The positioning of school-based teacher educators as

partners in initial teacher education

Dr Elizabeth White and Dr Claire DickersonFunded by the University of Hertfordshire Social Sciences Arts and Humanities Research Institute (SSAHRI)

ATEE Annual Conference, Eindhoven. August 2016

Teacher Educators

European Commission (2013); Murray and Male (2005);

Musset (2010); Zeichner (2014); Swennen et al., (2010)

School-based

teacher educator

Institute-based

teacher educator

Teacher Educators

Whitty (2014); Brown et al (2016)

School-based

teacher educator

Institute-based

teacher educator

• Experienced teachers taking on more

responsibility

• School Direct Programme

• Primary and Secondary

• Leading groups and one to one sessions

• Developing subject and professional

knowledge

• Mentoring, coaching and tutoring

• Working within school and working

across schools

Who are our School Based Teacher Educators?

Research Questions

1. How do school-based teacher educators taking on teaching some of the academic

aspects of initial teacher education position themselves in relation to:

student-teachers

school colleagues

institute-based teacher educators?

2. How does this link to their professional learning?

White et al., (2015)

Theoretical lens

Positioning theory

Used to ‘focus attention on dynamic

aspects of encounters in contrast to the

way in which the use of ‘role’ serves to

highlight static, formal and ritualistic

aspects’

Davies and Harre, 1990 p.43

Research Approach

• Interpretive perspective

• Listening to meanings and purposes of

participants

• Conversational Partners

Rubin and Rubin (2005)

van Manen (2003)

Methods

Part 1

• Questionnaire (8 responses out of 13 SBTEs)

• Focus Group (4 out of 8 students)

Part 2

• Semi-structured interviews

(2 out of 5 SBTEs; and 2 out of 2 IBTEs)

Maxwell (2013)

Findings

Teacher Educator Age phase Professional roles Teacher

tutor

Positioning

Mentor Learning from

and with

student-teacher

Complementary

partner

Gate-keepers

of

professional

learning

opportunities

Francesca SBTE Primary - Mentor 1:1 * * *

Peter SBTE Secondary Subject

Leader

Mentor 1:1 *

Sara SBTE Secondary Subject

Leader

Mentor 1:1 *

Sofia SBTE Secondary Subject

Leader

Mentor 1:1 * * * *

John SBTE Secondary Subject

Leader

Mentor Group * * * *

Tracy SBTE Secondary - Mentor Group * * * *

Mark SBTE Secondary Subject

Leader

- Group * * *

Pooja SBTE Secondary - - Group * * *

Complementary Partners

There must be a place for

both…the teacher will facilitate

learning in a practical

environment that is conducive

and realistic to what they should

expect in a years’ time and the

university structure a well-

rounded experience, suitable

assessment and the status that

the training requires

I can see the benefit of both

University tutors and

practising teachers. The

experience of University staff

is invaluable, and adds to the

academic rigour of the course,

however, practising teachers

are more likely to be able to

add more personal advice

based on their experiences,

and may be able to challenge

the literature because of this

John SBTEPooja SBTE

Gate-keepers of professional learning opportunities

… passing on ideas and

theory during

inset/meetings… It

encourages the whole

department to take note of

the way in which they deliver

information and engage

learners.

I still discuss pedagogy and

teaching and learning strategies

with colleagues in my school,

however, undoubtedly, taking part

in the programme guarantees

fresh input on a regular basis.

John SBTEPooja SBTE

Professional Learning

Developing skills identified: Comments

Observing lessons and giving feedback ‘I enjoy watching others teach and identifying strengths and

areas of improvement. It has helped me to be more involved in

observations at school’ (Sara)

Dealing with difficult conversations and concerns Having a student-teacher who is a cause for concern can be a

‘valuable experience in supporting them back on track’ (John)

Being a critical friend ‘Need to be challenging but being challenging to a grown-up who

is clever and an equal’ (Sofia)

Modelling good practice I see my role as ‘modelling good practice’ (Sofia)

Guiding the development of subject knowledge

and pedagogy

Appreciating that ‘the way you look at things you need to break

down in a lot more depth’ to help the student-teachers to learn

(Mark)

Brokering learning opportunities ‘I often act as a broker between trainees and other teachers who

could learn from each other’ (Tracy)

Working with adult learners Seeing them as ‘academic equals/peers’ (Sofia)

An extra dimension for SBTEs

First-

order

practice

STUDENT

TEACHER

Teaching

pupils

SBTE

(Mentor)

Teaching

pupils

(Subject

leading)

SBTE

(Teacher

tutor)

Teaching

pupils

(Subject

leading)

Second-

order

practice

Teaching

teachers

IBTE

Teaching

teachers

Mentoring

References

• Brown, T., Rowley, H., & Smith, K. (2016). The beginnings of school led training: New challenges for

university teacher education, School Direct research project final report: Manchester Metropolitan

University.

• Davies, B., & Harre, R. O. M. (1990). Positioning: The Discursive Production of Selves. Journal for the

Theory of Social Behaviour, 20(1), 43-63. doi: 10.1111/j.1468-5914.1990.tb00174.x

• European Commission (2013). Supporting Teacher Educators for better learning outcomes. Retrieved

on 31.10.15, from http://ec.europa.eu/education/library/policy/teaching-professionpractices_en.pdf.

• Lunenberg, M., Dingerink, J. and Korthagen, F. (2014). The Professional Teacher Educator. Roles,

Behaviour, Professional Development of Teacher Educators (Professional learning). Rotterdam:

Sense.

• Maxwell, J. A. (2013). Qualitative Research Design: An Interactive Approach (3rd ed.). Thousand

Oaks, CA: Sage.

• Musset, P. (2010). Initial Teacher Education and Continuing Training Policies in a Comparative

Perspective: Current Practices in OECD Countries and a Literature Review on Potential Effects. OECD

Education Working Papers, 48. Retrieved from http://dx.doi.org/10.1787/5kmbphh7s47h-en

• Murray, J., & Male, T. (2005). Becoming a teacher educator: evidence from the field. Teaching and

Teacher Education 21, 125-142.

http://ec.europa.eu/education/library/policy/teaching-professionpractices_en.pdfhttp://dx.doi.org/10.1787/5kmbphh7s47h-en

References

• Rubin, H., & Rubin, I. (2005). Qualitative interviewing, the art of hearing data (2nd ed.). London: Sage.

• Swennen, A., Jones, K., & Volman, M. (2010). Teacher educators: their identities, sub-identities and

implications for professional development. Professional Development in Education, 36(1-2), 131-148.

• Van Manen, M. (2003). Researching lived experience: human science for an action sensitive

pedagogy. Ontario: The Althouse Press.

• White, E., Dickerson, C., & Weston, K. (2015). Developing an appreciation of what it means to be a

school-based teacher educator. European Journal of Teacher Education, 38(4), 445-459.

• Whitty, G. (2014). Recent developments in teacher training and their consequences for the

‘University Project’ in education. Oxford Review of Education, 40(4), 466-481.

• Zeichner, K. (2014). The politics of learning to teach from experience. In V. Ellis & J. Orchard (Eds.),

Learning Teaching from Experience: Multiple Perspectives and International Contexts (pp. 257- 268).

London: Bloomsbury Academic.