Andrew Pollard

APTE, 2013, York

New Perspectives

Towards Principled, School-embedded Transformation of

Teacher Education

Where we are now?

Prominence of education in public life, and commitment to ‘improvement’

High standards of initial teacher education• Analysis and practice• Embedded partnerships• Transition from HEI to School leadership

The importance of teaching, internationally established

The use of evidence for the improvement of practice ... and of policy ... (rhetoric and reality)

Improvement - in the sweep of history

Post-war consensus and the Welfare State

• Comprehensive education• Robbins expansion of higher education• James Report and development of teacher education• Autonomous education authorities with local partnerships• Autonomous teachers and schools with local

accountabilities

Features: Innovation + variability Issues: Entitlement? Overall quality?

Callaghan’s Ruskin speech. The responsibilities of teachers to the nation; the potential role of government.

Improvement - in the sweep of history

Post-Thatcher consensus and the Neo-Liberal mindset

Phase 1: Challenging ‘producer capture’ through centralised control

1988 Education Reform ActNational curriculum, assessment, teaching strategies +

inspection

Features: Entitlements. EfficienciesIssues: Innovation. Professionalism

‘The quality of an education system cannot exceed the quality of its teachers.’ OECD’s autonomy + accountability prescription

Improvement - in the sweep of history

Post-Thatcher consensus and the Neo-Liberal mindset

Phase 2: Advancing quasi-markets through choice, diversity, autonomy and accountability

School education Teacher education

Diversity of school type (independent, maintained, academy, free, etc)

Diversity of route (PGCE, SCITT, Teach First, School Direct, Teaching Schools, etc)

Features: Competition. Collaboration Innovation. Variability

Issues: Entitlement? Efficiency? Overall quality?

Gove’s schools revolution and its transformative spaces

Features:

Curriculum: ‘School curriculum’, with NC core and foundation requirements

Assessment: School assessment practices, with end of key stage testing

Pedagogy: School determined, with evidential warrant (but phonic prescription)

Issues:Information requirements? Performance measures? Inspection?Recruitment and economic viability (‘creative destruction’)?Competition and/or cooperation between schools?

Gove’s ITT/ITE revolution and its transformative uncertainties

Charlie Taylor (NCTL) ‘Head teachers must take control to create a school-led teacher education system. Now is the chance. We must not rely on outsiders. We aim to shift from a centrally controlled system to a school controlled system within three years.’

Features: School led diversity and authenticity to contextDevelopment from practice to analysis (or practice to practice?)

Issues:Competition and/or cooperation between schools?Competition and/or cooperation between schools/HEIs?Quality of provision (local vs generic understanding)? Recruitment and economic viability (‘creative destruction’)?Reputational risks to schools and HEIs?Power and interests; identities, work and careers?

Looking back over the last fifteen years ... I want to celebrate the gains which have been made - and one of the most important is the development and deepening of culture in which we recognise that it is professionals, not bureaucratic strategies and initiatives, which drive school improvement. ....

The most important people in driving school improvement are teachers and school leaders. 

Look at the highest performing nations in any measure of educational achievement and they are always, but always, those with the most highly qualified teachers.

We want to further enhance the prestige and esteem of the teaching profession and further improve teacher training and continuous professional development.

Michael Gove, 17th June, 2011 National College Annual Conference

So what is the substance of professional expertise?

The essence of professionalism is the exercise of skills, knowledge and judgement for the public good.

Teacher expertise is developed though evidence-informed reflection on practice (see joint statement of GTCs of Ireland, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland)

• ‘Pedagogy’ is the practice of teaching framed and informed by a shared and structured body of knowledge and combined with moral purpose.

• By progressively acquiring such knowledge and mastering pedagogical expertise – through initial formation, continuing development and reflective experience – teachers are entitled to be treated as professionals.

• Teachers should scrutinise and evaluate their practice to make rationally defensible professional judgements beyond pragmatic constraints and/or ideological concerns.

(GTCE, 2010)

‘Routine’ Vs ‘reflective’ action

Capability, skill and understanding build from both experience and analysis, from immersion and reflection – to which schools and HEIs contribute in complementary ways.

But, through successive stages of professional development and widely distributed models of school-embedded provision, are the HEI and school contributions practically, reputationally and economically viable?

Problem

Collect evidence

Analyse & evaluate

Reflect

Dilemmas

Issue

Judgement

Experience, coaching and evidence

Surviving and building confidence

Reflection from:• Direct classroom experience

• Discussion and collaboration with colleagues

• Advice and guidance from school mentors

• Personal classroom experiment and enquiry

• Discussion and study though HEI activity

• Considering evidence and frameworks of understanding (theory)

The 2014 ‘Reflective Teaching in Schools’

Evidence-informed professionalism for primary and secondary schools (Cambridge teams)

Collates and celebrates practical knowledge, augmented with the latest UK and international evidence

New, explicit provision for ‘deepening expertise’ (principles + expert questions and conceptual tools)

New website at www.reflectiveteaching.co.uk

New book of readings (112 readings, mostly new)

New structure (2/3 of text new for this edition)

PART 1: BECOMING A REFLECTIVE PROFESSIONAL1. Identity. Who are we, and what do we stand for?                2. Learning. How can we understand learner development?3. Reflection. How can we develop the quality of our teaching?    4. Principles. What are the foundations of effective teaching and learning? PART 2: CREATING CONDITIONS FOR LEARNING5. Contexts. What is, and what might be?                6. Relationships. How are we getting on together?                          7. Engagement. How are we managing behaviour?   8. Spaces. How are we creating environments for learning?                PART 3: TEACHING FOR LEARNING9. Curriculum. What is to be taught and learned?                10. Planning. How are we implementing the curriculum?                11. Pedagogy. How can we develop effective strategies? 12. Communication. How does the use of language support learning?               13. Assessment. How are we providing feedback for learning?                 PART 4: REFLECTING ON CONSEQUENCES14. Outcomes. How are we monitoring learning achievements?  15. Inclusion. How are we enabling opportunities? PART 5: DEEPENING UNDERSTANDING             16. Expertise. Conceptual tools for career-long fascination?17. Professionalism. How does reflective teaching contribute to society?

Problem

Collect evidence

Analyse & evaluate

Reflect

Dilemmas

Issue

Judgement

Evidence, coaching

Understanding of enduring educational principles

Building principled understanding

•affirms a holistic approach to teaching and learning or pedagogy

•represents cumulative evidence and experience

•supports contextualised judgement by teachers, tutors, practitioners and policy-makers

Why ‘evidence-informed principles’?

1. EQUIPS LEARNERS FOR LIFE IN ITS BROADEST SENSE

2. ENGAGES WITH VALUED FORMS OF KNOWLEDGE

3. RECOGNISES THE IMPORTANCE OF PRIOR EXPERIENCE AND LEARNING

4. REQUIRES THE TEACHER TO SCAFFOLD LEARNING

5. NEEDS ASSESSMENT TO BE CONGRUENT WITH LEARNING

6. PROMOTES THE ACTIVE ENGAGEMENT OF THE LEARNER

7. FOSTERS BOTH INDIVIDUAL AND SOCIAL PROCESSES AS OUTCOMES

8. RECOGNISES THE SIGNIFICANCE OF INFORMAL LEARNING

9. DEPENDS ON TEACHER LEARNING

10. DEMANDS CONSISTENT POLICY FRAMEWORKS WITH SUPPORT FOR TEACHING AND LEARNING AS THEIR PRIMARY FOCUS

9. DEPENDS ON TEACHER LEARNINGThe importance of teachers learning continuously in order to develop their knowledge and skill, and adapt and develop their roles, especially through classroom inquiry, should be recognised and supported.

Problem

Collect evidence

Analyse & evaluate

Reflect

Dilemmas

Issue

Judgement

Evidence

Understanding through a conceptual framework and language for discussion

Deepening expertise through conceptual analysis

Professionalism and Pedagogy: a contemporary opportunity

TLRP with GTCE, 2010

CURRICULUM PEDAGOGY ASSESSMENT

Aims

Contexts

Processes

Outcomes

Concepts are to do with:

1. Societal aims To what vision of ‘education’ does the provision aspire? 2. Elements of learning What knowledge, concepts, skills and values are to be learned in formal education? 3. Community context Is the educational experience valued and endorsed by civil society?

4. Institutional context Does the school promote a common vision to extend educational experiences and inspire learners? 5. Process for social needs Does the educational experience build on social relationships, cultural understandings and learner identities?

6. Process for emotional needs Does the educational experience take due account of learner views, feelings and characteristics? 7. Process for cognitive needs Does the educational experience match learners’ cognitive needs and provide appropriate challenge? 8. Developmental outcomes Does the educational experience lead to development in knowledge, concepts, skills and values? 9. Cumulative outcomes Does the educational experience equip learners for adult and working life and for an unknown future? 

 

Curricular concepts

Pedagogic concepts

Assessmentconcepts

1. Society’s educational goals Breadth Principle Alignment

2. Elements of learning Balance Repertoire Validity

3. Community context Connection Warrant Dependability

4. Institutional context Coherence Culture Expectation

5. Processes for learners’ social needs

Personalisation Relationships Inclusion

6. Process for learners’ emotional needs

Relevance Engagement Authenticity

7. Processes for learners’ cognitive needs

Differentiation Dialogue Feed-back

8. Outcomes for continuous improvement in learning

Progression Reflection Development

9. Outcomes for certification and the lifecourse

Effectiveness Empowerment Consequence

Reflective Teaching Series

RT + Readings in Early Education (Jen Colwell, Brighton and UK colleagues) (2015)

RT + Readings in Schools (Andrew Pollard and Cambridge colleagues) (2014)

RT+ Readings in Adult, Further and Vocational Education (Yvonne Hillier, Maggie Gregson and colleagues at Sunderland and IOE) (2015)

RT in Higher Education (Paul Ashwin, Lancaster, and international colleagues) (2015)

www.reflectiveteaching.co.uk Bloomsbury Academic

Where are we going now? Prominence of education in public life, and commitment to ‘improvement’

New routes and challenges towards high ITT standards• Analysis and practice (but in distributed ways such as RT & web?)• Embedded partnerships (but with practical tensions diminishing?)• School led (but accountability responsibilities uneasy?)

Increasing institutional role differentiation (cf. Shulman)• Research intensive HEIs (content knowledge?)• Teaching intensive HEIs (pedagogic content knowledge?)• HEI Teaching Schools (content, pedagogic and curricular knowledge?)• Teaching Schools (pedagogic and curricular knowledge?)• Schools (applied curricular knowledge?)

The importance of teaching, internationally confirmed

The use of evidence for the improvement of practice ... and of policy ... (less rhetoric and more reality?)

Tch Ed content knowledge

Tch Ed pedagogic content knowledge

Tch Ed curricular knowledge

Research intensive HEIs

Analysis and REF driven

Univ Teaching Schools

Analysis and REF driven

Pedagogic and OfSTED ITT driven

Teaching intensive HEIs

Pedagogic and OfSTED ITT driven

Teaching Schools SCITTS

Pedagogic and OfSTED ITT driven

Practice and school perf. driven

School Direct Practice and school perf. driven

Other schools Practice and school perf. driven

Increasing institutional role differentiation? (cf. Shulman)

New Perspectives:Towards principled, school-embedded

transformation of teacher education

Can we bridge institutional differentiation and further enhance

teacher expertise through new forms of reflective practice?

Friday – end of conference

Summary and signposting themes (an attempt ...)

APTE 2013, Thursday 11th JulySimon Asquith – Welcome and introduction

The Challenges of PartnershipsViv Ellis – A new meaning for partnerships: reasons to be

cheerful (?)d’Reen Struthers – moving papers to construct meaningGreg Burke – Schools at the heart of teacher training

New PurposesSamantha Twiselton – Matching expectations in the new

OfSTED worldJames Noble Rogers – Lessons from OfSTED 2013Bea Noble Rogers – Lessons learned, one year onSimon Asquith – OfSTED reflections

APTE 2013, Friday12th JulyNew PerspectivesAndrew Pollard - Towards principled, school-embedded

transformation of teacher educationGroup discussions

New PlayersAlison Peacock – speaking from a Teaching School and

the Cambridge Primary ReviewPaul Haigh – leading a Teaching School and work with its

alliance in South YorkshireStephen Wilkinson - developing an HEI School Direct

provision for schools and Teaching School alliances in Yorkshire

Group discussions

Summary and signposting themesSpecial Interest Groups – into action!

Special Interest Groups (SIGs)Table topic Groups

1. Partnership Agreements/MoAs Financial models..2. School Direct training/salaries models (in Sch –led

provision3. Mentoring/Coaching models – ‘M’ level portfolios (incl

ways of conceptualising ITE with/for new players)4. Organising Partnership practices … cultural practices

in HEIs to support “placements” 5. Managing Ofsted Demands – language of indicative

criteria/grading6. Principles for ‘new’ partnerships7. Impact for trainees – short and long term 8. Models of “collaborative” provision (not sch or HEI

led)9. Collaborative partnership research Teacher Enquiry,

PGCE ---- CPD ------ MA ------ EdD…..10.Local engagement.. Harmonisation (HEIs, Las School

Alliances)

Potential themes for engagement with DfEAffirming the quality of contemporary ITT + embedded partnerships +

school voices

Querying:• Strategy for ITT + balance and sources of practice and analysis + international

comparisons

• School led + HEI roles + ethical, procedural and financial protocols to manage dilemmas of competition and collaboration

• Inspection of ITT + tyranny and unreasonable features + mis/alignment with educational purposes

• Laissez faire allocations + market failures, supplier exits + teacher shortages and impact on school standards (inefficiency, inequality)

Affirming the needs of expert teachers for the 21st century