This dissertation represents an inquiry into the narratives of gender embedded in the narratives of experience of a cohort of postgraduate student teachers, in the first semester of a three-semester initial (primary) teacher education programme in Ireland. The inquiry involved an attempt to explore gender narratives (using an inquiry based approach to aesthetic education) on a drama education course. The aims of the inquiry were 1) to make visible the extent to which gender, as a cultural construction, is taken for granted, 2) to interrupt culturally dominant narratives of gender with narratives that reveal their effects and the power structures upholding them, and 3) to create possibilities for the students to generate alternative constructions of gender and alternative narratives of experience. The focus was, therefore, a pedagogical as well as a research/inquiry one. The teaching/inquiry process was guided by the notion that people make sense of their experiences and shape their identities by making and sharing (or performing) stories. Guided thus, narrative and arts-based approaches were used as research/inquiry methods, as pedagogical approaches and as representational tools. Engagement with theoretical literature was integral to both the teaching/inquiry process and the subsequent representation/inquiry process. Among the theoretical narratives engaged with are feminist post-structuralism and performance studies. In these narratives, identity, knowledge and truth are constructed as provisional, in process, multiple, interconnected and embedded in larger systems of power. So, as a performance-centred narrative inquiry, this inquiry does not focus on structures or products but on the stories, tensions and performances that are produced by these structures and products. The dissertation text represents but one possible account of the teaching/inquiry process in which the students and the researcher (co)performed their narratives in the making. And, in its employment of multiple forms of representation, the dissertation text is constructed to open spaces for readers to engage with it in multiple ways.

This thesis presents an overview of a selection of previously published works from 1998-2008. It focuses on the ways in which challenges that changes introduced by successive governments, for the training and education of teachers, have been addressed and, specifically, how these have been managed. It investigates the development of a partnership approach between schools and initial teacher training (ITT) providers and identifies the successes achieved and the areas of shortcoming that present barriers to continued enhancement. The initial sections provide a context for the research undertaken and locate current government requirements within a changing historical framework for the management of initial and continuing teacher education. It identifies the stages through which statutory implementation has motivated innovation and resulted in a gradual move toward a joint approach for shared professional responsibility between schools and ITT providers. Within these sections, three phases of research activity are distinguished: initial exploration of the concept of partnership; requirements for the development of mentoring; and the management of implementation and the effectiveness of participants. The published works selected address the final phase; the effectiveness of the management processes and the impact that this has had, to date, on the enhancement of the system. I offer a 'partnership with schools' model that has been investigated thoroughly and provides a clear management structure. However, I demonstrate that it is the effectiveness of the participants within the model that make the difference, but recognise that there are constraints that must be addressed if the model is to achieve fruition. Additionally, I have developed a conceptual framework for the evaluation of 'partnerships' in the form of a 'continuum'from 'Functional-' to 'Vision-Led-' partnerships, based on the identification of 'key principals' that underpin partnership formation and enhancement. Finally, I indicate how this model, developed primarily for the initial training of teachers, has already impacted on the continuing professional development of serving teachers and may be extended to meet current government requirements and initiatives for the development of the teaching profession.

The thesis sets out to explore the potential and problematics of writing for students undertaking Initial Teacher Education (ITE) in England. The focus of analysis is the written work that students produce as the final assessment piece for university-based taught units within ITE programmes. The thesis is motivated by the belief that this writing can serve as a powerful tool in student teachers’ professional development and as such can impact directly upon their effectiveness as emerging professionals. The thesis draws on the author’s experience of working with undergraduate Primary Education student teachers and is broadly based within a practitioner research paradigm. The thesis critically analyses models of student writing that promote particular notions of professional development, progress and conceptualisations of text (writing). It is argued that these models privilege and rely on an interpretation of text that takes for granted its status as a medium for representation and its primary function as that of communicating meaning. The thesis outlines and experiments with alternatives to such models, drawing on poststructuralist theory and concepts in the work of Deleuze and Guattari to rethink the potential in student teacher writing and research texts more generally. In doing so, the thesis presents an example of what happens when it is no longer assumed that text is capable of capturing writers’ true intentions which feed unproblematically into their future practice. The thesis also presents an alternative conception of reading, and questions and experiments with what happens when both student teachers and teacher educators practice reading as a process of connectability rather than a task of interpretation or extrapolation of meaning. Conventional notions of ‘data’ are also troubled and the thesis presents and enacts a critique of data as passive material. In addition to contributing to the understanding of the developmental potential in student writing, the thesis also contributes to a growing body of work that questions and reimagines what constitutes writing, research and data.

The thesis investigates the concept of ‘personal geographies’ as introduced in the 2007 National Curriculum for England (QCA, 2007), and considers the implications for initial teacher education and for the teaching and learning of geography in secondary schools. The inclusion of personal geographies seemed to offer the potential for a curriculum that values diversity and is relevant to the personal experiences and values of learners. However, it is argued that the concept was never adequately defined or elaborated in curriculum and policy documents, and that the attempt to bring the ‘personal’ into the classroom can have unintended consequences for teacher education and pupil experience. Using a case study methodology, the thesis explores different angles upon and responses to the concept of ‘personal geography’. It begins by examining the historical and policy background, including the changing relationship over time between school and academic geography, and the ‘personalisation’ agenda which dominated education policy in England in the mid-2000s. This provides the context for the empirical investigation, which explores the views of student geography teachers at a large teacher education institution in England and of pupils in the schools that worked in partnership with this higher education institution. Key themes emerging from the study include: the nature of the transition from geography graduate to novice teacher, and the ways in which personal experience complicates this transition; the risk of silencing certain voices and experiences, and under-valuing certain kinds of knowledge; and the significance of classroom space in facilitating or suppressing the expression of personal experiences. The thesis also raises questions about policy-driven interventions, where these operate in advance of adequate curricular, professional or research knowledge. Although the 2007 geography curriculum was superseded by later versions, the issues identified in the thesis concerning the concept of personal geography are, it is argued, of continuing significance for those with an interest in the nature and status of geography as a school subject, and the education of student teachers of geography.

No description available.

This study investigates the effectiveness of an intervention designed to develop critical thinking skills in an Initial Teacher Education (ITE) institution in Pakistan. The study carried out an explanatory sequential mixed-methods approach in which a quantitative inquiry phase was followed by a qualitative inquiry phase. A CT skills intervention was designed for a educational psychology module to be taught in an MA Education programme. The students' motivation and self-regulation and classroom learning environment were studied as confounding variables. The intervention teaching lasted for four weeks and used a mixed approach (explicit and embedded) to teach CT skills. An explanatory qualitative phase was conducted as a follow-up to seek understanding and explanation after the intervention. The implementation observations were made to gauge the fidelity of the implementation, followed by qualitative interviews with participants. The results show a non-significant effect of the instructional intervention on students' learning of CT skills at this time. The study found that of all motivational learning strategies, students' extrinsic and intrinsic goal orientation and metacognitive self-regulation positively predicted learning of CT skills. Also, the gain in CT skills was predicted by students' metacognitive self-regulation and learning environment. Factors such as unsystematic intervention implementation, ineffective role of the teacher as an interventionist, interaction between learning and instruction as well as students' motivation/self-regulation, the poor learning environment and the short time, in terms of the length of the instructional intervention, appeared to be most influential in holding back the effectiveness of CT skills intervention. The study concluded that the effectiveness of CT skills learning and instruction is closely associated with classroom- level interactions, the learning environment and how instruction is delivered within a wider organizational culture. Moreover, the dynamic relationship between the students and teacher, the CT skills approach and the professional development of teachers need further attention.

Personal and professional development of teachers and trainees is studied through the training period and beyond in England. This is a study of the changing self during transition to teaching, reported through an interpretative narrative of the transitional experience. Three contexts are used: 1. The early development of the author. 2. The author's teaching and research activities with primary trainees in HE. 3. A longitudinal study of secondary trainees. A reflexive approach is used to discuss initial professional development, the growth of personal knowledge and the emergence of a teacher-self. Significant events are identified in the researcher's workplace: teaching episodes, informal meetings and interviews are analysed through a search for noticed themes. A single case study is piloted. Results are used to inform a longitudinal study, with data derived from semi-structured interviews and repertory grids. Data analysis informs the construction of a narrative of transition for each participant using a psychodynamic perspective analyse the data for evidence of conscious influences and unconscious elements. The study draws on Winnicott's theory of transitional space and its application to classrooms. The construct of self is theorised from both intrapersonal and interpersonal perspectives. The emerging teacher-self is evidenced as complex, idiosyncratic and partly influenced by unconscious material from childhood and adolescence. Salient features of participants' transitions are used to extend the theory and elicit an account of each transition. The findings are interpreted from a holistic viewpoint that recognises cognitive, affective and psychic influences on the development of an emergent teacher-self, viewed in terms of agency, intrapersonal and interpersonal dimensions.

This study investigates the effects of reconceptualising approaches towards teachers’ Continuing Professional Development [CPD] through an action research project which enabled a situation to develop where the pupils became the educators and teachers the learners. The study, which became known by the pupils and staff involved as the Teach a Teacher project, took place in one secondary school in England over an eighteen-month period between 2013 and 2015. The cohort of participants was self-selecting and involved sixteen Year 8 pupils (aged 12–13) and eight teachers. Working in pairs, pupils then negotiated and delivered an individual programme of Information and Communication Technology [ICT] CPD for their chosen member of staff. During the period of this study, I undertook observations of pupils training their teachers, carried out interviews with the teachers and conducted focus groups with the pupils. Through gathering this data, I was able to evaluate how the exchange of technological expertise not only brought about a step-change in teaching and learning, but also brought about a change in the relationships between teachers and pupils. To articulate these converging themes, this research draws upon the theoretical bodies of work on student voice, and teachers’ CPD. In the interest of developing a deeper understanding of the social dynamics that underpin these educational landscapes, the literature on school leadership, as well as the debates concerning digital ‘natives’ and digital ‘immigrants’, and therefore perceived generational divisions, are also briefly explored. The most compelling and substantive outcome of the research was not just the extent to which the process of role reversal was openly embraced, but how this led a mutual empathy to develop between pupils and their teachers. Research on pupils providing ICT CPD for their teachers in English secondary schools is essentially non-existent. This thesis is the only study which presents both pupils’ and teachers’ perspectives on their involvement in providing a highly effective and supportive, yet underestimated model of teachers’ CPD.

This descriptive and illuminative case study of one science department in a successful, urban, secondary school in the south of England considers the science department as a site of workplace learning and the experience of beginning teachers in this context. Policy change in initial teacher training (ITT) has given schools a major role in the recruitment of trainees and emphasized the schools’ role in their training. Additionally, there continue to be significant challenges to recruit science specialist teachers despite substantial bursaries. For the purposes of this study, a community of practice of those involved with ITT and beginning teachers was defined: this included six teachers, three beginning teachers, one technician and the University tutor from the higher education institution. Interviews, focus groups, and mentor meetings, field observation notes and scrutiny of relevant documents were used to construct a rich description of the sociocultural milieu. Two interpretivist approaches were used: an inductive phenomenological study of the lived experiences and a deductive approach using a conceptual framework developed from theories of workplace learning. Findings show that there is considerable tension in the mentor’s professional life; the role and the learning needs of the mentors were poorly understood; the ‘community of practice – Beginning teachers’ was not as originally perceived because the mentors were not engaged in a joint endeavour; the perceived value of accountability measures for ITT, Ofsted and performativity measures affected the learning environment for the beginning teachers and there is a dissonance between the values and practices of the workplace learning culture. This has been explored through the lenses of balkanization (Hargreaves and Macmillan, 1992), addictive presentism (Hargreaves, 2010) and Hodkinson and Hodkinson’s model of an expansive/restrictive workplace for teachers (2005). This study may be of interest to those in teacher education and involved with recruitment and retention of science teachers.

No description available.