‘Professional culture in the teaching profession in Scotland’ Stirling, 28 May 2009

Developing the profession: approaches in Wales,

Northern Ireland and Ireland

Eddie McArdle – Chief Executive, GTCNI

Áine Lawlor – Director, Teaching Council, Ireland

Gary Brace – Chief Executive, GTCW

Competences

Opportunity or Constraint?A Strong Voice for the Profession

Polemic

&

Meanderings

Cautionary Note

“A dominant force may legitimate itself by promoting beliefs and values congenial to it; naturalising and universalising such beliefs to render them self evident and apparently inevitable, denigrating ideas which might challenge it, excluding rival forms of thought.”

(Eagleton 1991)

“ In our rush to reform education, we have forgotten a simple truth: reform will never be achieved by renewing appropriations, restricting schools, rewriting curricula and revising texts……” Palmer P. J

The man who has no inner life is a slave to his surroundings.

Amiel,Henri-Frederic

Teaching the whole story....

“…… effective learning involves, essentially an interactive chemistry between learner and teacher which depends on process as much as content and is an expression of personal values and perceptions as much as competencies and knowledge”

Day C. Teachers in the twenty-first century: time to renew the vision. In “Teachers and Training : theory and practice” 6,1 p100-115 .2000

Paulo Freire

I teach because I search.

Search: expectation of things

sense of anticipation

sense of purpose

hope of joy / achievement

urge to share

More

Focused

Meanderings

“ The world’s in a state of chassis”

SYSTEM LIFE - WORLD

GOVERNMENT

BUREAUCRACY

ECONOMY

VALUES

BELIEFS

DREAMS

MYTHS

HABERMAS 1984

“SYSTEM IS COLONISING THE LIFE WORLD”

Alain Michel-- Inspector General of France’s of Education system2001 OECD publication on future of education

“Globalisation, because of the risks it brings of soulless standardization, can lead to fragmentation and a reduced sense of belonging to a wider community. The excesses of unbridled markets, in which prices and the market are more important than social or cultural relationships, are being met with a reaction of narrow nationalism, regionalism and parochialism.”

Teaching in the Knowledge Society

Andy Hargreaves

• Creativity

• Flexibility• Problem solving• Ingenuity• Collective

intelligence• Risk-taking• Continuous

improvement

• Promote deep cognitive learning

• Work & learn in collegial teams

• Build a capacity for change and risk

• Contribute and draw on collective intelligence

Mission as Antidote

“….education is the path to self realisation and personal fulfilment,

civic well-being and economic prosperity.”

GTCNI Charter for Education N. Ireland 2006

“Educators preach the importance of having a moral purpose but, beyond a few cliches, dare not say what it is.”

“Our diluted vocabulary betrays a lack of courage and a loss of nerve.”

Prof. Andy Hargreaves (Boston College)

A spot of sensitive plagarism

“Amongst the other blessings (which God gives) it is

to be reckoned not least that by assiduous study

man may win the pearl of knowledge. This shows

him the way to live well and happily and its

preciousness opens the door for him to understand

the mysteries of the universe; it helps and raises to

distinction those that were born in the lowest

places.”

(Nicholas V, Bull of 7 January 1451, Glasgow University Archives)

Amongst the most significant purposes of education are:

Forming people

Of love, care and compassion

With a deep sense of hope

Who appreciate beauty and wonder

Who will serve the world by their gifts

Meanderings the Sequel

• Ears that hear the whispers of life• Eyes that see both things & possibilities• Mind that understands uncertainty• Heart that knows the joy of success & the fun

of failure

An abiding sense of curiosity and wonder.

The Profession to the Rescue

We have been blamed for the ills of the modern world so who better to

slay the dragon of crass utilitarianism?

Teaching the Vocation of Vocations

• Keepers of Tomorrow

• Makers of Meaning

• Creators of belief & possibilities

Characteristics of Modern Professional Relationships

Trust- in respect of :

• Competence

• Conduct

• Commitment

Commitment to Serve!

“…to claim the standing of a professional has come to mean adherence to an ethic, a moral principle, which derives from a freely undertaken commitment to serve others as individual human beings, worthy of respect, care and attention”.

(Strain 1995)

carpe diem

Horace

Mission &

Purpose

Knowledge&

Competence

Sense of ProfessionalAutonomy

Values&

Attributes

Reflective&

Activist Teacher

Dalmau & Gudjonsdottir Page 9

– ‘pedagogues and experts in teaching and learning’: activist teachers share their knowledge and understandings in an on-going professional dialogue;

– ‘reflective and critical problem solvers’: teachers continuously monitor pupil progress and learning within the classroom; outside that environment they reflect both as individuals and as communities of practice on their practice and pupil progress;

– ‘researchers and change agents’: in seeking a deeper understanding of their practice, or in seeking to plan for change, teachers use a variety of evaluation and action research techniques to collect and interpret findings, to inform their thinking and decision making; and

– ‘creators of knowledge and theory builders’: in the process of reflective practice and action research teachers develop new understandings of learning, teaching and educational change.

Competence: developmental continuum Page 10

• Life-long— hence Code Commitment• Competences- never fully mastered

– the nature and level of the teacher’s experience and their personal effectiveness;

– the work-based context; and

– the roles teachers have experienced and the development opportunities arising from such experiences.

Teachers as ProfessionalsPage 4

Teachers, in discharging their responsibilities, engage first and foremost as individuals with a sense of moral purpose and responsibility and it is in the interaction between mission, ethical understanding, and professional knowledge that the mystery that is never far from the heart of good teaching, is to be found. In short, teaching can never be reduced to a set of discrete skills to be mastered in some mechanical process of assimilation. To adopt such a reductionist approach would be to deny the intellectual basis for our work and the richness of the ongoing dialogue and learning that enhances our professional practice.

Reflective & Activist Professional 1. Page 9

• be concerned with the purposes and consequences of education, as well as what might be called technical proficiency;

• be prepared to experiment with the unfamiliar and learn from their experiences;

• have an approach characterised by open-mindedness and wholeheartedness;

Reflective & Activist Professional 2.Page 9

• be committed to professional dialogue in collaboration with colleagues, in school and beyond;

• have working patterns characterised by a process of action, evaluation and revision; and

• in keeping with the Council’s Code of Professional Values and Practice, assume, as life-long learners, responsibility for their ongoing professional development

Dimensions of Development 1Page 14

• greater complexity in teaching, for example, in handling mixed-ability classes, or reluctant learners, or classes marked by significant diversity, or inter-disciplinary work;

• the deployment of a wider range of teaching strategies;

• the ability to adduce evidence of one’s effectiveness;

• basing teaching on a wider range of evidence, reading and research;

Dimensions of Development 2Page 14

• extending one’s impact beyond the classroom and fuller participation in the life of the school;

• the capacity to exercise autonomy, to innovate, to improvise; and

• a pronounced capacity for self-criticism and self-improvement; the ability to impact on colleagues through mentoring and coaching, modelling good practice, contributing to the literature on teaching and learning and the public discussion of professional issues, leading staff development, all based on the capacity to theorise about policy and practice

Professional Knowledge Rhona Sharpe

Page 9

“ Professional knowledge is no longer viewed as just consisting of a standardised, explicit and fixed knowledge base. It is now seen as knowledge which exists in use, is ethical in its use and is changed by experience. The distinctive nature of professional knowledge lies in the interplay between its construction and use. When teachers use their knowledge, use changes what that knowledge is.”

Our Collective Responsibility

To be….“active agents in the production of a new

pedagogic discourse, rather than merely the

consumers of the professional knowledge produced by

academics and educational researchers.”

(Edwards & Brunton)

“ Tyrrhenum: sapia, vina liques et spatio brevi.”

Horace

“They do their job, nothing more, nothing less, aided in this by codified rules, timetables and lesson plans. ….The sacred fire which once lit their work gradually dies to a smoulder……into unthinking cynicism”

(Hamon & Rotman)

The Continuum of Teacher Education and the

Role of the Teaching Council in

Ireland

Áine Lawlor, CEO/DirectorThe Teaching Council

The Teaching Council Act, 2001

An Act to • promote teaching as a profession

• promote the professional development of teachers

• maintain and improve the quality of teaching in the state

• provide for the establishment of standards, policies and

procedures for the education and training of teachers and other

matters relating to teachers and the teaching profession

• provide for the registration and regulation of teachers

• enhance professional standards and competence

Quality

of

Teaching

Education and training of teachersEducation and training of teachers

Standards Policies Procedures

Promoting Teaching as a Profession

The Irish ContextSchooling Ages & Phases

• Compulsory attendance 6 – 16 years

• First Level / Primary School 4 – 12 years– National (State) Schools– Special Schools

• Second Level / Post-Primary School 12 – 18 years– Voluntary Secondary Schools– Community and Comprehensive Schools– Vocational Schools – Special Schools – Further Education 17 + years

Primary Teacher Qualifications

5 State-funded Colleges of Education

• B.Ed. - 3 years - concurrent programme

or• Postgraduate Diploma in Education – 18 months

(also offered, partly on-line, by a private college)

or• Programmes of teacher education in EU and non-

EU countries

Post-Primary Teacher Qualifications

Universities and other 3rd level colleges

• Degree (3-4 years) in recognised subject(s) +

Postgraduate Diploma in Education

OR• B.Ed (4 years) - concurrent subject specialism and

teacher education

or• Programmes of teacher education in EU and non-EU countries

The Teaching Council Act 2001Initial Teacher Education

38.-(1) The Council shall, from time to time – (a) Review and accredit the programmes of teacher education and training

provided by institutions of higher education and training in the State,

(a) Review the standards of education and training appropriate to a person entering a programme of teacher education and training, and

(a) Review the standards of knowledge, skill and competence required for the practice of teaching, and shall advise the Minister and, as it considers appropriate, the institutions concerned.

(2) The Council shall consult with the Minister and with such institutions of higher education and training in the State as it considers appropriate for the purpose of the performance of its function under subsection (1).

Council’s Current Work on Initial Teacher Education

• Research– Background Paper on Irish context– Commissioned Research on national and international scene

• Consultation– Partners in education – cross-sectoral and sectoral groups– Wider education community

• Policy Formulation

• Review Strategy

• Pilot Reviews

The Teaching Council Act 2001 Continuing Professional Development

39.-(1) The Council shall promote the continuing education and training and professional development of teachers.

(2) Without prejudice to the generality of subsection (1), the Council shall-

(a) Conduct research into the continuing education and training and professional development of teachers, and shall publish the findings arising out of such research in such form and manner as the Council thinks fit,

(b) Promote awareness among the teaching profession and the public of the benefits of continuing education and training and professional development,

(c) Review and accredit programmes relating to the continuing education and training of teachers, and

(d) Perform such other functions in relation to the continuing education and training and professional development of teachers as may be assigned to the Council by the Minister

Individual

School

System

Levels and Scope of Continuing Professional Development

Current Provision for Continuing Professional Development

• National Programmes

• Education Centre Programmes

• Colleges of Education

• Universities

• School-based Programmes

Some cross-cutting CPD themes – illustrations from Wales

Some principles• CPD should be defined broadly to include all formal and

informal learning;

• teachers have both an entitlement to and responsibilities for their own CPD;

• all teachers should be entitled to high quality CPD throughout their careers, irrespective of geographic location

• a CPD framework must reflect individual teachers’ own needs as well as those of the school and local/central governments;

• there is a close relationship between CPD and the performance management process

1. Professional milestones and standards

• for highly skilled classroom teachers and middle leaders with at least 5 years’ experience

Benefits

• a national CPD structure and standards

• a focus for CPD providers

• helping teachers identify and plan next professional steps

• recognition of high standards of professional practice

• enhanced standing for classroom teachers within the

profession and raised status and public recognition outside

• recognition of crucial role of leadership and the middle leader

Chartered Teacher

2. Professional recognition and accreditation

in HE accreditation terms…

We are seeing a move to a ‘Masters’ level profession:

• PGCE (some with M level credits)• Chartered Teacher in Wales and Scotland (M

level)• NPQH (60 optional credits available in Wales)

Note: development of a Masters in Teaching and Learning (MTL) in England;

3. Recording and self- reflection

What is needed?

• a culture shift by teachers towards reflection on their professional practice

• a web-based Professional Development Portfolio owned by the teacher

Supporting individual teachers in practice

The GTCW administers an Assembly Government-funded CPD programme to support teachers’ own professional needs:

• bursaries• action research projects• sabbaticals• professional networks across schools / local

authorities

• £3 million per year• 4,500 teachers per year• buys time for reflection, innovation and

development• gives professional autonomy

Note: the evaluation of GTCE’s Teacher Learning Academy showed that “self-initiated, individualised CPD, impacts on individuals’ careers, and also benefits the wider school.”

4. Quality assurance of CPD provision

What is needed?

• a Code of Practice for providers

• an approved Register of providers and list of training & development courses offered

Thank you

Contact Details

www.teachingcouncil.ie

aine.lawlor@teachingcouncil.ie

www.gtcni.org.uk

emcardle@gtcni.org.uk

www.gtcw.org.uk

gary.brace@gtcw.org.uk