M level PGCE Research and Vision

1. M level PGCE Researchand Vision Dr Alison Jackson – University of Cumbria – ESCalate ITE

2. The Background • Framework for Higher Education Qualifications (FHEQ, 2001) • Masters descriptor: ‘a critical awareness of current problems and/or new insights, much of which is at, or informed by, the forefront of their academic discipline, field or study, or area of professional practice.’ • Standards for classroom teachers (TDA, 2007): ‘to have a creative and constructively critical approach towards innovation, being prepared to adapt their practice where benefits and improvements are identified’

3. The Children’s Plan: Building Brighter Futures (2007) ‘to help fulfil our ambitions for all children, and to boost the status of teaching still further, we need it to become a masters-level profession’

4. What questions should we ask? • Why M level? • Benefit to the teaching profession? • Benefit to the individual teacher? • Benefit to the child? • The idea of the research project

5. Proposal • A joint project between ESCalate, the University of Cumbria, UCET and other interested HEIs. • The aim of the research is to track the progress and effect of Masters level PGCE provision in England from September 2007 with the intention of investigating the value-added it brings to the teaching profession. (The research is a pilot study)

6. Value-added • Value-added is the enhancement that students achieve (to knowledge, skills abilities and other attributes) as a result of their Higher Education experience. http://www.qualityresearchinternational.com/glossary/valueadded.htm In this context, value-added can be extended to embrace the perceived value added to the teaching profession of Masters level credits in the PGCE.

7. Data collection • Student teachers • School mentors of student teachers • Headteachers • Teacher educators • First questionnaire and interview results from students in full and some from second student data, headteachers and teacher mentors (more results and progress of the research can be tracked on www.escalate.ac.uk/3976)

8. Participating HEIs • University of Cumbria • University of Southampton • The Institute of Education, University of London • Huddersfield University • Liverpool John Moores University • Bedfordshire University • Wolverhampton University • Edge Hill University • Maryvale Institute • University of Worcester • Sheffield Hallam

9. The Research Findings to date

10. Student questionnaire (SQ) September 2007Male & Female 1681 responses 1541 responses

11. SQ - Early Years, Primary, Secondary

12. SQ - Age Groups

13. Student interviews (SI) • 22 from 5 HEIs • 9 male, 12 female, 1 undeclared • 13 secondary, 9 primary, no Early Years • 15 – 20-30 age range, 2 – 30-40 age range, 5 over 40

15. SQ - Have you studied at Masters level before?

16. SI – Have you studied at Masters level before? • 3 positive responses out of 22

17. SQ - How important to you is a Masters level qualification in addition to QTS?

18. SI – ‘Do you value the possibility of gaining Masters level credits on your course?’ • 12 yes - ‘Yes I certainly do. I think it seems like a really interesting and exciting angle just for your own personal achievement and whatever work is involved should be of benefit at the end to your career and to the actual teaching profession.’ (Student 6) • 6 maybe - ‘If it means employers are going to look at them, otherwise no.’ (Student 3) • 2 no ‘Not really – partly because of going into teaching. Teaching is the main concern.’ (Student 11)

19. SQ -How far do you consider that studying at Masters level likely to contribute to your teaching

20. SI - ‘Do you feel that studying at Master level will contribute to your teaching? • 9 yes - ‘Yes I think certainly having a Masters in Education can’t be a bad thing towards your teaching. It’s certainly going to help your personal and professional development just in terms of gaining the more theoretical side of education which can benefit and work alongside the practice that you’re getting in teaching.’ (Student 8) • 5 maybe - ‘Pass! I’m not experienced in the difference.’ (Student 13) • 5 no -‘I don’t think it would contribute to your teaching, it’s more a personal achievement and children you will be teaching won’t be bothered if you have a Masters or not.’ (Student 7)

21. SQ - How far do you consider that you have an understanding of what studying at Masters level involves?

22. SI – What is M level in your opinion? • All said ‘Something higher’ • Positive from most - ‘They’re looking for a little bit more research and hopefully to be a little bit more critical about what you are reading … it’s doing the research to back up your argument but maybe at [first] degree level you’re not actually pulling apart what they’re saying as much as you would at Masters.’ (Student 7) • 2 negative statements - ‘It is just doing extended essays.’ (Student 18) (This student had a Masters degree)

23. SQ - Do you consider that studying theory is likely to contribute positively to the practice of teaching?

24. SI – In what ways do theory and practice link? • ‘It only applies to some things – like teaching.’ (Student 3) • ‘It’s an interesting question that.’ (Student 4) • ‘I think [theory and practice] go side by side. They’re both requisites for being a good teacher in the classroom.’ (Student 8)

25. SQ - How far do you expect that Masters level credits will enhance your prospects of getting a job as a teacher?

26. SI – Is studying at Masters level a means to better job prospects? • 1 no - ‘I don’t think it will make a difference, it’s whether you’re a good teacher that counts.’ (Student 9) • 9 maybe - ‘It depends on the school I think and who’s interviewing you.’ (Student 22) • 9 yes - ‘It just gives you the edge over someone with just a professional – it shows that I am actually trying to think about what I’m doing and they don’t probably.’ (Student 1)

27. Some students’ thoughts at the end of their PGCE year July 2008

28. What do you understand by Masters level? • It’s about looking at what everyone else has done in the past, you know recently in the last 10 years, and then trying to find out where it can improve your teaching • Well it’s not at a level that you would be marked against if you were doing an entire Masters degree. • More research!

29. Would you have done Masters if you had a choice? • Me personally I don’t particularly like the research side of it. I don’t like the academic side of teaching. It’s the kids, seeing what they want to do, helping them out and to me that’s what teaching is. I wouldn’t have done Masters. • I didn’t really want to do it because … but when I’ve actually done the assignments – I’ve done one on Gifted and Talented, one on algebra and I’ve just done one now on girls’ versus boys’ achievement. I actually really enjoyed that. It was interesting – the sort of thing I love to do but not while I have to worry about teaching at the same time.

30. Have you changed your mind about Masters since September? • When I first signed up for the course I thought it would be quite interesting and I knew you would have got to do essays ... but it was really hard doing it while you were in placement trying to write, still thinking about all your lessons plans, and still you’ve got all the deadlines for everything else, that was really, really hard. • I think writing essays and things is useful so you think more about what you’re doing. Whether them being masters essays and whether they have any impact on that I don’t know.

31. Has theory informed your practice? • No … I would say that the whole thing about the reflective practitioner has been quite useful … It has been useful and has informed my practice…I have loads of examples …I was much more able to analyse things which I probably wouldn’t have done if I hadn’t done Masters. What I would have naturally done is just repeat things to the kids … really loudly!

32. Do you feel you will continue with Masters after leaving the course? • [Laughs hysterically] … To be honest, I really, at the moment, would just like to get a job, have lesson plans for every lesson throughout the year, start to refine them a bit and just get settled – it’s such a whirlwind this year…I’d probably consider it – I do find some of the stuff interesting.

33. Do you feel having Masters credits will help in getting a job? • I don’t think the fact that you have 60 credits towards it – I think if you actually had a Masters it would be of benefit. I think the fact that you’ve done it and you can then talk about the stuff you’ve researched and that – they’re thinking this guy knows what he’s on about – that helps you.

34. And headteachers … • Sorry but I think this smacks of dumbing down the profession. What next – a doctorate if you can spell!!! • I know very little about it • I don’t think qualification makes any difference to the quality of what a teacher becomes and we have some learning mentors who do some teaching who are as good if not better than some of our teaching staff.

35. Will Masters add value? • At the moment now no, because there’s not enough evidence of the difference it’s going to make. Maybe down the line when it becomes evident then maybe it will become something that we’ll start to [see as significant]

36. Do you see any value in the Masters study students are doing? • I think the work they do on reflective practitioner is very valuable. Because to be a good teacher I think you’ve got to have the ability to be self critical. • If it’s improving subject content or knowledge then it can only be to the advantage of children, it should be. • It’s probably making them more critical, which is a good thing.

37. Does Masters study contribute to children’s learning? • M level, QTS whatever, I’m a strong believer that, in terms of being able to assess how the children are learning, I’m not so sure it can be taught … whilst I am interested in all that research, I think… in a good teacher is the ability to assess whether a child has learnt and use all sorts of [practices] and being able to box them off doesn’t necessarily make you a better teacher.

38. Are Masters students different? • They’ve got more of a willingness to read beyond the “101 ideas of how to teach English”. It’s been interesting, some of the references they’ve made to things like emotional intelligence. I’ve not heard other students come out with those sorts of phrases.

39. And teacher mentors in schools, is Masters of benefit? … • If I’m brutally honest – no. I think the theory is all well and good but in the early days of being a beginning teacher it’s a hands on basic theory that makes a difference and in the early days it’s about having the opportunity to go back test things out, evaluate and go back and hone your practice

40. Are Masters students different? • I think we’ve always had reflective students from the HEI. The university has always been an environment that has valued a reflective practitioner approach to developing as a teacher. • It could add value. The barriers are being broken down now in terms of the way serving professionals are working with HEIs with the opportunity for them to develop their skills and get accredited. If this momentum keeps up there will be massive potential.

41. And a teacher educator sums up(?)

42. Do you consider that Masters level is adding value to the preparation of teachers? Yes it will I think. I think it will enrich them in that they will engage more with theory, so they will understand why they do what they do and will make informed choices based on that rather than what I did in the classroom which was make my choices based on more trial and error method. I do think there will be resistance from schools because I think there will be a lot of teachers out there threatened by it, a lot of teachers who think you don’t need a Masters to be a good teacher and in some ways you don’t. But I do think it will give a stronger foundation across the profession because you will be getting teachers who can think beyond, ‘let’s look on the Internet and print a lesson off and that’s how you plan’. You’ll be getting teachers who begin to understand what they do which I think is fundamental really.

43. ESCalate Help Directory Masters level PGCE folder – www.escalate.ac.uk/ite/help • This research – www.escalate.ac.uk/3976 • Busy Guide on Masters level PGCE – www.escalate.ac.uk/3168 • BERA presentation article on education-line – Perceptions of Masters level – Google search and enter author Jackson and Eady • Possible ESCalate events – www.escalate.ac.uk/ite • PP or any other information - alison.jackson@cumbria.ac.uk