Learning to teach

An examination of beginning teacher learning during ITE and induction

Linda Haggarty and Keith Postlethwaitewith

Jean Ellins and Kim Diment

UCET 2009

We are grateful to the Leverhulme Trust for their financial support of this research (Grant number: F/00 144/AX).

Further details of the project are available at

http://education.exeter.ac.uk/prism

“Does Britain need a cadre of skilled technicians to deliver the school National Curriculum programmes of study in an effective and efficient way? … Or does Britain need a profession of imaginative, creative teachers whose informed professional judgement leads to intelligent action?” (Richards, Harding, and Webb 1997 p6)

What is teacher education for?

“Does Britain need a cadre of skilled technicians to deliver the school National Curriculum programmes of study in an effective and efficient way? … Or does Britain need a profession of imaginative, creative teachers whose informed professional judgement leads to intelligent action?” (Richards, Harding, and Webb 1997 p6)

What we do is pretty good…

“I knew little about the cycle of planning, monitoring, assessment (all the ‘behind the scenes’ stuff). Doing the course has given me a huge respect for the profession and the individuals that practise it. Thus, it has also given me a sense of pride in what I do, especially given the many challenges. I find the education literature (e.g. journal literature) fascinating and I have started to link theoretical ideas into what happens in my classroom.”

Synthesis of literature: factors that affect teacher learning

• The subject: the identity, actual and designated of

the learner; • The context: resource, policies, expectations;

• The purpose: the motive of the enterprise;

• Support for learning: the people, the processes, the tools available;

• Learning across contexts: restricted and expansive learning environments, contestation;

Possible role for Activity Theory

• ‘Activity’ is at the centre of the analysis

Aspects of the system (eg what the subject brings to bear, what

tools are available or created, how the motive is developed) are

all malleable in light of the activities undertaken

• The importance of systemic change

• The issue of boundary crossing

The two phases of the project

• Initial teacher education

• Induction

Methodology ITE

• Interpretive

• Research questions– what is the nature of student teachers’

thinking at the end of their training programme?

– how did the student teachers learn to think about teaching in these ways?

• Sample

• Questionnaire

Factors affecting student teachers’ learning about teaching

Relevant factor – and kind of statement most often made

Total no. of responses

Subject – the impact of their personal characteristics 31

Context – school policy 1

Purpose 0

Support for learning – support from teachers in school 43

Learning across contexts – learning in the university and school

32

Student characteristics

• Student teachers’ strengths were often related to characteristics that they brought with them to their ITE programme:

– “I am positive, enthusiastic, organized and creative: I was born like this! My family is like this!”

The power of synergy

• “Planning: (I’ve) always been quite organized, but (have been) shown by my PST that planning is the key”

• Establishing and developing positive relationships with pupils “is a skill I brought into teaching, but it has been extended and developed by observation of experienced teachers in classrooms and form rooms.”

The problem of contrasts…

• No one mentioned the importance of confronting aspects of self that might have ‘worked’ in the past but which are not helpful as a teacher

• What can we do to help when what a student brings to the course is not helpful to them in their role as teacher?

At the end of ITE

• Student teachers were aware of

theoretical ideas as a basis for things they did well and for improving education generally…

• …but not for making decisions in class or helping to develop areas in which they felt weak

Relevant tools?

Framework for dialogue

about teaching

SCHOOL OF EDUCATION & LIFELONG LEARNING Agenda Form Trainee name

Date Lesson topic

Year group 7 Observer

Selected focus from the Learning Focuses for Agendas (or a personalised focus) What aspect of my teaching am I trying to improve?

DETAILS OF I NTENTI ONS by trainee

OBSERVATIONS ON FOCUS by tutor

PLEASE REMEMBER:

Observations on the agenda form should be descriptive, not evaluative. Please write evaluative

comments on a separate sheet of paper and retain for later discussion. The trainee should

evaluate the agenda BEFORE receiving feedback. The annotated agenda is to be kept by the

trainee for use in a Supervisory Conference.

Agendas

Also…

• It seemed that ideas from university were being filtered by the current discourse of the school – only ideas that fitted were used

• Filtering as a process seems to match ‘fitting in’ as a goal

Some examples of filtering …

• “The (course) helped me develop a structure for lesson planning that was then enhanced by my mentor in my first school placement”

• At uni I was introduced to the idea of AFL. … used some of the plenary and starter ideas suggested by various teachers tailored to the learning objectives in each class.”

• No statement described learning emerging from a juxtaposition of differing ideas from two or more contexts.

Reflections

• Perhaps inevitable – perhaps even desirable • Synergy• It’s a continuum with induction and CPD so things such

as theory can be addressed later.• Exploring alternatives to understand current practice• And there should be openness to alternatives –

especially if roles or context change• So change of school (and move to first post) may be key

points where the PST (induction mentor) can keep open the basis for students’ future professional development

Next steps?

Perhaps beginning teachers need to be fitting in to a learning school.

Conversations about ITE

Induction

Methodology - Induction

• Interpretive• Research questions

How does induction affect teachers’ thinking, and how does this developing thinking relate to teachers’ practice?

• Sample• Methods:

Questionnaire, NQT interview, mentor interview, stimulated recall related to an observed lesson, documents related to school

Findings from the study:• Behaviour management concerns

• The influence of behaviour management concerns on pedagogical decisions made about teaching

• A belief that the induction year would be tough and behaviour management difficulties inevitable

• Little classroom support once ‘problems’ had been resolved

• Limited quality of the support

• The need to fit in, and the limitations of fitting in

Findings from the study:

Behaviour management concerns

What was “hardest” was “getting them to be doing what I want them to be doing in the classroom” independent school (Beth)

“I worry about the behaviour management thing, where people say: well if you go to another inner city school, you can’t just go in (doing this), because they’ll just shout back, but here, if they shout back then they’re out of school for a day...” Academy with very strong BM system (James)

Findings from the study:

The influence of behaviour management concerns on pedagogical decisions made about teaching

“If their behaviour is good, or ... they’re listening then I will more generally let them take a more active part”. (Lesley)

I am “disinclined to spend time on more adventurous lessons that might not work” with lower sets (Frank)

Findings from the study:

A belief that the induction year would be tough and behaviour management difficulties inevitable

“…it’s an incredibly stressful year, the workload is a big jolt from last year, …it is a culture shock, so I think that’s important to manage.” (Wendy’s induction mentor)

“…it’s incredibly daunting…” (Paul’s induction mentor)

Findings from the study:

Little classroom support once ‘problems’ had been resolved

“So the idea is I try to step away as the year goes on, so to start with your support and then as you go on I want my NQT’s to feel that they’re coping on their own, but the

support’s there if it’s needed.” (Wendy’s induction mentor)

Findings from the study:

Limited quality of the support

• “I think if you’re the right personality you’ll be a great teacher. And if you’re the wrong personality you’re always going to struggle ... tragically that’s one of those things that just comes with experience, it’s not something you can teach an NQT in the first year.” (Colin’s induction mentor)

Findings from the study:

The need to fit in, and the limitations of fitting in

Induction is about welcoming a new member of staff into the school and explaining how it works. It is also about making them feel comfortable as a teacher because it is a very stressful year (Wendy’s mentor)

The purpose is to make your NQT feel welcome, you know, it’s incredibly daunting (Paul’s mentor)

Issues to investigate further

• Is the emphasis on behaviour management as widespread and are its effects as limiting as they seem;

• what is the detailed nature of the NQT/mentor dialogue and does the support of induction mentors extend to pedagogical support as well as emotional support;

• does the goal of ‘fitting in’ with the practices of the school play a large part in NQTs’ learning and as part of this do NQTs filter their thinking so that ideas that contrast with current practice in their school are lost;

• does involvement in a ‘learning school’ change the way in which an NQT develops during the induction year?

Behaviour managementRachel• “I feel that behaviour has a big impact and dominates a lot of my

decisions at the moment. I feel it is preventing me from developing my teaching (Rachel)

Wendy• Teachers working with Wendy did not seem to identify behaviour

management as a major issue in her teaching. However, despite the settled environment in which she worked, Wendy herself expected to have problems “Behaviour management tactics is always a biggy isn’t it?”

• She focused on trying to look happy in the classroom (because the children were picking up on her looking stressed), emphasising ‘hands up’ rather than calling out, using the merits and stickers, and trying to get everyone involved in the lesson. As she pointed out this deflected attention from “trying lots of more complicated things such as peer assessment”

Induction programmes and mentoring• The impressive induction programme provided a “very

clear plan: everybody knew what was going to happen and when, when the deadlines were and what needed to be done and it’s incredibly well organised.” (mentor)

• Having this “clear structure” and thereby “knowing what you have to do and when makes it very easy as both a mentor or a new teacher to know that, if I can just keep this moving, then everything’s going to be fine.” (mentor)

The NQT/mentor dialogue

Its value

Its purpose

Building on PGCE and using the CEDP

Withdrawing support as the year progresses

Models of teacher learningStress, culture shock, limited aspirations, personality

Experience, gate keeping

Passing and learning

Mentoring for behaviour management

Filtering as a process and ‘fitting in’ as an object in NQT learning

One of his own main aims for the following year is “just to work out some really organised system for recording stuff about pupils, who’s handed in homework”. He says not only is this useful for writing reports, but also “because you can use discipline more effectively, as I can’t punish pupils for not doing things if I don’t really know.” – a useful but fairly limited objective for a successful NQT in an ambitious school.

The impact of involvement in a ‘learning school’ on an NQT

Rachel worked with the AST to develop ways in which pupils could be helped to learn better using the principles of Building Learning Power. This was “something that I started to read about and became interested in during my PGCE year but have only felt able to start to develop this year.”

She would value “continued links” to the University or “outside assistance” in order “to discuss theory or ideas” more during her NQT year (Rachel)

“This is exactly the kind of thing that I’ve been interested in and that’s developing the learning and the thinking skills and developing them (pupils) as learners so that they can think for themselves.” (Rachel)

Conversations about induction

Learning to TeachWhat should we fit in to?

A Learning School

Is this realistic?

The School as a Centre of Enquiry/Streams for the Future?

Lawrence StenhouseAction Research partnershipsIT-INSET