Initial Teacher Training Institutions Research Articles

Sixty years of teacher education in Ghana: Successes, challenges and the way forward

This paper was a presentation made at the launching of the 60th Anniversary Celebration and the Annual Graduation Ceremony of Peki College of Education, on Friday, 13th June 2014. The paper examined the history of the development of initial teacher training institutions in Ghana since 1835 when the first (i.e. Presbyterian Training College [PTC]) was established by the Basel Mission at Akropong in the Eastern Region. It explains that currently there are 38 public and 3 private colleges of education in the country producing teachers for basic schools. It argues that even though the 41 colleges of education have been elevated to tertiary status to offer programmes leading to diploma in basic education, they are still being run like the old missionary teacher training schools. These and several other factors had led to concerns about the quality of the products of the colleges in terms of the generic and subject-specific competences as well as the capacities of the institutions to meet the increasing demand for basic school teachers. It is therefore suggested that the boarding system in the Colleges of Education be scrapped, and instead, few (about 10) of the colleges selected for development and upgrading into Teacher Education Universities. It is further suggested that special incentives are introduced to attract the top candidates to the colleges of education and also the institutions should review their programmes and study modules to ensure pre-service teachers develop practical skills in teaching the core competencies in basic education.

El acceso a la formación docente inicial en Europa: políticas e investigación

In recent years, the number of European education systems that have established selection procedures prior to entry into initial teacher training institutions has continued to increase, following the recommendations of international organizations, such as the OECD and the European Union. Through a document review, this paper presents the systems of access to teacher training institutions in force in Europe and synthesizes the results of the main national and international studies that have deepened this issue. The review shows the existence of three major models of access to teacher training in Europe and point at how the attractiveness of the teaching profession in each country conditions the results of such access systems. The conclusion is that studies of international scope are essential for the analysis of this topic, since they provide variability in relation to the working conditions of teaching, such as salaries or social prestige, which cannot be captured in national studies. However, it is necessary to deepen in this issue through authentic comparative research, which allows us to advance beyond the results provided by the international large-scale educational assessments. Those comparative research would make it possible to consider the different socio-educational realities of each context to analyse and interpret concrete models of access to teacher training. Likewise, they could contribute to overcoming the simplistic messages of many of the recommendations on teacher selection policies aimed at imitating the best-performing education systems.

Using a Community Engagement Project to Prepare Economics Education Students for Culturally Diverse Learning Environments

Critics of teacher education have suggested that initial teacher training institutions have not done an adequate job in preparing student teachers to teach culturally diverse learners. This research paper aimed to explore Post Graduate Certificate of Education (PGCE) economics teaching methodology and students’ views on how the Student Teams Achievement Division (STAD) project prepared them on how to teach culturally diverse learners in multicultural ecologies.

Using a Community Engagement Project to Prepare Economics Education Students for Culturally Diverse Learning Environments

Critics of teacher education have suggested that initial teacher training institutions have not done an adequate job in preparing student teachers to teach culturally diverse learners. This research paper aimed to explore Post Graduate Certificate of Education (PGCE) economics teaching methodology and students’ views on how the Student Teams Achievement Division (STAD) project prepared them on how to teach culturally diverse learners in multicultural ecologies.

Delivery of effective teacher training to promote health and wellbeing in schools: a survey of current practice

BackgroundTeachers play an increasingly important part in the wider public health workforce. Initial teacher training (ITT) should prepare teachers to be effective in promoting health and wellbeing in schools. However, questions remain about the provision and quality of public health within ITT courses. We aimed to assess how teacher training prepares teachers to promote health and wellbeing in schools, what barriers to and facilitators of effective training exist, and the relation between ITT and the changing policy landscape in public health and education. MethodsWe did a questionnaire survey of the 208 ITT institutions in England to assess how health is addressed in teacher training (eg, health topics covered, time spent on health, external organisations involved). We randomly sampled course leaders (n=220), stratified by region, type of provider (eg, university-based; employment-based), and number of courses offered. Questionnaire data were analysed with standard descriptive statistics. Qualitative follow-up interviews were done with a semistructured interview schedule with a purposive subsample of 19 questionnaire respondents, to investigate issues in more detail. Interview data were analysed with content analysis to create categories, which led to the generation of broader analytical themes. FindingsThe overall questionnaire response rate was 34% (74 of 220). Most respondents were based in universities (n=43; 58%), followed by school-based training providers (n=21; 28%), and employment-based providers (n=10; 14%). Most courses led by the respondents were postgraduate. 54 (89%) of questionnaire respondents thought emphasis of health of pupils or staff in teacher training was important or very important. The extent to which health was covered in courses varied. 49 (77%) respondents used external organisations to address health issues. Commonly used organisations included with local authorities (n=35; 75%), local schools (n=29; 62%), and charities (n=17; 36%), and less commonly health professionals (n=10; 21%). Some respondents anticipated that changes in educational policy might lead to a reduced focus on health in their courses, whereas others aimed to maintain the inclusion of health. In the follow-up interviews respondents described the ways they were adapting their courses to retain the focus on health. These methods included addressing the health-related aspects of special educational needs, disability, and behaviour management. Evidence of competing priorities existed, with lack of time in a busy curriculum a key barrier to addressing health. A supportive staff ethos and previous health-related experience of teacher educators were cited as facilitators. The interviews also showed that course leaders have a broad idea of health, with some taking a whole-child approach. A common view was that good health is essential for effective learning. This holistic view of education was seen to be in conflict with emerging government educational policy, which seems to place less emphasis on the importance of children and young people's health and wellbeing than previous policies. InterpretationVariability exists in the coverage of health in teacher training, and in methods and approaches. Policy and service delivery are undergoing a period of change in both public health and education, with the perception of less overt support for health and wellbeing in schools. Support does remain, but teacher educators, who generally remain committed to fostering the role of health in ITT, are interpreting policy changes in different ways in the planning of the content and structure of their curricula. Greater policy links between health and education could enhance the facilitating role of health expertise in teacher education. Our study is limited by reliance on the perspectives of college-based ITT providers; future studies should include placement schools. FundingNational Institute for Health Research Public Health Research Programme.

Promoting school libraries and schools library services: problems and partnerships

Literuture Matters was a two-year, national programme in England designed to promote partnerships between schools library services and initial teacher training institutions. Its aim was to raise awareness of the role of the schools library service in promoting children’s books and reading for pleasure. There were positive effects, in the short term, on student teachers, teacher educators and library staff. Potentially sustainable partnerships were developed, but structures and funding are needed to ensure a long term impact over new teachers’ careers.

Did they jump or were they pushed? Reasons why minority ethnic trainees withdraw from initial teacher training courses

This article reports the findings of a research project which examines the reasons why minority ethnic trainees withdraw from teacher training courses. It highlights a number of issues, the most significant of which is that withdrawal is a process not an event. The most common causes of withdrawal were ‘personal’ and ‘family’ reasons. However, the combination of these two factors with various issues to do with the initial teacher training (ITT) institution and the placement school made it impossible for most trainees to stay on the course. With the exception of perceptions of racism by some minority ethnic trainees, the reasons for withdrawal given by majority ethnic and minority ethnic trainees were by and large the same. The article concludes by suggesting a number of strategies for ITT institutions and placement schools to improve the retention of trainees. It emphasises the need for better support from ITT institutions, more structured mentoring during school placements, continuous and effective communication between the ITT institutions and placement schools, flexibility in course structure, improved funding, availability of affordable childcare, and the tackling of discrimination. It also stresses that withdrawal is not necessarily final, and these trainees should be encouraged to return to teaching as many enjoyed the course and would make good teachers.

Effective integration of information and communications technology in teacher education

Effective delivery of the new information technology (IT) curriculum for student teachers in the United Kingdom, which started in September 1998, is an important challenge for initial teacher training institutions. This article identifies three main obstacles that may limit its successful implementation – student access to computers, the communications and information technology (ICT) policy adopted by initial teacher training providers and the lack of encouragement for students to use ICT on teaching practice. The work is based on a survey carried out in 1997 of lecturers and students in three teacher training institutions in Northern Ireland. The findings have led to the proposal of basic guidelines to contribute towards the development and implementation of an effective ICT policy in initial teacher training institutions.

IT'S Just Another Plate to Spin: primary school mentors’ perceptions of supporting student experience of information technology in the classroom

ABSTRACT The effective training of primary school teachers through partnerships between schools and initial teacher training institutions is the subject of much discussion in the United Kingdom at present. The quality of development of information technology (IT) capability for teachers depends on an understanding of the contribution of IT to teaching and learning, a technical competence and an ability to organise IT resources effectively in the classroom. Models of partnership should include clear definitions of the distinctive roles played by schools and initial training institutions in the students’ experience of developing IT capability. The study of mentors’ perceptions and expectations of students’ use of IT in their school experience presented here indicates that IT is not yet seen as a priority. Students’ use is limited, for a variety of reasons, and mentors do not focus particularly on IT as an area for supervision. The expectations of students’ IT competence, however, are high. The need for clea...

A Model for Staff Development in Information Technology within Initial Teacher Training Institutions

ABSTRACT This paper reflects on the uptake of information technology (IT) as a delivery strategy in the learning and teaching processes and suggests that it is no longer satisfactory from the pupils' perspective to leave this to informal staff development strategies. The ability to use IT appropriately and effectively in the classroom must be thoroughly embedded in the pedagogy of teacher training institutions. For this to happen, these institutions need to adopt interventionist strategies for staff development so that learning through IT is a process that all student teachers experience, evaluate and learn to manage in the classroom situation. This paper examines a project for staff development in IT in a particular college and, following on the project's success, offers it as a possible model for successful staff development in IT.

The Exeter School‐based PGCE: an alternative initial teacher training model

ABSTRACT During the 1980s in England several initial teacher training institutions independently developed school‐based initial teacher training (ITT) courses. This coincided with the Conservative government's political advisers' pressing for such a move and the government subsequently decreeing that all 1‐year postgraduate students will spend the bulk of their time in schools. For the past decade at the School of Education, University of Exeter, an unreported History PGCE course has been run along these lines using long‐established relationships with local school History departments. Close involvement with a school equips each student with the set of immediate skills and instrumental competencies they need to survive. School‐experience is fully integrated with the university course. It aims to develop in students the complementary attitudes, values, knowledge and understanding of the reflective practitioner which are seminal to their long‐term membership of a profession.

Case Study: A Future for Electronic Communications in Education?

Future computer networks for education in the twenty‐first century appear to assume extensive worldwide networks which use the processing power of the computer terminal to enhance the value of the multimedia information transmitted. Current systems in the UK have pioneered valuable work, but because of inherent design problems of the present central systems and the move towards local management of schools, current global interconnections may be restricted to a few pupils in a few schools. This paper describes a new distributed structure for electronic communications in education, in which microcomputer nodes based in initial teacher training institutions are linked together using the national and international networks developed for higher education and research. Such systems are already in place in some states in the USA. The paper also describes a second system through which audio, software and text information are communicated using an ICL desktop conferencing system and ISDN2 telephone lines. The most...

A Preliminary View of Students’ Information Technology Experience across UK Initial Teacher Training Institutions

ABSTRACT Students enter initial teacher education institutions with a wide variety of experiences of information technology. This report aims to create a national perspective of their abilities and needs based on data collected independently by a number of institutions from England and Wales. For this preliminary survey data were provided by eight institutions. The survey covers 1370 students, of whom 731 were primary and 639 secondary. The data were gathered over a three year period (ending 1990/91) using a variety of questionnaires designed to gather data on the students’ previous computer experience, their proficiency in using computers, and their attitude to information technology both personally and its use in education. The data indicate that students entering initial teacher education have a wide variety of needs regarding information technology (IT). The proportion of students lacking any computer experience prior to their course varied from 8% to 60% depending on institution and course. The most ...

The lack of electronic communications in initial teacher training

Abstract Recent reports have highlighted the lack of Information Technology (IT) in UK initial teacher training (ITT). In contrast, the new guidelines from the UK Council of Accreditation of Teacher Education state that all students must be able to use IT personally and the National Curriculum (NC) for England and Wales has highlighted its presence across the curriculum. Electronic communications are a part of the NC and a means to locate teaching materials. This paper reports on a survey of electronic communications in ITT. It found that although most ITT institutions have these services only about 10% of students are exposed to them. The publication of databases on compact disk is expected to improve the situation. Additional action is recommended to improve uses of electronic communication which involve a phone line.

Recent Developments in Primary Initial Teacher Training in Wales: an outsider's perspective

ABSTRACT The (British) Council for the Accreditation of Teacher Education (CATE) criteria have now been in operation for five years. They have required substantial changes for many initial teacher training (ITT) institutions. The initial questionnaires and follow‐up, in‐depth interviews provided a wealth of data about the achievements and problems experienced by a group of ITT institutions in implementing the CA TE criteria, over the last five years. Major problems for institutions have included financial burdens resulting from the CATE criteria, impediments to the effective working of local committees, problems in providing recent and relevant teaching experience for tutors, and difficulties in reallocating time for the equivalent of two years’ subject study. These notwithstanding, there was considerable support for the improvements which have occurred overall as a result of the CATE criteria.

Schooling in a Multiracial Society: contrasting perspectives of primary and secondary teachers in training

ABSTRACT Following an analysis of current responses to the ideologies of multicultural and anti‐racist education, the findings of a survey of student teachers’ perceptions of the role of the school in a multiracial society are presented. The survey suggests that prospective primary teachers may be more amenable towards contemporary policy initiatives in this sphere than their secondary colleagues. To account for this finding, reference is made to differences between the two groups in terms of occupational socialisation, identity and role. The implications of the study for initial teacher training institutions are discussed in the context of recommendations made in the Swann Report (1985).