from an analysis of their responses was that although they were concerned with abilities relating to planning and teaching, the majority of responses were to do with student teachers’ personal attributes. Evidence from this small‐scale survey suggested that mentors believed that unless certain personal qualities and attitudes were present in student teachers, the process of teaching‐and‐learning was unlikely to be effective, however well planned and executed it was. The virtue of ‘being willing’ figured particularly strongly in mentors’ replies, raising difficult questions about the significance of relationships, character, and personality as determinants in teaching effectiveness. The implications for student teachers’ professional growth in demonstrating willingness through their positive response to mentors’ advice form a key element of the...

In this article I present evidence based on primary student teachers' accounts about the way in which socio‐cultural factors in placement schools affected the quality of their experiences. I examine the proposition that school culture has a significant impact upon performance, and that the strain of adjusting to school values and expectations can lead to stress and loss of confidence for a significant minority of students. I suggest that effective mentoring needs to take close account of students' socialisation into the school culture, as failure to do so may adversely influence their teaching effectiveness and well‐being.

The use of competence statements as a way of safeguarding standards for newly qualified teachers in England has dominated teacher education and training over the past 5 years, largely as a result of the Department for Education's Circulars 9/92 and 14/93. More recently, the Teacher Training Agency has submitted proposals which include comprehensive sets of criteria by which trainee teachers are to be evaluated before being granted qualified status. This article examines the principle of using competence statements as a basis for judging teaching ability, and suggests that their interpretation is complex. It argues that the successful acquisition of every competence is unattainable, and that some prioritising is inevitable. The article challenges the view that competence statements can be used for assessing teaching in every situation, regardless of context, without taking account of the diverse school circumstances in which trainee teachers find themselves. Despite the limitations of a competence...

Interviews with six headteachers of small primary schools showed that they had chosen to be teaching heads for similar reasons: to continue teaching, to be autonomous, to fulfil an educational vision and to ‘make a mark ’. Once in post, they found they could not successfully meet all the demands of the job, but the need for self‐esteem through publicly attestable success was so great that they could not admit this. Instead, they developed strategies which preserved their image in the eyes of parents and governors while masking their declining idealism.