Creating a Flexible Teacher Education Programme through Collaboration

Rebecca Eliahoo, University of Westminster

Focus of workshop

• How Universities can encourage and support collaborative work by teacher educators and staff developers in the post-compulsory sector. • How teacher educators can be inducted and

supported through collaboration, networking and exchange of good practice. • The professional development needs of new or

beginning teacher educators.

A little known group

• Across the world, teacher education has been seen as a powerful lever for bringing about change in schools and colleges (Murray and Kosnik 2011, p.243)

• Teacher educators are an under-researched and little understood group (Zeichner 2006, Noel 2006)

• Yet “what student teachers learn during their initial training is as much influenced by who is responsible for teaching them, as it is by the content of the curriculum” (Furlong et al 2000, p.36)

Exploratory research using mixed methods

• Semi-structured interviews with a purposive sample of 10 experienced and wise Teacher Educators • Survey of 250 Teacher Educators with 70

responses• Colloquium for new or beginning Teacher

Educators and evaluative survey• Focus groups

Who are the teacher educators in PCET?• Staff teaching on PTLLS, CTLLS, DTLLS, CELTA,

CertEd, PGCE etc and subject specialist courses in colleges and HEIs• Mentors and personal tutors supporting trainees • Recruitment for new teacher educators is often

informal

Professional knowledge• There is little focus on, or agreement, about teacher

educators’ support needs or what might constitute appropriate professional knowledge (Harkin et al 2008).

• There is no requirement for teacher educators to hold a degree or higher degree in either their subject specialism or in education • Little attention is paid by colleges to the necessity for teacher

educators to undertake either scholarship or research. • Teacher educators struggle to overcome simplistic

perceptions of teaching and learning as the transmission of information, tips and tricks, rather than the generation of research and scholarship around teacher education pedagogy.

(Murray & Male 2005, Lunenberg et al 2011, Loughran 2011).

How are teacher educators inducted?• Few received a formal induction to teacher

education;• Most received informal or peer mentoring;• Most felt that they were ‘thrown in at the deep

end’ with a text-book as lifeline;• All are enthusiastic exponents of collaborative

working;• CPD tends to be unstructured – some HEIs put

on study days for teacher educators.

What support do teacher educators say they need?• Induction into role and/or institution;• Peer mentoring;• Peer and joint observations of teaching;• Moderation of written/observation feedback; • Explanation of the culture of feedback in initial

teacher education;• Double marking or suitable percentage

moderation of their marking;• How to assess at different levels (4, 5, 6 and 7).

Examples of mentoring by experienced teacher educators• Shadowing and team teaching to get a holistic

view of the course;• How H.E.I.s work (enrolment , assessment, and

QA procedures, etc.);• Value of belonging to networks e.g. Talent

website, CETTs, TELL, TEAN, ATEE.• Introduction to a new community of practice.• Experienced teacher educators may need a

lighter touch induction

Creating a Flexible Teacher Education Programme through Collaboration

• Annual Assignment Writing Seminars• GOPEX • Support for CertEd/PGCE Teacher Educators in

H/book• Summer Research Conference• Shared Induction sessions at the University• Shared online resources and ideas for module

leaders • Collaborative research (LSIS projects)

Creating a Flexible Teacher Education Programme through Collaboration

• Encouraging flexible assessment (Wikis, professional discussions, video observations, poster presentations)• CPD modules (Observation; Mentoring; HE in FE)• M.A. in Education in the LLS/M.A. in Teacher

Education in the LLS• Transcending geography: beginning teacher

educators working in different HEIs in the USA and Canada used online journals and dialogue to explore their practice and support each other (Ramirez et al 2012)

Before questions

• In pairs, please share your own strategies to support flexible and collaborative practice in Teacher Education

References• Furlong, J., Barton, L., Miles, S., Whiting, C., Whitty, G. (2000)

Teacher Education in Transition, Buckingham: OUP• Harkin, J., Cuff, A., Rees, S., Clow, R. (2008) Research into the

Developmental Needs of Teacher Educators for Effective Implementation of the New Qualifications for Teachers, Tutors and Trainers in the Lifelong Learning Sector in England LLUK

• Loughran, J. (2011) ‘On becoming a teacher educator’, Journal of Education for Teaching: International Research and Pedagogy, 37:3, 279-291

• Lunenberg, M., Korthagen, F., Zwart, R. (2011) ‘Self-Study Research and the Development of Teacher Educators’ Professional Identities’, European Educational Research Journal, 10:3, 407-420

• Noel, P. (2006) ‘The secret life of teacher educators: becoming a teacher educator in the learning and skills sector’ Journal of Vocational Education and Training 58 (2) pp151-170

References• Murray, J., Kosnik, C. (2011) ‘Academic work and identities in teacher

education’, Journal of Education for Teaching: International research and pedagogy, 37:3, 243-246

• Murray, J. Male, T. (2005) ‘Becoming a teacher educator: evidence from the field’, Teaching and Teacher Education, 21, 125-142

• Ramirez, L.A., Allison-Roan, V.A., Peterson, S., Elliott-Johns, S.E. (2012) ‘Supporting one another as beginning Teacher Educators: forging an online community of critical inquiry into practice’, Studying Teacher Education: A journal of self-study of teacher education practices, 8:2, 109-126

• Zeichner, K. (2006) ‘A research agenda for teacher education’. In Studying Teacher Education, ed. M. Cochran-Smith and K. Zeichner. New Jersey: Lawrence Erlbaum and the American Educational Research Association