Reform Of Initial Teacher Education Research Articles

Myanmar’s Initial Teacher Education Reform: Efforts Made by Universities of Education

All education systems are currently facing a challenge: how to transform themselves into institutions that equip learners with the necessary competences to cope in the 21st century. The prerequisite of a successful transformation is a thorough reform of teacher education. The challenge looms especially large for developing countries. This paper aims to explore how teacher education reforms at Myanmar’s two prestigious Universities of Education (UoEs) starting in 2012 played out. To be able to give an overview of the reform efforts, besides consulting the professional literature, curriculum documents were analysed, and three semi-structured interviews were conducted. The data shows that the reforms implemented by the two institutions, although positive overall, were not sufficient, especially in terms of assessment, teaching practices, university and school partnerships, and teacher educators’ capacity building. Unfortunately, the 2021 military coup and the ensuing crisis makes it highly unlikely that the much-needed further reforms will be implemented any time soon.

“Are we there yet?” 25 years of reform (and reform, and reform, and reform) of teacher education in Australia

PurposeThe purpose of this paper is to explore the reform of initial teacher education (ITE) policy in Australia over a 25-year period from 1998 to 2023. It examines policy shifts and movements over this timeframe and aims to better understand the ongoing reforms in the changing contexts of their times.Design/methodology/approachThe paper engages a critical policy historiography approach, focusing on four “policy moments” each linked to a review commissioned by the Commonwealth government of the day. It draws upon the reports and government responses themselves, along with media reports, extracts from Hansard, and ministerial speeches, press releases and interviews related to each of the four policy moments, asking critical questions about the “public issues” and “private troubles” (Gale, 2001) of each moment and aiming to shed light on the complexities of these accounts of policy and the trajectory they represent.FindingsThe paper charts the construction of the problem of ITE in Australia over time, highlighting the discursive continuities and shifts since 1998. It traces the constitution of both policy problems and solutions to explain the current policy settlement using a historical lens.Originality/valueIts value lies in offering a reading of the current policy settlement, based on a close and systematic historical analysis. Where previous research has focused either on particular moments or concepts in ITE reform, this analysis seeks to understand the current policy settlement by taking a longer, contextualised view.

Learning to think, perform and act with integrity: does teacher education have a signature pedagogy, and why does this matter?

Unprecedented reform to teacher education in England, through the Initial Teacher Training Market Review, led to the threat of removal of the right for established providers to offer programmes of initial teacher education beyond 2024 without reaccreditation. Such policy reform has been constructed in relation to a perceived gap in research about knowledge of the best way to educate or train new teachers. Using Lee S. Shulman’s concept of signature pedagogies we consider the varying ways in which theoretical ideas are underpinned by common models of, and approaches to, teacher education pedagogy. We mobilise Shulman to analyse five models, which we categorise as ‘knowledge-first’ or ‘people-first’, to see the extent to which, if at all, there is a theoretically informed signature pedagogy for initial teacher education. Our analysis shows that there is no one discernible knowledge base or theory that underpins a signature pedagogy for teacher education, but a suite of possibilities about how a signature pedagogy of teacher education could be understood. Moreover, it is our contention that policy reform of initial teacher education based on econometric analysis fails to recognise the most important dimension of a signature pedagogy, learning how to act with integrity as a professional teacher.

The reform of initial teacher education in Wales: from vision to reality

ABSTRACT Over the last four years, initial teacher education in Wales has been fundamentally reformed. The stimulus for those reforms were concerns about the quality of current provision, but more importantly a recognition by the Welsh Government that if their wider reforms of curriculum and assessment were to succeed, then teachers themselves had a key role to play. Teachers would no longer be simply required to ‘deliver’ a curriculum defined by others; they themselves would need to become active agents in realising that curriculum in ways that were appropriate for the children and young people they taught. What is being required is a new vision of teacher professionalism in Wales. But what are the implications of these changes for initial teacher education? The Welsh Government has taken the view that they demand a fundamentally different conception of how initial teacher education is organised, with both universities and schools working closely together to support student teacher learning. This paper sets out the background to these recent reforms, and then examines the way in which three key dimensions of the new model are being implemented in practice. They are: co-construction and governance; integrating university and school perspectives; and re-visioning mentoring.

Accountability and Initial Teacher Education Reform: A Perspective from Abroad

This article focuses on accountability as a tool for teacher education reform. The article is based on my experience as a teacher education scholar and practitioner over the last 40 years and especially on analyses of teacher preparation accountability in the United States, recently conducted by Project TEER (Teacher Education and Education Reform), a group of teacher education practitioners, researchers, and scholars at Boston College. The members of the group were united by a growing concern about the direction education reform was taking and the impact it was having on teacher education in the US and by a commitment to equity for all the students served in the nation's schools. For five years, we tracked US teacher education reform, concentrating on the major accountability initiatives that were shaping the field. This work culminated in the book, Reclaiming Accountability in Teacher Education (Cochran-Smith et al., 2018). Drawing on this work and on my experience in the national and international teacher education communities, this article has three purposes: to present a framework for unpacking accountability policies related to initial teacher education; to use that framework to describe briefly the dominant accountability paradigm in the US as well as an alternative to the dominant paradigm –democratic accountability in teacher education; and finally, to use ideas from the framework and from our US analyses to comment on the current reform of initial teacher education in Wales.

Doing Things Differently: Responding to the 'policy problem' of Teacher Education in Wales

Responding to a clear justification for the reform of initial teacher education (ITE) in Wales (Furlong, 2015) the Welsh government has committed itself to strengthening provision through 'a truly collaborative system, where universities and schools work in robust partnership, supported by the consortia, recognising the importance of research' (Williams, 2017: 1). The publication of the national criteria for the accreditation of ITE programmes in Wales (Welsh Government, 2017) set out the requirements for all ITE programmes, emphasising the need for an integrated approach to student teacher learning within collaborative models which are research-informed at all levels. Using Vidovich's (2007) dynamic model of policy analysis, which takes into account influences on policy text production at the macro, intermediate and micro levels, the paper examines the process by which these particular reforms (covering a six-year period from 2013 to 2019) have been proposed and set in motion and the ways in which recently-accredited providers in Wales have begun to respond to the challenging agenda that they represent. The paper concludes by offering a view as to what the opportunities and challenges for ITE providers in Wales might be in terms of further developing models of research-informed clinical practice.

ITE Reform at the University of Glasgow: Principles, Research-basis and Implications

The Faculty of Education at the University of Glasgow's reform of initial teacher education was undertaken on the basis of current research within a mature educational infrastructure. Within the university research knowledge was utilized in two ways: research on teacher education indicated that enquiry could become a key aspect of teacher identity; and it indicated the need for a curriculum for pre-service teachers in schools. Thus enquiry learning was embedded in schools and the new school-based curriculum had three elements: seminars; peer learning through learning rounds; joint-assessed visits. These innovations were positively reinforced by Teaching Scotland's Future (Donaldson, 2011). This series of reforms has implications for Wales and can be usefully analysed against the binary thinking which dominates discourses in teacher education; and Williams's thought on the vulnerability of emergent culture. Four binaries are identified and re-conceptualised: binaries of time, space, content and persons. The binary of time (initial and continuing teacher education is conceptualised a career-long process; the binary of space (school and university) is recast as a third space; the binary of content (theory and practice) is recast as different forms of knowledge permeating space and time; and the binary of persons is recast as a (university-based teacher educator and pre-service teacher) is recast as a triad which sets all three in dialogue. Implications include the deeper consideration of career-long teacher learning; and the role of the teacher educator. This emergent practice may be vulnerable to dominant practice.

Reviewing the purpose of professional experience: A case study in initial teacher education reform

This paper documents the results of a mixed method study focussing on staff perceptions of professional experience in the Education faculty of an Australian university. The study takes place in a climate of both legislative and organisational change and the outcomes provide insights into viewpoints of both academic and professional staff understanding of priorities and the purposes of professional experience.The study contributes to the contemporary political discourse and rigorous accountability surrounding professional experience and the role of teacher educators as well as offering potential new insights into the complexity of pre-service teacher preparation in contemporary schools and universities.

EFL TEACHERS' CPD EXPERIENCES: PERSPECTIVES FROM OMAN.

EFL TEACHERS' CPD EXPERIENCES: PERSPECTIVES FROM OMAN.

Research capacity and initial teacher education reform: Irish experiences, international perspectives

As globalisation intensifies and economies struggle to address ‘austerity’, educational reform continues unabated. In the case of initial teacher education (ITE) the pendulum swings between practice and research with a growing emphasis on teacher educators' expertise. International ITE discourses provide an important context for recent Irish policy and reforms. Against this backdrop, the findings of a systematic study of the research capabilities and activities of ITE faculty are critically analysed and discussed. The evidence indicates a considerable mismatch between policy intentions and teacher educators' current capacities. Policy implications are identified and discussed and their possible significance for other systems considered.

The Discourse of Partnership and the Reality of Reform: Interrogating the Recent Reform Agenda at Initial Teacher Education and Induction Levels in Ireland

Over the last decade, teacher education in Ireland has experienced radical reconceptualization and restructuring at both initial teacher education [ITE] and induction levels, with reform of continuous professional development now in the planning phase. The establishment of the Teaching Council (2006) as a statutory, regulatory body, with a role in the review and accreditation of teacher education, increased the visibility of and policy focus on teacher education. Significant reform of initial teacher education was announced in 2011 that included both an extension of the duration of programmes and, most notably, the period the student teachers were to be engaged in school-based professional development. This increased period has been accompanied by a shift in the understanding of what is involved in practicum and implies a redefinition of the respective roles of the university and the school, and the development of a new form of partnership between both agencies. The period of induction and probation has also become an area of reform with an emphasis on school-based coaching and the evaluation of newly qualified teachers, which devolves decisions on teachers’ full recognition and membership of the profession, to principals and colleagues.This shift, which changes the established approach to induction for primary level teachers, has resulted in the withdrawal of cooperation with this policy by the main teacher union and to the implementation process being stymied. Both policy developments bring the concept of partnership within Irish education into sharp focus: a partnership between schools and universities in ITE, but also partnership in policy development and implementation in the case of induction.

Initial Teacher Education in Wales – a Rationale for Reform

In March 2015, I published a report, Teaching Tomorrow's Teachers (Furlong, 2015), outlining proposals for the reform of initial teacher education in Wales. The first part of the report examined evidence of the quality of current provision as well as the challenges for the future raised by the recent Donaldson Review of curriculum and assessment (Donaldson, 2015). The second part of the report then outlined a series of 'options for change' concluding with a set of nine specific recommendations. These recommendations included proposals for the revision of the legal 'Standards' that underpin initial teacher education, new procedures for accrediting teacher education courses, changes to the undergraduate primary route into teaching and strategies for development of pedagogical research capacity. This article revisits the key arguments of the report and examines both the rationale and the evidence underlying its key arguments and recommendations.

Changing policy, legislation and its effects on inclusive and special education: a perspective from Wales

This article, by Jean Ware of Bangor University School of Education, examines policy developments in education in Wales since devolution, and their implications for inclusive and special education. This is set in the context of the demographics of Wales, which, it is argued, have a significant influence on policy and on the nature of educational provision as a whole. The discussion initially focuses on issues related to the Welsh language. The article then discusses four policy initiatives (the Foundation Phase, the Literacy and Numeracy Framework, the Masters in Educational Practice and the proposed reform of initial teacher education and training), intended to respond to Wales's poor performance in the Programme for International Student Assessment, and their potential impact, as well as the White Paper on reforming the special educational needs system in Wales. It is too soon to discuss the impact of these special educational needs-specific reforms, but the differences from the English special educational needs reforms highlight the inherent tensions in special educational needs systems. It is argued that the Tabberer Report's critique of the teacher education system in Wales, which emphasises the need for teacher education to be strongly connected to relevant research, provides an opportunity to improve the quality of education in Wales for all children; but that considerable investment, and a willingness to address the potential tensions between the different initiatives, is necessary to achieve such an outcome.

Reforming teacher education in the context of lifelong learning: the case of the BEd degree programme in Ireland

Lifelong learning has become a prominent fixture in educational policy in recent years in many countries around the world. In terms of teacher education, it is now widely accepted that initial teacher education is insufficient for the lifelong professional needs of teachers. From September 2012, initial teacher education in Ireland will be offered as a radically different four-year BEd degree programme. This reform of initial teacher education offers immense potential for teacher educators to re-imagine their programmes in light of a range of guiding paradigms and theoretical frameworks, including lifelong learning. This paper provides a rationale for developing programmes in initial teacher education in the context of lifelong learning. A number of recommendations for lifelong primary teacher education are offered in light of current reforms that are taking place in Ireland.

The Implications of Teacher Effectiveness Requirements for Initial Teacher Education Reform

Problem statement: School effectiveness research shows that teacher effectiveness is the single most important school-based factor in student success. The effects of poor teaching linger and can be measured for at least three years after students have left the classroom. It is too late to wait until secondary school level for backlogs to be eradicated. Education systems, such as the South African system, which grapple with large numbers of dysfunctional schools, should look anew at teacher effectiveness in all school phases. The urgent need for highly effective teachers in every classroom requires that education systems develop a comprehensive definition of teacher effectiveness and create training programmes to develop it. Thus, the problem investigated is: What are the characteristics, skills, attitudes and behaviors associated with effective teachers and what is the best way in which schools of education can adapt initial teacher education to meet the challenges of today’s classrooms? Approach: A mixed method approach was adopted. In addition to an in-depth literature review, open-ended questionnaires, probing perceptions of teacher effectiveness issues were distributed to teachers, school principals, policy officials and teacher educators. Interviews were conducted with a variety of educational experts. Classroom observations of experienced and novice teachers were conducted in a variety of contexts using open-ended classroom observation checklists. Results: Based on the findings of the research a synthesis of the characteristics, knowledge, skills, attitudes and behaviors associated with effective teachers was developed. Conclusion: If teachers are to be effective their initial training will have to be effective. This study has identified the characteristics and behaviours associated with effective teachers. These indicators are broad guidelines for schools of education to stimulate teacher education reform. Covering the curriculum, structuring of content, appropriate pacing and alignment, clear goal setting, clarity of content and presentation, are a few requirements for effective teachers which have direct implications for teacher education.

Evidence versus ideology in education policy; the recent history of initial teacher education in England and Wales and the implications for educational researchers as agents of change

The last thirty years have seen a radical revision of the ways in which university graduates have been inducted into the teaching profession in England and Wales. Even within this relatively short time span, it is possible to discern a significant change in the manner in which change in this facet of education has been attempted. The 1980s were characterised by a cautious, piecemeal and gradual evolution towards a system of 'partnership' between schools and universities, with graduates spending an increasing percentage of their training in school rather than in the University. More recently the move towards school based teacher education, and to an imposed 'competence' model of accreditation, has been more precipitate, and less consensual. The contrast with the manner in which earlier changes to the system of initial teacher education in England and Wales were effected is even more striking. The paper outlines the changes in approach to reforming initial teacher education in England and Wales and considers the implications of these changes for those engaged in educational research. The same period has also seen a change in the extent to which the government has directed education policy from the centre. Examination of these changing approaches to the reform of initial teacher education, and to the genesis and means of policymaking, reveals that at different points in time, the comparative influence of evidence and ideology has fluctuated, as has the relationship between policymakers and academics. The implications of these fluctuations for university departments of education and for educational researchers will be considered.

The Effectiveness of an Initial Teacher Training Partnership in Preparing Students to Teach Art in the Primary School

Recent government reform of initial teacher education has increased teachers’ responsibility for training students in schools, bringing about some fundamental changes in the professional relationship between the schools, higher education institutions (HEIs), teachers and students. This paper reports on primary undergraduate student teachers’ and their class teachers’ perceptions of school‐based training to teach art. Class teachers were interviewed about their preparedness to train students and questionnaires and interviews were used to gauge students’ views of the effectiveness of university‐based courses and the support given to them by teachers. The findings indicate that teachers were able to support students in matters of classroom management and resources but that they were mostly unable to assist them in developing subject knowledge and understanding of art teaching and learning. This raises concerns about teachers’ subject knowledge and their confidence in training students. Our findings suggest that there is significant room for improvement in the partnership arrangements between schools and HEIs in order to better support students’ teaching of art.

A Study of Student Teachers’ Perceptions of Teaching the Arts in Primary Schools

AbstractRecent reform of initial teacher education has changed the balance of school‐based training of students and has increased teachers’ responsibility for training them in schools. This article reports on a preliminary study of primary undergraduate student teachers’ perceptions of their experience in schools on their second year and final teaching practices. Through questionnaires and structured interviews we sought students’ views of the effectiveness of university‐based courses in preparing them to teach the arts and their perceptions of the support given to them by teachers in training them to teach art, dance, drama and music in schools. The findings raised concerns about the quality of experience currently being offered to students by teachers. Indications were that the number of students able to learn from the teachers about the four subjects was significantly low. The students’ comments suggested that existing teacher expertise in these subjects was lacking and this raises issues regarding school‐based initial teacher education as well as in‐service training for teachers.

Student Teachers’ Perceptions of Teaching Dance in Primary Schools

Recent reform of initial teacher education has altered the balance of school‐based training of students and increased teachers’ responsibility for training students in schools. This paper reports on a preliminary study of primary undergraduate student teachers’ perceptions of their experience in schools during their 2nd year and 4th year period of school‐based work. In this longitudinal study a sample of 106 students who had completed their second year of school based‐work responded to a questionnaire and 16 from that sample were selected at random for semi‐structured interviews. Data were collected from the same student group on completion of their fourth year term of school based‐work by a second questionnaire (99 respondents) and 15 interviews. Students’ views were sought of the effectiveness of university‐based courses in preparing them to teach dance and their perceptions of the support given to them by teachers in training them to teach this subject. The findings raised concerns about the opportunities students had to teach dance in schools and the low number of students who were able to learn from an experienced dance teacher. This brings into question the degree of readiness of teachers to help train student teachers and raises issues regarding school‐based initial teacher education.

Lessons from the politics of pedestrianisation: Initial teacher education reform in England and Wales, 1983–96

Lessons from the politics of pedestrianisation: Initial teacher education reform in England and Wales, 1983–96