Showing papers in "Journal of In-service Education in 2001"

Effective Training for Subject Leaders

Abstract: The relationship between departmental improvement and school improvement is well established within the research literature. Within the United Kingdom, subject or curriculum leaders play an increasingly important role in securing and maintaining departmental improvement, however preparation and training for the role is highly variable. This article outlines the findings from research funded by the Teacher Training Agency (TTA) that explored the nature, scope and impact of professional development and training opportunities available to subject leaders in England and Wales. Its central purpose was to identify the types of professional development and training opportunities that were most effective in changing subject leaders' practice within the school and classroom context. The article describes the most effective models of training for subject leaders and concludes by suggesting that the National College for School Leadership has a critical role to play in securing top quality professional devel...

Education for Inclusion, Teacher Education and the Teacher Training Agency Standards

Abstract: The issue of inclusion is a crucial consideration in education and there have been increasing demands in recent years for schools to provide equality of opportunity for all pupils. However, the reality of providing for inclusion in many faceted settings such as schools is a complex issue, as indeed is the provision of education for inclusion. In recent years in Great Britain, various initiatives, for example, citizenship education, have been introduced to school curricula. These initiatives have the promotion of values at their foundation, linked as they are to fostering in pupils the attitudes, evaluation and modes of acting compatible with inclusion. However, the framework for teacher education that pertains in Great Britain, as outlined in TTA documentation, is linked strictly to the development of the practical competence of teachers. Little attention is given to considering the value-laden foundational principles of practice. Teachers then are not given the kind of professional development t...

Community and Identity: Experiences and Dilemmas of Vocational Teachers in Post-School Contexts.

Abstract: Vocational teachers in the post-school phase of education come into teaching having already established themselves in their professional or vocational area. The process by which they move from one occupation to another, and develop (or fail to develop) new identities as teachers is complex and not well understood. Some aspects of a social theory of learning (Lave & Wenger, 1991) are examined here. The concepts of ‘community’ and ‘identity’ are discussed in relation to the experiences of four hypothetical teachers of different vocational subjects in New Zealand and the United Kingdom. On the basis of these ‘pen pictures’, conclusions are drawn about the importance of supporting and facilitating the vocational teacher's participation in and membership of relevant communities of practice. The current absence in both countries of a wider community of post-school teachers has implications for policy, as well as for those involved in teacher education and professional development

Changing Social Context of Education in the United States: social justice and the superintendency

Abstract: Macro-level demographic forces are changing the social context of schools and shaping the national debate on school reform in the United States. Critics, however, note the lack of correspo...

Reflective processes in action: mapping personal and professional contexts for learning and change

Abstract: Although reflection is widely considered to be a type of learning from experience central to professional learning and the development of practice (Loughran, 1996), its metacognitive, contemplative and emotional processes in continuing professional development remain underresearched. This article reports on an in-depth, empirical investigation of the purposes and processes of reflection, which contribute positively and negatively to the effectiveness of teachers, nurses and psychologists learning. Through ‘mapping’ personal and professional contexts for learning and change on a doctoral level in-service course, it raises issues concerning the relationship between reflection and change at least at the espoused level. The findings (i) suggest the need for ‘providers’ of in-service (and other forms of collaborative work in which reflection is used as a means of learning), to engage with the cognitive and affective, personal and professional learning histories, and present contexts of participants an...

Evaluating the impact of continuing professional development: the professional dissertation in lifelong learning

Abstract: Academic enquiry in higher education is an aspect of lifelong learning, which both defines and creates the learning culture through highly specialised and innovative means. This article examines and evaluates the impact of the contribution made by the professional dissertation in the context of Continuing Professional Development. Employing illustrations from dissertations in an international context and written as the culmination of a workplace based Master's programme, the article characterises the practitioner-researcher as typically engaged in fostering creativity, personal professional development, and aptitudes and skills both specific and transferable. In its conclusion, the article considers the ways in which the professional dissertation may be seen to meet the Dearing Committee recommendation that postgraduate research training should include the development of professional skills such as communication, self-management and planning. The professional dissertation is then offered as a mod...

Politics and the Superintendency in the USA: restructuring in-service education

Abstract: A recent national survey in 2001 of superintendents in the United States found that, although they recognised the increasing political nature of their work, these chief executive officers prefer to serve as professional advisors and decision makers. These roles often do not coincide with dominant political configurations of their boards of education. These findings mirror those of McCarty & Ramsey (1971) and are cause for concern in view of growing cultural and ideological polarisation in the United States. The study also uncovered a need for field-based application of knowledge in superintendent preparation and in-service programmes. After briefly reviewing central concepts derived from theories of practice and research on situated learning, the article recommends pedagogical approaches for enhancing superintendents'; political acumen and skills. The in-service model presented is characterised by reiterative cycles of learning and is described as, In-Service Education for Superintendents equals ...

School Leadership Training in Sweden: Perspectives for Tomorrow.

Abstract: State involvement in the training of school leaders was introduced at the end of the 1960s in Sweden, with the provision of shortterm courses. During the first half of the 1970s, as a result of the Commission on Internal Work of Schools (SIA), the State emphasised the need for a foundation training programme for headteachers. In 1976 the Riksdag enacted legislation introducing a 2-year national training programme for all headteachers in the national school system. The purpose was to make headteachers better equipped to direct and take charge of the development of schools in line with the national goals. In the 1980s, a process of decentralisation started throughout the public sector. In the beginning of 1985, the Riksdag passed a new School Act, marking a change from a centralised, legalistically steered, control system to one based on framework laws, and governing by goals and objectives. It started a process of delegation of power to the municipalities. School leaders are now expected to take g...

Competence-based Early Professional Development: first impressions of the Northern Ireland programme

Abstract: This article records beginning teacher (BT) experience of the Early Professional Development (EPD) programme introduced in Northern Ireland in 1998. It reviews the integrated, partnership and competencebased teacher education programme of which EPD is the latest episode. Samples of BTs currently in the programme were interviewed and surveyed by questionnaire. Key programme features were scrutinised: extent of BT involvement in EPD; the nature of development activity; the influence of support and accreditation facilities; use of a competence-based Career Entry Profile (CEP). Results indicate hesitant BT involvement and varied experiences. Quality and extent of involvement were influenced by quality of school support, availability of continuous employment, the introduction of compulsion, and the varying demands of planning, teaching and assessment following first appointment. School priorities and personal interests were major determinants of focus for EPD activity. Formally profiled assessments of...

An assessment of school councils, collegial groups, and professional Development as Teacher Empowerment Strategies

Abstract: In the mid-1980s teacher empowerment emerged as the centerpiece of school reform for teachers in the USA. A policy issue now is: How can we empower teachers to become influential teacher leaders and more skilled teachers? In this article the researchers examine three strategies for their effect on empowering teachers within the new policy context of school autonomy. Teacher service on Kentucky's school councils seemed to have little effect on empowering teachers since the researchers found in two studies that teachers were not even attracted to the job in the first place. Facilitators of teacher collegial groups were found to have potential in empowering group members – provided the facilitators conceptualise their role as a learner and supporter of the classroom experimentation process. (;The principal selection of facilitator was a key factor in this empowerment strategy.) Professional development conceptualised as growth opportunities for teachers seemed effective when several factors converge...

Exploring the Impact of Continuing Professional Development on Practice in the Context of the Scottish Qualification for Headship.

Abstract: In this article the authors look at how aspiring headteachers conceptualise school leadership and management. The authors have earlier identified some of the ways in which the Scottish Qualification for Headship (SQH) candidates understood the notion of critical reflection. Since then their thinking has developed further as a result of some of the evaluative feedback from the first year of implementing the qualification. This has led the authors to want to focus on some of the social processes that influence and mediate the learning of established practitioners. They believe that these factors operate rather differently for those who have already established a professional role within their workplace than they do for those new to the profession whose learning, in terms of socialisation, has been the subject of investigation in the past. They suspect that social processes have a crucial and, as yet, relatively unexplored effect on the impact of CPD

Men, Pre-service Training and the Implications for Continuing Professional Development.

Abstract: Through a case study of male students undertaking primary (elementary) initial teacher education (ITE), this article explores the views and concerns of men about operating (successfully or not) within a female dominated professional field. It is a context in which the discourse of male dominance is inverted, temporarily, in order to better understand socioeconomic and cultural constraints that, for these men, contribute to gender disparity and inhibit their inclusion in the educational workplace. The article concludes with a discussion of professional development as an arena in which these constraints might usefully be addressed

Blood on the Tracks: an accusation and proposal Peter Dean

Abstract: For many years teachers in the United Kingdom have found themselves on the receiving end of government legislation, which has seriously affected their conditions and terms of service. Their status and self-esteem have suffered, their sense of social inclusion become fragile. Morale is at a very low point throughout the profession. A clear indication of this is given in the record number of teacher vacancies now being advertised, poor recruitment figures, and high wastage and morbidity rates. Low morale amongst teachers has a direct bearing on the quality of the whole education system, irrespective of whatever other findings are brought in evidence. Much needs to be done to improve teacher morale. The premature loss of experienced teachers – one of the most wasteful and regrettable effects of recent times – might be curtailed or prevented by a reintroduction of the sabbatical concept, which affords a unique opportunity of personal refreshment and gives an immediate public signal of enhanced valuat...

Secondary INSET in the Mainstream Education of Bilingual Pupils in England.

Abstract: This article reports the findings of an impact study following the delivery of a series of GEST-funded INSET programmes for secondary teachers in a borough in the north-west of England. It explains the organisational background to the programmes, their pedagogical content and the data-led interview-based research methodology. It summarises the research findings in three sub-sections: (i) the context within which the training was given; (ii) the perceived impact of the training; and (iii) the perceived need for further development. It concludes that the programmes achieved some limited success in modifying teachers' and schools' practice in relation to both provision for developing bilingual pupils and language issues across the curriculum, and recommends that more such training should be offered

Four Teachers Talking: social inclusion, professional development and (un)contested meaning

Abstract: The concept of social inclusion has been adopted as an overarching guide to policy by the New Labour government in the United Kingdom (following some of its European counterparts) and this extends into the realm of education. However, although the term is in currency, its true value and sense is not yet clear to many educational practitioners – even those who are dealing with projects directly inspired by it. Four teachers working in posts concerned with social inclusion reflect on their own professional development and that of their colleagues. This provides the context for a discussion of the conflicts, tensions and contested meanings they experience in their daily work

Sometimes It's Hard to Get a Taxi When You are Black: the implications of the Macpherson Report for teacher education

Abstract: Although the murder of the black teenager Stephen Lawrence in 1993 was far from being the first racially motivated murder it was undoubtedly the first murder to have so many far reaching and impacting implications. Without the unrelenting struggle of the Lawrences to fight for justice there would have been no inquiry and ultimately no report. Discourse on race relations was now on the agenda of not only the Government, but the media and the people of this country. Through this catalyst many members of society were forced to recognise that as they were not part of the solution they were very much part of the problem. Although they targeted the police, the Macpherson recommendations were also explicit in their implications for the Education system. As teacher educators, the challenges are enormous; the Citizenship Curriculum has been conceived to inform and educate children as to how to be active, informed, tolerant and responsible citizens. Whether this is a ‘vehicle’ that can have any impact on t...

Social Inclusion and Professional Development: communities of learners – raising some questions

Abstract: This article is a critique of the notion of ‘social inclusion’. It is argued that social inclusion requires a focus upon the development of ‘communities of learners’. For such communities to develop groups must have interests in common – they need to see themselves as ‘communities of interest’. They see each other as being valuable contributors to the group – they need to be ‘communities of equals’ and be prepared to engage with and contribute to open, critical discussion of ideas – they need to participate in ‘communities of dialogue’. The changes in ethos would be considerable: from a focus on learning as an individual activity to recognition of learning as a social activity requiring community development, which would involve moving from discussions about: Classes of students to communities of researchers: teachers would need to learn skills in promoting and participating in a research community, facilitating the identification of problems and introducing appropriate methods of studying those ...

Conforming to Standards for Headship

Abstract: This article reports on an investigation of the impact of competence-based national standards for headship on the advertisement of headship posts in England and Wales. It considers the understanding of standards shown by those recruiting headteachers in secondary schools, and the relationship between competences and standards as shown in public advertisements. It concludes that there are considerable variations in the perceptions of governors of the desirable qualities for headship, and highlights the tensions between professional and semi-professional understanding of the role of the head, and between managerialist and human relations interpretations of the role

Homeless and a Student at School.

Abstract: Becoming involuntarily homeless is a traumatic experience, and can have serious effects on the health and education of children and their families. In a study of temporarily homeless families in the south east of Scotland, it became apparent that teachers could be unaware of their students' homelessness, and its ramifications for mental and physical health, and for attendance and performance at school. It requires a creative approach to in-service education to meet the needs of schools and individual teachers in helping homeless students. It is also recognised that some in-service programmes must involve inter-agency work to be successful within a social inclusion agenda

Learning from Experience or Just Meeting Standards? The Future of Continuing Professional Development Provision for Special Educational Needs Co-ordinators

Abstract: This article reviews the role of Special Educational Needs Coordinators (SENCOs) as set out in Department for Education and Employment (DfEE) and Teacher Training Agency (TTA) documentation. Drawing on data gathered by the authors and data from other research the article considers what kinds of Continuing Professional Development (CPD) are currently available. It goes on to argue that the little attention has been paid to the affective domain in CPD provided for SENCOs. Finally, the article suggests that CPD for SENCOs should focus on the affective, as well as the cognitive domain in the development of reflective practice

The Practice of Citizenship: Embracing Diversity in Learning and Teaching with Implications for In-Service Training and Professional Development.

Abstract: This article develops the concept of ‘mainstreaming’ citizenship within schools and organisations as an approach that can stimulate the greater diversity on teaching and learning necessary to accommodate conditions of rapid social change. Greater diversity is not to say less educational effectiveness, but more, because ‘mainstreaming’ citizenship means emphasising values of mutual co–operation and trust. The ‘rooting’ of democracy within these values is essential for accommodating social diversity, but it means citizenship education can be a catalyst for a critical re–evaluation of the democratic structure and practice of schools, by addressing not just narrow academic or economic objectives, but wider political, social and cultural ones, which influence individual values and norms. In this respect, the vision of educating for citizenship needs to acknowledge the value of reciprocity between schools, community and workplace as sites for the nurture of future citizens. Schools cannot be the sole a...

Empowerment and Professionalism: the General Teaching Council for England – developing policy to support social inclusion

Abstract: The recently established General Teaching Council for England (GTC) has provided advice to government on Continuing Professional Development. In this article a member of the GTC/s policy team draws out some of the developing themes in GTC policy and links them to the teaching profession/s aspirations for equity in education. The locating of social inclusion at the heart of professionalism is given as the rationale for policymaking in this area. The advice on professional development is provided as an example of the way in which GTC policy flows from the articulated professional aspirations of teachers in the interest of learners

Social Inclusion, Responsible Citizenship, Social Justice, Equal Opportunities: Whatever Happened to Professional Development?.

Abstract: Social inclusion is a relatively new term, first used by French policymakers in the early 1970s to draw attention within the European Union both to the relative economic disadvantage of certain social groups, and to the need to develop policies promoting social cohesion. More recently, it has been used by the Blair Labour administration in the United Kingdom to counter the economic and social costs of social exclusion: