Research on teacher educators: past & future possibilities BERA, LRSN and TELL Event, Institute of Education, University of London Teacher Educators in the Lifelong Learning Sector: roles and research possibilities 12 th July 2013 Professor Jean Murray, Research Leader The Sir John Cass School of Education & Communities

Analytical frameworks for teacher education in the LLS Model of teacher education: evolving landscape of teacher/trainer qualifications for LLS and the resulting teacher education system: Levels of state control and provider autonomy Teacher selection: professional roles of teachers / lecturers / trainers Curriculum and pedagogies of teacher education

The worlds of teaching & teachers in LLS Values and moral and social purposes of the LLS sector Knowledge bases of teaching – vocational, professional Visions of teacher professionalism & its educational and social functions Lifelong learning across a teaching career – what? how and why? Who takes responsibility for that learning?

Teachers as first order practitioners (Murray, 2002) 1 st order practitioners: working in the 1 st order field of LLS institutions Possess 1 st order knowledge of the Lifelong Learning sector - reproduces knowledge with / for students Possess 1 st order pedagogical skills for working with students

Teacher educators as second order practitioners ( Murray, 2002 ) 2nd order practitioners: working in 2nd order field of teacher education Possess both 1 st order knowledge of LLS & 2 nd order knowledge of teacher education to reproduce required knowledge for/with students & teachers Possess 2 nd order pedagogical skills for working with adult professional learners

Who is a teacher educator? (1) Ill-defined & heterogeneous occupational group But essential to know who does what, where, when, how and why Data locked up within Higher Education & LLS institutions? Lack of demographic diversity within Higher Education workforces? ( Noel, 2006; RATE stats ) In LLS institutions? College-based teacher educators = mentors? Often an unknown / ill-defined group within and across LLS – a hidden profession?

Who is a teacher educator? (2) Debates about definitions and exclusion / inclusion from occupational group - all in Higher Education and LLS Is working with intending LLS teachers? Ownership of the definition Core groups: 1) teacher educators in Higher Education & in LLS Is 2) ‘mentors’ / supervisors / line managers & colleagues in LLS Is. Co-ordination between them and periphery roles

Definitions of teacher educator knowledge and pedagogy What knowledge and pedagogical skills do teacher educators need in the turbulence of the LLS teacher education system? At which stages of their careers do they need this knowledge and pedagogy? How and where does learning take place? Who provides it? Whose responsibility is it to ensure that it occurs?

Quality and qualifications of teacher educators Solid practical teaching experience (in LLS? Other sectors?) Good teaching competences (in Higher Education? & / or in LLS?) High level of academic qualification EU (2009) Improving the Quality of Teacher Education

Teacher educators in Higher Education, as a sub-group of LLS teacher educators The Higher Education Institutions - cultural & academic imperatives Imperatives in HE teacher educators’ work, identities & professional learning? & framing the occupational imperatives of LLS, schooling and teacher education to which teacher educators must respond

Teacher educators in LLS Institutions – educating, mentoring and beyond Worlds of LLS & imperatives for educating students Modes of communication & collaboration with Higher Education ‘Shifting the lens’ to work with teacher learners too – recognition of the value of that work What are the attributes of a good LLS-based teacher educator and why? Distributive models of ‘mentoring’?

Recruitment of teacher educators Provider criteria for selection? What is known? Evidence of serendipity and localism in recruitment - to both Higher Education and to the LLS-based roles Recruitment in LLS – best possible teacher educators or needs driven selection? Good teacher = good teacher educator? Preparation for entry into the teacher education profession?

What has been under-valued or over-looked in teacher educators’ work and why (1) Distinctiveness of knowledge & pedagogies specifically for teacher education 2 nd order knowledge – knowledge of teacher learners - adult learning and professional induction / further development Becoming pedagogic experts in teacher learning processes Shifting the pedagogic lens – 2 nd order pedagogy

What has been under-valued or over-looked in teacher educators’ work and why (2) The distinctiveness of professional learning contexts for teacher education in LLS / Higher Education Crossing & re-crossing boundaries – e.g. relationship maintenance across and between LLS institutions and Higher Education; switching roles / changing spaces? Transversal competences (to achieve ‘border crossing’) e.g. adopting a ‘pedagogy of guidance’ with teachers

Research in and on teacher education ‘What is a profession without a knowledge base informed by reflection and research?’ Korthagen (2010) ‘What is the role of teacher educators as both consumers and producers of knowledge?’ Korthagen, Loughran & Lunenberg (2005) ‘ Teacher education research is often conducted by its practitioners... research on teacher education is therefore also about research in teacher education.’ Menter et al (2009)

What has been under-valued or over-looked in teacher educators’ work and why (3) The distinctiveness of scholarship and research for teacher education Practical theorising skills with students & teachers – reflection in & on practice Modes of pedagogical & general research Lack of congruence between some teacher education research & research performativity agendas in universities Research induction & development – implications for research capacity building

What are the implications for teacher educators’ professional development? ‘ In order to meet the demands placed on the profession, all teacher educators – including mentors at schools – should be given the opportunity to undertake proper lifelong learning of their own. ’ European Trade Union Committee for Education (ETUCE), 2008.

Induction Needs Learning how adult learners become / develop as teachers – acquiring 2 nd order knowledge base Shifting the pedagogic lens – developing 2 nd order pedagogy Developing as a practitioner – researcher (including meta-reflection on personal practice) Transversal competences Sometimes new organisational competences (where workplace changes)

Becoming a Teacher Educator: Guidelines for Induction Workplace learning frameworks 1 Role design 2 Organisational learning 3 Pedagogies for teacher education 4 Working with schools and mentors 5 Qualifications and formal courses 6 Scholarship and research ) Boyd, Harris & Murray (2011 ) 19 http//escalate.ac.uk/8508

Continuing Professional Learning For those in HE, keep knowledge of LLS up to date (e.g. evolving models of provision, growing student diversity, new modes of pedagogy) Develop 2 nd order pedagogy & knowledge (reflective practice) Increase level of academic qualifications, where necessary Engage further in pedagogical or general research Develop personal profile as teacher educator Where does research / scholarship fit in? For those in HE where does ‘big R’ research fit in? What about dissemination and impact of research work? Back to values and purposes

Responsibilities for the education of teacher educators All involved in teacher education system Stakeholder voices & imperatives - differing interests mediated. Broad imperatives & tailoring to specific needs of sub- groups Voices of teacher educators – individually & communally Individual & communal agency & purposes

Workplace learning & teacher educators Constraints & opportunities in teacher educators’ workplaces Space for learning to take place in busy workplaces Effective structures to enable learning ‘Somos más’ (together we are more) – team expertise & communal learning Articulation of informal & formal learning modes? Learning articulated with or accredited for professional progression

LLS institutions as learning workplaces Imperatives around educating students Learning from experience: rhetoric & realities The dangers of ‘the hegemony of habit’ in teaching Strengths and weaknesses of ‘local professionalism’ & ‘local practices’ Supporting the teacher learning continuum – co-ordination & communication with Higher Education

Successful policy & practice initiatives Space for all stakeholder voices to be heard Differing interests & ideas mediated Imperatives around teacher educator quality & competence agreed Communication & collaboration maintained Professional ownership & strong roles in the initiative Funding from stakeholders including the state

The potential for the future? Improvements in teacher education & therefore in the LLS by strengthening the teacher educator profession Centrality in coherent & continuous teacher education Teacher educators as public professionals ( Cochran-Smith, 2005) Teacher educators standing at the foreground of their disciplines or subjects (Furlong, 2007)