3 things that you can do right now
Continue to follow the links and guidance highlighted throughout each section of the TEMZ.
Refer to the ITT Core Content Framework to see which theory and research has been highlighted as being particularly pertinent.
Speak with your mentee and ask what theory or research they are using to support their development.
In this section
Engage in Enquiry
In this section we focus on:
- contributing to scholarship that expands the knowledge base related to teacher education
The need for teachers and schools to ensure that their rationale for working the way they do is embedded in well-respected theory is increasing. It is no longer enough to say you do it because it works. You need to know why it works. What other approaches have you not embraced and why not? It follows then, that the best mentors take this approach to their day-to-day teaching and mentoring. The best way of ensuring that you are being as open and forward thinking as you can with your day-to-day practice is by engaging with the knowledge base that relates to teacher education. By consulting the TEMZ, you are already showing that you are willing to do this and following some of the ‘Useful links’ or the theory we highlight in the ‘In more depth’ sections will support you further. Another excellent source of respected and relevant theory is held within the ‘References’ section of the ITT Core Content Framework; there is a section devoted to the academic research that has helped form the thinking behind the framework for teacher training providers for each of the Teachers’ Standards.
Another effective method of engaging in enquiry is to offer your experience and support to training providers. Many will have blogs, training days and interview sessions that you can support and gain some invaluable experience to help you develop as a practitioner. Teacher training providers work incredibly closely with the schools in their partnership and will want to engage with staff from those schools as often as possible. This is a great opportunity for any Teacher Educators who are at a point in their career when they would like to take more responsibility but with a role outside of their own school context. It can often be a refreshing change to have a focus away from your own school and allows you the opportunity to work alongside other colleagues, something we very rarely have the time to do in a normal context.
Being a mentor does not mean you have to know everything about mentoring. Being an excellent teacher and an excellent mentor are two very different things and engaging with resources and research to support you will only make you more effective in supporting your mentee.
ITT Core Content Framework
What do we mean by Research Informed Practice in Education?
Dr Karen Taylor considers how we acquire and retain knowledge. This very easy to access blog from CEM outlines how you can most effectively use your time when engaging in informed practice.
How schools can engage with research and evidence
Dr Deborah Netolicky considers how schools and teachers can engage with research. Broken down into five easy steps, this is an accessible blog providing a great starting point for any Teacher Educator who is keen to develop their own knowledge.
The effects of high-quality professional development on teachers and students
This report from the Education Policy Institute (EPI) undertakes a detailed review of the evidence of the impact of teacher professional development. Ambition Institute have worked alongside the EPI and the report argues that high quality CPD has a significant impact on the learning outcomes of children and adults working with the Teacher Educator.
STEM Online CPD
These short, free online courses, hosted on the FutureLearn Platform are the perfect resource for anyone looking to find some self-directed learning platforms. There are programmes focussing on:
- NE700 Managing Behaviour for Learning
- NE711 Introduction into Assessment for Learning
- NE710 Planning for Learning: Formative Assessment
- NE714 Feedback for Learning
There are also subject specific courses at both primary and secondary level.
The Professional Identity of Teacher Educators: Career on the Cusp?
Ronnie Davey (Routledge, 2013)
Ronnie Davey, from the University of Canterbury, explores what the ‘professional identity’ of a teacher educator is and how this differs from the professional identity of a teacher generally?
Teaching, Coaching and Mentoring Adult Learners: Lessons for professionalism and partnership.
Heather Fehring and Susan Rodrigues (Routledge, 2017)
This accessible book collates the experiences and knowledge of Teacher Educators from across the world. The book focuses on adult learners specifically and how best to impact on their progress. Each chapter is concluded with a provocation to stimulate professional reflection. If you are looking for an accessible starting point, this book is for you.
Non-Directive Coaching: Attitudes, Approaches and Applications
Bob Thomson (Critical Publishing, 2013)
Well respected author Bob Thomson writes how important it is for a coach/mentor to be clear about whether they want to be directive or non-directive in their approach. Each chapter offers you the chance to answer reflective questions that allow you to determine which type of practitioner you are or want to become.
Teacher Professional Learning and Development
This free online book from the University of Auckland outlines how teachers can invest in their own professional development.
Teacher educators pathways to becoming research active
This collection of case studies outlines the different pathways that teachers have followed to becoming Teacher Educators. Some have envisaged carrying out this role their entire lives and others have fallen into it without it ever being part of their plan. This is a realistic viewpoint and represents the experience of a lot of Teacher Educators. The experiences of the Teacher Educators within this accessible booklet will resonate with a range of practitioners and will support you in building your own skills.
Teacher Educator Professional Inquiry in an Age of Accountability
Boyd, P. & White, E. (2017) in Boyd, P. & Szplit, A. Teacher and Teacher Educator Inquiry: International Perspectives (pp. 123-142). Kraków: Attyka.
This chapter argues that teacher educators should adopt ‘inquiry as stance’ and be actively engaged in ongoing professional inquiry or practitioner research. Professional inquiry is defined as distinct from pragmatic evaluation which is everyday quality assurance procedures. Critical engagement with cutting edge research evidence and with learning theory should be part of teacher education to equip teachers with the essential skills and knowledge of educational research literacy so that they have the professional tools required to contribute to curriculum development and develop research-informed practice.
Teacher Educators' Pathways to Becoming Research Active
White, E. (ed.) (2017) University of Applied Sciences Utrecht, Vol. 4 in series 'The Life of Teacher Educators'. Lorist, P. & Swennen, A. (eds.).
This collection of case studies outlines teacher educators’ different pathways to becoming research active. Each contributor would not necessarily claim to be an established and successful researcher but would relate to being engaged in carrying out practitioner inquiry or having research interests in an area that closely relates to their practice. Their stories are shared to provide encouragement and inspiration to those who are just beginning on this journey.
School-based Teacher Training: A handbook for teachers and mentors (White and Jarvis, 2013)
Chapter 9 ‘Developing your practice through engaging with educational literature’ is a helpful consideration of how educational literature supports your professional development.
Chapter 10 ‘Practice-based enquiry as a basis for change’ supports you in planning, carrying out and evaluating the impact of your enquiry.
Developing Outstanding Practice in School-based Teacher Education (Jones and White 2015).
Chapter 4 ‘Do I need an academic identity?’ considers how this fits with being a school teacher and how an academic identity can evolve and be proactively developed.
Teachers and teacher educators learning through inquiry: international perspectives. Boyd, Pete and Szplit, Agnieszka, eds. (2017) Wydawnictwo Attyka, Kraków, Poland.
Chapters cover practitioner inquiry, lesson study, professional learning communities, collaborative inquiry, supporting teacher educators’ professional development in research and supervising students’ research and curriculum development through professional inquiry.
Educative Mentoring
In this thought-piece Julia Mackintosh considers what we mean by educative mentoring.
This useful talk through outlines why it is so important for us to empower students to lead their own learning and how vital it is that we ensure we are not just ‘making’ pupils do things but they are self-motivated to do so themselves. We can take these lessons and apply them to our own learning. What type of Teacher Educator are we? The tips within this video will allow you to become a more self-directed and empowered mentor.
Teachers need real feedback
In this fascinating TED talk, Bill Gates outlines the importance of creating a culture of improved feedback and the impact this can have on us as practitioners.
Engage in Enquiry - Further Development
