Orla Nugent

6th TEAN Annual Conference

Title: Knowing about Teaching

‘Student teachers perceptions of their competence to teach in a new phase primary school placement – the value

of pre-placement exposure’.

Thursday 14 May 2015Venue: Conference Aston,

Birmingham

Outline of presentation

The impetus for this small scale action research and its validity within a programme of Initial Teacher Education (ITE) - the need for balance in theory and practice

Design of this clinical practice and the operational mode of School Experience (SE) in St Mary’s University College Belfast (SMUCB) and the results obtained

Areas I need to address Is there an ideal ITE signature pedagogy? The

benefits of this model Collaboration

The impetus for this research

My justification for this pre-placement exposure ‘The turn once again to practice-based teacher education’ – Zeichner

2012 Teacher educators need to engage with and in enquiry-oriented

practice – BERA/RSA 2014 ‘Where initial teacher training (ITT) programmes are linked to

specific school needs, especially to activities based on demonstration and peer review, they are more effective’ - DFE 2011

Practitioners need to investigate their own practice – Leshem and Trafford 2006

Establishing a balance in theory and practice College driven focus on research

GTCNI Teaching – The Reflective Profession (2007)

4. The Reflective and Activist Teacher should

be concerned with the purposes and consequences of education;

experiment with the unfamiliar and learn from their experiences;

be open-minded;

be committed to professional dialogue in collaboration with colleagues, in school and beyond;

have working patterns characterised by a process of action, evaluation and revision; and

assume responsibility for their ongoing professional development.

GTCNI

The diverse roles that the reflective and activist teacher may have to embrace include acting as:

activist teachers share their knowledge;

teachers continuously monitor pupil progress and learning;

teachers use a variety of evaluation and action research techniques;

teachers develop new understandings of learning, teaching and educational change;

should seek to act as both a shaper of policy and a well informed critic of proposals and reforms.

Design of clinical practice

Normal pattern of SE in SMUCB

My methodology in this small scale action research

BEd II with Music students (n=9)

1st exposure to KS2

1st semester inner city school for 3 weeks, 1 hour per week beginning in week 4 (20th Oct)

1st week host school, next week reflection back in college, following 2 weeks back in host school

Purposely not given detailed information about the classes

n ÷ 2 = 5 students in one KS2 P6 class and 4 students in another P6 class

Mixed methods approach – individual questionnaire and 2 focus groups

Focus of enquiry

5 strands

Student perceptions relating to a new phase placement

The application in school of their main subject (Music)

Student enhancement of pupil creativity Student evaluation of the exercise Impact findings

Results Student perceptions relating to a new phase placement

All students were concerned about going into a new phase pre-placement

‘Older pupils immediately made me think of more behavioural problems’ (quote from r2, same issue r3),

‘KS2 is where results become main focus: could I teach set standards?’ (r2)

Student confidence was emphatically and positively impacted upon as a result of the clinical practice

‘…. it is always a learning curve to gain experience of teaching a real class rather than learning in a classroom myself. Also, I have been able to evaluate what worked and what didn’t work to inform my future practice’ (r4) and

‘Overall I feel more confident due to the fact we have this experience to work from. I would hate to be walking into a KS2 class for the first time this year on teaching practice. I definitely appreciated this experience’ (r8) and

‘Yes, this pre-practice experience has given me confidence to teach children music as I am aware of how well prepared I need to be and can deal better with any challenges that may arise’. (r9)

Results The application in school of their main subject (Music)

The vast majority of students found that the material they taught in school was purposeful to them recording comments like

‘Yes, it was all based on what we’d been discussing in class but to actually practise it made it much more beneficial’. (r5).

However, one stated

‘Yes - I saw what activities engage children and what doesn’t.

No – had no definite focus for an ‘end product’ so lessons became stand-alone classes’. (r2) Question 6 asked Do you think the material that you taught across the three

weeks was purposeful to the pupils?

The vast majority of respondents replied ‘not particularly’ for this – student bias. Could you use the material that you taught in school to inform your future

planning?

Overwhelmingly students replied that yes, they could use the material in school to inform their future planning with only one replying that only some of the material could be used in future.

Results Student enhancement of pupil creativity

The GTCNI advises that their competences should ‘encourage creative and innovative approaches to teaching and which, in turn, develops in pupils the ability to think creatively. Indeed, the ability to think creatively, and the innovation it encourages, is central to any modern education system that strives to enhance the life chances of children and young people’.

Asked whether they thought the pupils were creative in their endeavours they emphatically replied that yes, they thought the boys were creative.

‘Some of the boys were extremely creative in the classroom as they gave meaningful and exciting responses and ideas. They made use of classroom objects and instruments well. This could be because they have had a lot of exposure to music with their teacher’.

Results Student evaluation of the exercise

Asked to rate the experience, all students recorded responses in the ‘useful’ to ‘extremely useful’ categories.

Would you recommend that this pre-practice experience continue in subsequent years? Again, there was resounding agreement that this should be the case with only one respondent recommending adaptations to the experience. R1 ‘Yes - a student teacher cannot have enough practical experience in schools

and with pupils (particularly varying age groups and gender)’.

R2 ‘Yes but should be adapted. Schemes and lessons should be submitted by individual class members prior to going into schools. Then as a group develop these and then put them into practice prior to completing assignment. Assignment plan/idea needs to be developed before going out and testing activities’.

R4 ‘Yes! This is because the nature of teaching is hands on, practical and we learn so much more than if we are listening. Every experience is useful whether it is good or bad’.

Results Impact findings

Asked whether or not the lecturer involved themselves in classroom activities, thankfully all the students were very complimentary though one comment did made me laugh!

R3 ‘No – the lecturer was not present at all on the 1st lesson. She was helpful the 2nd day’.

Most comments were more along the lines of R6

‘Yes, alas we pitched the lesson for more KS1 level (and) we ran out of material. The lecturer stepped in and helped us make the lesson more appropriate for KS2 by creating atmosphere in a sound poem’. Could the lecturer have done any more in the school to help you realise appropriate KS2

practices and if so, what more could have been done? Responses to this were fairly evenly split with only one non-response. Approximately half the students felt there was an onus on the lecturer in the school to equip students more and the others that there was enough lecturer support given for the school.

Again, I particularly enjoyed one response

R3 = ‘Just give more material’.

Did any of the knowledge gained in school inform your assignment for this module and if so, how? Again, the majority of students felt the knowledge that they gained in school would impact on their corresponding assignment.

Areas I need to address – next steps

Regarding the action research:

Too broad – refine the parameters to e.g. reflection

Trial the questionnaire

Aim for more balance between qualitative and quantitative data – not just a ‘story teller’ (Norton 2009)

Aim for more guided reflection (Race 2005)

Creativity – the need to enhance this (assessment linked)

Dissemination of info at a micro level → macro level

Regarding the practicalities of the pre-experience exposure:

Provision of more materials pre-school experience (R3 = ‘Just give more material’)

Stricter boundaries for the practice

4 consecutive slots to facilitate observation of excellent host teacher

Smaller group sizes

A praxis for educators and trainee teachers? Fragile steps towards an ideal ITE signature pedagogy – the benefits. (Ayers

2014)

‘Mentor demonstration of teaching strategies can enable pre-service teachers to master practical solutions to well-defined problems’ (Musset 2010)

Promotes the benefits of situational learning (Zeichner 2012)

Emphasizes experiential learning (Schon 1987)

More honed critical reflective opportunities – ‘Time to think about practice in authentic classrooms with the full support of both a school based mentor and university based lecturers’ (House of Commons 2011). This experience forces students to examine their practice much earlier in the year without the pressure of assessment in order to meaningfully engage in reflection

Easily arranged

Low cost

Cooperative/ Collaborative Learning

Definition: Cooperation is working together to accomplish shared goals.  Cooperative learning is the instructional use of small groups so that students work together to maximize their own and each other’s learning.

http://www.co-operation.org/home/introduction-to-cooperative-learning/

Collaborative learning – ‘to be able to work within a collegial teacher learner community with support networks among peers, expert teachers and active subject lecturers’ (House of Commons 2011)

‘The idea that working together to achieve a common goal produces greater achievement, creativity and productivity than working alone is so well confirmed by so much research that it stands as one of the strongest principles of social and organisational psychology’. Johnson and Johnson (1990)

Beneficiaries experience more creative ideas and solutions

They experience improved interpersonal relationships and are more tolerant of differences

Their self-esteem can improve

They perceive greater merit in connections between various learning scenarios

Lave and Wenger – Communities of Practice approach ‘In a nutshell: Communities of practice are groups of people who share a concern or a passion for something they do and learn how to do it better as they interact regularly. (Wenger circa 2007)’

Three characteristics: the domain, the community, the practice. This short clinical practice addresses all three but not regularly – another aspiration for the future

The End

Thank you for your attention today

‘Knowing about Teaching’ –

‘Learning to Teach’

Trevor Mutton TEAN 2nd Keynote 2015

References

Ayers Daniel J. (2014) ‘The role of practical experience: toward an ITE signature pedagogy’ Research In Teacher Education Vol.4, No. 1. April 2014. pp.10-16.

BERA/RSA (2014) ‘Research and the teaching profession’ available at

https://www.bera.ac.uk/wp-content/uploads/2013/12/BERA-RSA-Research-Teaching-Profession-FULL-REPORT-for-web.pdf (accessed 14 October 2014)

DFE ‘Training our next generation of outstanding teachers – an improvement strategy for discussion’ 2011

https://www.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/175363/DFE-00054-2011.pdf

General Teaching Council for Northern Ireland (2007). Teaching the Reflective Profession. Belfast, GTCNI.

Harford, J., MacRuairc, G., & McCartan, D. (2009). ‘Lights, camera, reflection: using peer video to promote reflective dialogue among student teachers’. Available at http://www.scotens.org/docs/2009-developing%20reflective%20skills.pdf

House of Commons – Education Committee: Written evidence submitted by the Faculty of Education, University of Cambridge (2011) Wilson E.

Husu, J., Toom., & Patrikainen, S. (2008). Analysing the internal structure of teacher reflection from examination of portfolio texts. Educational Research and Evaluation 14, forthcoming

Husu, J., Toom., & Patrikainen, S. (2008). Guided reflection as a means to demonstrate and develop student teachers’ reflective competencies. Reflective Practice: International and Multidisciplinary Perspectives, 9:1, 37-51

Husu, J., & Patrikaien,S., & Toom, A. (2007). From hot spots of teacher action towards ‘cool reflection’ – developing teachers’ competences in reflecting on teaching. In J. Butcher & L. McDonald (Eds.), Making a difference: Challenges for teachers, teaching and teacher education (pp.127-140). Rotterdam: Sense Publishers

http://infed.org/mobi/jean-lave-etienne-wenger-and-communities-of-practice/

References

Johnson, David W., and Johnson, Roger T., Cooperative Learning. York: Blackwell Publishing Ltd 1990

Leshem, Shosh and Trafford, Vernon N. 2006 ‘Stories as mirrors: reflective practice in teaching and learning’ Reflective Practice: International and Multidisicplinary Perspectives 7:1, 9-27

Metcalfe, J. & Mischel, W. (1999). A hot/cool-system analysis of delay of gratification: Dynamics of willpower. Psychological Review, 106 (1), 3-19

Musset, P. (2010) ‘Initial Teacher Education and continuing training policies in a comparative perspective: current practices in OECD countries and a literature review on potential effects’. OECD Education Working Papers, No.48. OECD Publishing. Available at http://files.eric.ed.gov/fulltext/ED529644.pdf (accessed: 20 January 2015)

Neil, P. and Murphy, C. (2005) Enhancing Partnership in Teacher Education – The Work of the Teacher Tutor. Belfast: Blackstaff Press

Norton, L. (2009) Action Research in teaching and learning: a practical guide to conducting pedagogical research in Universities. 1st edn. London: Taylor & Francis, 115-130

Schon, D. A. (1987). Educating the Reflective Practitioner. San Francisco: Jossey Bass.

Shulman, L.S. (2005) The signature pedagogies of the professions of law, medicine, engineering, and the clergy: potential lessons for the education of teachers. Irvine, CA: National Research Council Center for Education. Online: http://www.taylorprograms.com/images/Shulman_Signature_Pedagogies.pdf (accessed: 20 February 2015)

Wilson, E. Ed. (2012) School-based research: A guide for education students. Edited by Elaine Wilson. London: SAGE Publications, 13-23

Zeichner, Kenneth M. ‘The turn once again to practice-based teacher education’ Journal of Teacher Education 63, no.5 (2012): 376-382