Jonathan Savage

Here the most detail that we have  so far about the ConDem coalition’s views on how to education our new teachers. This extract, from Michael Gove’s speech to the  National College for Leadership of Schools and Children’s Services’ Annual Leadership Conference in Birmingham today, signals some major changes in policy direction. (My emphases are in bold):

We also want to take urgent action to attract more great teachers into the classroom. We want to further enhance the prestige and esteem of the teaching profession and further improve teacher training and continuous professional development.

Look at the highest performing nations in any measure of educational achievement and they are always, but always, those with the most highly qualified teachers. Whether its Singapore, South Korea or Finland, as Sir Michael Barber has pointed out in his ground-breaking study for McKinsey nothing matters more in education that attracting the best people into teaching and making sure that every minute in the classroom is spent with children benefiting from the best possible instruction.

The generation of teachers currently in our schools is the best ever, but given the pace of international improvement we must always be striving to do better. That is why we will expand organisations such as Teach First, Teaching Leaders and Future Leaders which have done so much to attract more highly talented people into education. That is why we will write off the student loan payments of science and maths graduates who go into teaching. That is why we will reform teacher recruitment to ensure there is a relentless focus on tempting the best into this, most rewarding, of careers. And that is why we will reform teacher training to shift trainee teachers out of college and into the classroom. We will end the arbitrary bureaucratic rule which limits how many teachers can be trained in schools, shift resources so that more heads can train teachers in their own schools, and make it easier for people to shift in mid-career into teaching.

Teaching is a craft and it is best learnt as an apprentice observing a master craftsman or woman. Watching others, and being rigorously observed yourself as you develop, is the best route to acquiring mastery in the classroom. Which is why I also intend to abolish those rules which limit the ability of school leaders to observe teachers at work. Nothing should get in the way of making sure we have the best possible cadre of professionals ready to inspire the next generation.

As more and more detail is added to this coalition’s polices, the more and more scared I get about the future of our educational system.

I’ve been working on the introduction of a book I’m writing with a colleague today. It’s a reflective reader. As part of the introduction, I’ve been considering an ABC of critical reflective reading. I thought I’d share it here for your comments – supportive, critical or otherwise please!
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There’s a helpful article by Keith Evans on the Music-ITE site that I enjoyed reading today. It explores the what Evans thinks is the potential decline in reflective thinking and practice amongst some forms of initial teacher education in music. His conclusions assert:

The rapid growth of employment-based routes into teaching in recent years reflects the dominance of the competent craftsperson model and, while it would be unfair to suggest that the idea of reflective practitioner is ignored, it perhaps does not get quite the same emphasis it does on a PGCE programme. Obviously, there are specific QTS standards concerned with reflection underpinning all routes into teaching, but PGCE written assignments are still frequently framed as tasks of critical reflection. Another strength of the PGCE model is the opportunity it offers student teachers to regroup at the university at regular intervals throughout the course, reflect on experiences and gradually build a personal philosophy for music education.

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It was interesting to read Mike Blamires’ report on the new Government reform of public services – Working Together. He comments that ‘the new policy is underpinned by a model of public involvement in the evaluation of services that the report likens to the feedback on websites such as Amazon and eBay. Choice and Personalisation for users of services are also emphasised whilst proposing greater professional autonomy for some service providers in shaping provision to meet local needs’.

Mike explores some of the implications of this for schools, before turning his attention to the world of intial teacher education. Here, he summarises some of the main proposals:

• Increase, on a yearly basis, the number and proportion of students taking places with top rated (Category A) universities and other training providers;
• TDA will “design a diagnostic tool to systematically screen applicants for skills including empathy, communication and resilience, and pilot it with a range of Initial Teacher Training providers, for possible national roll-out to all providers”;
• Roll-out the new Masters in Teaching and Learning (MTL) programme with the target of between 4,000 and 5,000 teachers participating in 2009/10, as the next step to the ambition to make teaching a Masters level profession;
• Develop a new fast-track route for career switchers and graduates moving into teaching – taking six rather than the current 12 months to complete. This will be developed as an option alongside the one year PGCE and the Graduate Teacher Programmes.

Thanks for this helpful summary Mike. As with all Government policy at the moment, it is helpful to remember that there is a general election looming. Failure at the polls, will mean these that the majority of these proposals will never see the light of day.

I couldn’t quite believe what I read on the BBC website this morning. The UK Government is planning to introduce a scheme to halve the amount of time it takes to qualify as a teacher from 1 year to 6 months. According to Liam Bryne, the Cabinet Office Minister, this scheme will be for “good people” with life experience behind them”. He went on to say that:

“We know there are a lot of fantastic mathematicians, for example, who would have once perhaps gone into the City but now actually might be more interested in a career in teaching. What we have to do is make sure the very best people are able to get into a classroom as quickly as possible”.

In other words, in this case the words of ATL’s General Secretary, “It sounds like an employment scheme for unemployed bankers”.

I’m struggling to think of a more ill-informed policy. Even by the Government’s own proposed agenda for teaching it makes no sense. For example, how does it equate to their desire to make teaching a graduate, Masters-level profession? Completing a PGCE (which takes 9 months not a year anyway) is a hard enough process anyway, particularly when it relates to a M-level course like those on offer at MMU. I was also wondering whether the Government had consulted with the universities who provide much of this training. As of today, there was nothing on the UCET website about this. I don’t think that any university would be prepared to compromise their academic award (i.e the PGCE component of ITE, not the QTS bit) in this way.

On a personal note, I have spent countless hours in recent years designing new courses to help students achieve QTS. What has been the one unmovable statute from the TDA‘s perspective in these course design? 120 days school experience throughout the year. On reflection, perhaps this isn’t a bad think. It takes time to develop the skills required to be a teacher. It is not just about being a good mathematician or musician. It is about a professional relationship with young people, about an empathy with their learning processes and, fundamentally, about the development of sophisticated teaching skills/techniques, and an accompanying understanding, which supports and facilitates their learning.

I know it’s not April 1st. But this proposal is a worrying development. Unfortunately, sending ex-bankers into the classroom ill-prepared is not just going to be bad for them. It will damage the opportunities of the young people they end up teaching. Our young people deserve a lot better than that.

Thanks to the TTRB for pointing this out:

Teachers TV has introduced sections on their website dedicated to trainee teachers and NQTs, both entitled The essential guide. These include recommended viewing, ‘top tips’, resources, and NQTs and trainee teachers: Your questions, within which Elizabeth Holmes (author of The Newly Qualified Teachers Handbook) answers questions which have been sent to her on topics such as workload, job hunting, and behaviour for learning.

Whilst I’m promoting websites, if you work in music and initial teacher education don’t forget this website. You can also download a pdf file which outlines the main features of the site. They are also after people to write materials for the site if anyone is interested?

I’ve often wondered how long the ‘average’ teaching career is? Research published today seems to suggest that it is getting shorter. A report published by the General Teaching Council for England shows that teachers are getting younger and a third of them are turning their back on the classroom after qualifying,

This Guardian article reports the findings that show that in 2007 there were 34,678 newly qualified teachers in England in 2007 but, by the end of this March, 33% of them were not working as teachers. Apparently, some new teachers had decided not to follow a teaching career despite their training, others were delaying going into employment. And some had chosen to use their qualification to work in general education services instead.