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Rethinking the nature of subject studies in primary initial teacher education
Abstract
The publication of Circular 14/93 ‘Initial Training of Primary School Teachers’ (DfE 1993) sees yet another attempt to redefine and control the objectives, methods, outcomes and location of initial teacher education. It implies changes in the role of subject studies in initial teacher education, although its prescriptions in this regard are elusive. The interpretation and implications of these changes for subject studies are the focus of this paper. It reviews the current role of subject studies in primary initial teacher education and outlines those elements of the Circular which will impact upon those roles. Inconsistencies in the Circular are identified. Critiques of the current role of subject studies are used to suggest how the generalised statements about levels of competence in the Circular can be expanded to redefine subject studies. The paper sets out the criteria subject studies will have to adopt to enact the expanded and more clearly defined roles required if they are to meet the objectives of the Circular. The paper specifically addresses the implications for subject studies courses of differentiated subject training for specialist and generalist primary school teachers.
The Report of the Task Team for the Review of the Implementation of the National Curriculum Statement shows that teachers are not well trained in respect of the subjects they are supposed to teach. Most of the teachers in South Africa are trained through open and distance learning (ODL) mode – learning is provided and organized around the geographical, social, and time constraints of the learner and teaching is conducted by someone removed in space or time from the learner. This article attempts to investigate the perceptions in-service student teachers have about a science module presented at one of the ODL institutions in the Postgraduate Certificate in Education (PGCE). Student teachers’ perception about the focus the science module has on subject matter knowledge and pedagogical knowledge is investigated. A mixed method research design was utilised in this study. A quantitative phase was followed by a qualitative phase with the aim of articulating the convergence the two phases have towards capturing the same phenomenon. The study indicated that primary school science teachers’ limited knowledge of science restricted them from effectively teaching content knowledge in natural science classes. In-service teachers also feel that the science module offered in an ODL mode does not adequately address the practical component of science teaching. The study suggests that ODL institutions should work towards providing science students with adequate pedagogical content knowledge which is critical in science teaching.
Volume 2 of the PhD (December 2003) University of Exeter
This dissertation is available for Library use on the understanding that it is copyright material and that no quotation from the dissertation may be published without proper acknowledgement. I certify that all material in this dissertation which is not my own work has been identified and that no material is included for which a degree has previously been conferred upon me. ………………………… (Robert M. Guyver)
A survey was carried out in autumn 1994 to ascertain early responses to the Government's reforms of initial teacher training. Questionnaires were sent to a sample of primary and secondary schools throughout England and Wales and to all of the higher education institutions engaged in initial teacher training. This paper examines some of the key findings of the survey and uses them to evaluate the accuracy of some of the predictions which had been made about the impact of the reforms. The conclusion reached is that predictions of collapse and major disruption have not materialized but that there is instability and fragility in the system which raise questions about quality.
The University of Exeter heads the Images for Teaching Education Project which has developed multimedia products under Phase 2 of the Teaching and Learning Technology Programme. An aim of the project was to investigate the educational potential of a range of image‐based multimedia formats. Products include videodiscs, videotapes, Photo CDs, and Photo CD portfolios with computer‐ and paper‐based support materials; some of the latter are linked to images through barcodes.The management of the project and the development of the products, which involved specialists in subjects, the design and use of educational materials, the production and use of images and sound, and the evaluation of teaching and learning, are described in a national context. The processes and outcomes of collaboration are discussed and the importance of a multidisciplinary approach is emphasized.
Subject knowledge at Key Stage 2 of the English National Curriculum has recently assumed increased importance, leading, to an increased research interest in the forms of subject content knowledge and pedagogic content knowledge employed by teachers. This paper examines the extent to which teachers and pupils were aware of a specific subject curriculum rationale. The paper discusses the findings of an enquiry into the extent to which non‐specialist teachers (n = 40), initial teacher training students (n = 46) and Key Stage 2 pupils in four primary schools exhibited an understanding of the reasons why history should be studied, following the introduction of the National Curriculum for history in 1991. Results showed that experienced teachers had a tacit understanding of the aims of history produced by the National Curriculum Council, although students’ understandings were less well developed. Teachers had succeeded in transmitting some key ideas about why history should be studied to their pupils, although differences between schools show that teaching makes a difference. However, some pupils had only sketchy ideas about why they studied the subject or did not find it exciting or enjoyable.
In Britain and the USA, policy‐makers are promoting student teachers’ knowledge of subjects and their application of subject knowledge in the classroom as a key element in the reform of teacher training. The educational arguments which support this policy are reviewed together with recent studies which have investigated the ways in which students’ knowledge of subjects may inform their teaching. Issues emerging from the discussion which need to be addressed by teacher educators responsible for main subject study and application include: the scope of students’ knowledge and coverage of subject matter, an appreciation of the manner in which students’ application of subject matter is shaped by classroom practice, and the need to ensure that knowledge of the subject is combined with an understanding of the child.
Educational researchers have not been involved in the establishment of the National Curriculum and their views have not been attended to by policy makers. It is argued that this is understandable because, unfortunately, researchers have failed to address the subject matter, i.e. content, of lessons as a substantial theme for research. Recent developments in American educational research are referred to so as to demonstrate the ways in which the subject matter of lessons is being investigated by researchers and future possibilities are illustrated by reference to the National Curriculum consultation document for mathematics.
Research on teaching-learning processes in classrooms has increased markedly over the last decade or more. Although the principle long-term aim of these studies has been the improvement of practice, they have been undertaken from different theoretical perspectives, utilizing differing assumptions, foci, and methods. The aim of this article is to analyse this theoretical development and assess the extent to which understandings and explanations of classroom processes and outcomes have been enhanced, and where future developments might lie.
This paper explores the ways in which the education and training of teachers is distinctively different from the other activities of higher education, and is the subject of greater external management and control. It examines the nature and effects of the pressures experienced by teacher educators as various agencies seek to control both the quantity and the quality of new entrants to the teaching profession. The intentions and actions of special interest groups, of local and central government are discussed together with a detailed study of the particular case of central government control of the content of primary teacher education. The case is made that coercive external intervention does damage to quality and that the profession has its own capacity for quality control.
The education of intending primary school teachers in England and Wales has increased the amount of academic subject specialist study in response to governmental pressure. (Primary means children between 7 and 11 years.) This paper seeks to show that the Department of Education and Science's (DES) requirement of initial teacher training courses at primary level that it should include the application of subject study to the learning and developmental needs of young children is problematical, begging questions of ideology, epistemology, psychology and curriculum organisation. An attempt to meet the DES requirement is made through the adoption of two models of subject study and their application to young children; their implications for subject study at the level of higher education are drawn. Content and pedagogy are examined in the light of the two models. The suggestion is examined that together they constitute analytical tools to examine subject study at primary school and higher education level. A broadly based spiral curriculum is outlined which embraces attitudes, personal development and the involvement of the whole personality; implications of this view for pedagogy are suggested. The provision of stimulating subject environments is matched by the careful use of teachers as facilitators in developing subject awareness.
What kinds of knowledge do teachers need in order to be effective in their classrooms? This question has received much attention recently. This paper outlines a framework for teachers' knowledge, consisting of six major categories, namely: general liberal education, personal performance, subject matter, general pedagogical, subject matter specific pedagogical, and foundations of the teaching profession. Suggestions are provided on ways in which three of the categories, subject matter knowledge, general pedagogical knowledge, and subject matter specific pedagogical knowledge can be dealt with in teacher education, especially at the preservice stage. These suggestions are based on actual courses which have been taught in various countries. The outcomes of one such course, which was taught and supervised by the author, are reported in terms of the students' perceptions of the knowledge they have acquired.
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