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This research investigates the area of
values in Initial Teacher Education (ITE), induction and early professional
development (EPD) within the context of a government review of the
future of teacher education in Northern Ireland (NI). Additional
challenges for teacher education are created by other key developments.
These include a government commitment to abandon academic selection
at age eleven by 2008, and a proposed new curriculum that places
greater emphasis on values and skills-based learning, personal,
social and health education, and citizenship. The NI e-learning
strategy is well advanced with important implications for teacher
education.
This three-year research programme tracks a representative sample of PGCE students (20 primary and 20 post-primary) through induction and their first year of EPD. The proposal includes testing of innovations in each of the three phases of the NI partnership model of teacher education, which have more widespread relevance for adopting a values-based approach to teacher education and development. Focused areas of innovation include:
- evaluate the effectiveness of current selection criteria and
recruitment procedures for Initial Teacher Eduation (PGCE) with
reference to the essential teacher qualities identified by the
NI Teacher Education Partnership model and challenges presented
through the new NI curriculum;
- through ITE, testing strategies and pedagogies that enable student teachers to reflect on the values dimension of the proposed new curriculum and to develop the knowledge, values, attitudes and skills necessary for inclusive practice, and teaching and learning involving contentious issues in a culturally diverse society;
- through induction, investigating how far beginning teachers develop distinctive values associated with separate school sectors and types; and testing a pilot network to maintain cross-sector contact for professional development learning
- through EPD, testing a model for ‘learner-driven professional development'; and investigating the sustainability of cross-sector, teacher professional development networks.
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