1. Developing Partnership through Third Space Activity
Research project
James Burch, Dr Alison Jackson – University of Cumbria 2012

2. Research aims
To explore and evaluate the strategies employed to develop collaborative provision of teacher training between schools and HEIs in teacher education.
To investigate the notion of the use of ‘Third Space’ to bring about effective collaborative provision.

3. Methodology and Methods
Small-scale case study, concentrating on a specific situation in depth within a limited time scale.
Illuminative Evaluation – to show how existing knowledge is used to inform and guide practical action.

4. What is the specific situation?
The programme and philosophy of the PGCE secondary programme in one HEI in England.
How to get to a position of ‘enactment’ using a different form of collaboration (working together, not with) between HEI tutors and school mentors.
Using the ‘Third Space’ to enable this collaboration.

5. What we did Timing – January – December 2012.
Observation of meetings between HEI tutors and school mentors.
Strands – SEN, literacy, behaviour management, EAL, coaching and mentoring, noticing as a disciplined enquiry.
Interviews of members of these groups.

6. Terminology – Interview findings
Boundary crossing
Third space
Expansive learning
Enactment
Boundary crossing – L1- ‘going out of your environment with its socio-cultural practices and strengths into literally a third are where you are working to come to a joint understanding. Others not sure exactly but went on to consider lots of different boundaries – theory/practice; school/uni; crossing between subjects; primary/secondary
Third space: Venn diagram; physical or conceptual; neutral area; where you do your joined up thinking; a place to share; non-threatening
Expansive learning: no idea; broadening horizons; everyone involved exapnding their learning; L1 going beyond the restrictive diet, more possibilities;
Enactment: all knew; what happens in the classroom; practice with understanding; continually learning; thinking for yourself

7. Findings from the interviews
An ambitious undertaking
A scary undertaking
Getting everybody on board
Working together or working with?
Difficulties/drawbacks (and solutions)
Reflection
Ambitious – actual involvement in the project had unearthed complexities of making it work
Scary – Deconstruction for deconstruction’s sake?
All on board – University tutors, school professional mentors, school subject mentors, student teachers. Narrow the gap of understanding
Working together or working with – the latter to be enriched by the former. Initiative came from the university. Great enthusiasm for working together (but with is not redundant – hover between the two).
Difficulties – speaking the same language, practicalities, acceptance of the vision, logistics, quality control.
Reflection – slow progress, massive undertaking, but not as new or different as they feared

8. Summary of Main Findings
Hints rather than conclusions and statements for reflection rather than absolutes.
Developing partnership through Third Space activity requires vision.
That vision requires an enhanced and ‘deeper’ interpretation of ‘working together’ rather than ‘working with’.
Working together through Third Space activity requires participants: to embrace change; to challenge their own assumptions; time.
Working together through Third Space activity is complex despite the appearance of simplicity.
Working together through Third Space activity needs to be founded upon a common moral purpose.

9. Summary of Main Findings
Effective partnership between schools and universities has been evolving over time, suggesting that working together through Third Space is potentially the next part of that evolution.
Working together through Third Space activity is an ambitious ideal.
Some drawbacks/difficulties are: getting everybody on board; time; finance; quality control; logistics; conflict.
Benefits outweigh difficulties. All concerned benefit: school staff, university staff, student teachers, pupils.
Slow, measured process is key.
Developing partnership through Third Space activity is worth the effort; it can be transformative to all concerned.

10. Recommendations
Developing partnership through Third Space activity is ambitious, but it is possible. It creates a passion within those participating which brings rewards: rejuvenation, personal reward, excitement, fulfilment, challenge, enrichment.
The philosophy behind the concept of developing partnership suggests that generalisability is possible to other HEIs and schools, accepting that different circumstances would allow the project to evolve in different ways, relevant to those circumstances.
As teacher education in England undergoes yet more change with the introduction of School Direct it is recommended that the philosophy within ‘working together’ through Third Space activity continues to be embraced and researched as a fundamental way of achieving excellent teacher education and training of student teachers, and hence excellent teachers of children and young people.

11. Developing Partnership through Third Space Activity
The full report of the research can be found at:
ducation/Research/TEAN/TeacherEducatorsStoreh ouse/Partnership/Home.aspx

12. Developing Partnership through Third Space Activity
Questions for discussion
Do you work together or with?
Do you seek a ‘Third Space’?
Do you feel that this notion, however ambitious could be extended?
How does School Direct affect this?