Rupert Knight, University of Derby R.Knight@Derby.ac.uk

1. The emerging professional:Teacher education students’ developing conceptions of the relationship between theory and practice before, during and after a PGCE programme TEAN Conference May 2012 Rupert Knight, University of Derby R.Knight@Derby.ac.uk

2. Background and rationale • The complex nature of teachers’ professional knowledge (e.g. Shulman, 1986, Hagger & McIntyre, 2006) • The challenge of integrating theory and practice in learning to teach in two settings (Thomas, 2007, Korthagen, 2010) • The changing face of Initial Teacher Education (ITE) (Department for Education, 2010)

3. The study How do teacher education students’ conceptions of the relationship between theory and practice in their learning develop before, during and after a PGCE programme? The focus is students’ own conceptions – a central case group of 5 Mainly qualitative data: not only what the changes / developments are but what triggers this and how it happens A longitudinal study,beginning with preconceptions before course begins (Lortie, 1975, Hobson et al, 2008) and tracking this through to first employment

4. The trouble with ‘theory’… • A contested term: the need for ‘verbal hygiene’? (Thomas, 2007)

5. unitary practice theory plural (adapted from Thomas, 2007)

6. The trouble with ‘theory’… • A contested term: the need for ‘verbal hygiene’? (Thomas, 2007) • A problematic concept in education: a ‘dirty word’? (McIntyre, 1993) • The place of theory: theory into practice or practice into theory? (e.g. Korthagen, 2010) • How and when to introduce the term: perpetuating the dichotomy vs. the ‘elephant in the room’. (Laursen, 2007)

7. Methodological tensions and dilemmas • The dual role: separation of roles and data; ‘bureaucratic burden’ (BERA, 2011); benefits for the case group vs. the whole cohort • Conducting an ongoing conversation: ongoing analysis (Flowers, 2008); prompts; varying the interaction • Capturing development over time: changes to participants as a result of participation; different contexts for data collection • The ‘unique case’: sampling; the ‘uniqueness fallacy’ (Pring, 2004); ‘fuzzy generalisations’ (Bassey, 1999)

8. The story so far… What are we learning? How (and where) do we learn? How do we make links?

9. What are we learning? Immediately before course By end of Placement 1 During Placement 2 A focus on ‘content’. Teaching as delivering the curriculum A broader conception of subject knowledge A focus on age-appropriate pedagogies A variety of pedagogies. A developing understanding of children’s needs Assessment for learning and personalisation to the fore Teaching is primarily about engaging learners. Belief in a body of professional knowledge (but what is this?) A need for underlying principles that go beyond practice, but T&P not discussed as separate entities Moving from theory as a set of facts to theory as tentative and uncertain Increased ownership of theory: adapt and theorise

10. How and where do we learn? Immediately before course By end of Placement 1 During Placement 2 Learning in school centres on observing and mimicry Learning through personal experience. Not just feedback but also joint reflection Feedback on own teaching, but observation of others again prominent Interpersonal issues barely mentioned / anticipated The importance of teamwork: working with a fellow professional Relationship with the mentor (class teacher) is critical. University’s function is to give the background and pointers to enable survival in school University is valued as a place to share and make sense of practice University learning has been useful to look back on – makes sense after practice

11. How do we make links and make sense? Immediately before course By end of Placement 1 During Placement 2 Linking university and school seen as fairly uncomplicated Reflection has a central role: the need for space and time to reflect Overload at first but makes sense after Placement 1 As well as offering some ideas for practice, theory has an important role in making sense of practice retrospectively Not a conscious influence, but relevance seen. M Level study especially useful – fosters a way of thinking critically Theory, including research findings and M Level study could be useful for practice Realisation of the complexity of the role. Strong evidence of the emotional dimension (confidence etc) Worries centre on workload and the intensity of the course Understanding the role: feeling like a teacher

12. Next steps in data collection • June:participant feedback on findings so far: a new source of data • June:whole cohort questionnaire • September / October:final interview (retrospective, ‘graph’ as stimulus)

13. Possible questions arising at this stage • Is there scope for students working in different ways with mentors or university staff in school in order to make practice-theory links in situ? • Do we need to break up long blocks of teaching with opportunities to reflect and ‘theorise’ at university? • Do we need to get preconceptions out in the open at the outset and work together to define the professional knowledge required? • Do we make enough of students observing their mentors in a new way later on in the process?

14. Theory is… Someone’s idea or perspective on an issue, sometimes based on research or experience. It can be an aid or a guideline for practice. Rather than being a solid fact, theory is open to interpretation and is not always 100% concrete. Composed from Focus Group responses Dec 2011

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