The shutdown of universities and schools in England, due to the Covid-19 pandemic, came just as many pre-service students began their final practicum. This research focuses on the challenges this posed for teacher educators. Using qualitative research methods and concepts from spatial geography, the article explores how pedagogies adapted as the removal of the practicum relocated learning communities to new online spaces. Established practices changed quickly, with educators showing 'pedagogic agility'. Despite the relocation to newly-formed online spaces, many principles and 'intentionalities' of practice remained unchanged, as did the teacher educators' orientating values. Overall, there was a sense of both sameness and difference in some of the innovative pedagogies developed on the (g)local level. This research has international relevance in considering the spaces in which authentic teacher education can occur and the alternative pedagogies and technologies to support professional learning in the case of a 'missing' practicum.

This article explores the usefulness of podcasts as a pedagogic tool.1 It situates the adoption of podcasts for learning and teaching within the context of a brief history of e-Learning itself and briefly reviews the suggestion that e-Learning and social media suit the construction of a new learner – the digital native. While treating much of the ‘digital native’ debate with some caution, the argument is made that podcasting – as one pedagogic choice among many – is a fruitful avenue for practitioner exploration. It goes on to develop both an ideal-type of podcasting and some suggestions for a ‘podagogy’ ( Rosell-Aguilar, 2007 ). The article argues that podcasting is a simple, cheap, accessible and powerful means to explore learning opportunities through the adoption of social media.2 At the same time, podcasting represents a useful starting point for institutions, senior managers and e-leaders to develop e-cultures among teaching practitioners, within a context of leadership for creativity.

No abstract

This paper examines the cumulative effects on teacher educators of a series of ideological and policy changes in the English teacher education landscape since the early 80s. We argue that these rapid changes have marginalized the role of the university in teacher learning and resulted in narrower, more instrumental forms of teacher education. Within this landscape we see a distinct need to re-state (and reinstate) the importance of higher education-based teacher educators, and to reclaim and celebrate their practices and the nature of the professionalism involved.We invite the reader to rethink teacher educator professionalism as what is enacted by teacher educators, as engaged in their professional activities. A view of enacted professionalism gives central stage to and trusts the professional judgement of teacher educators to do what they deem is good, appropriate, or best -understood in a broad sense -to support the professional learning of newcomers in the profession.

No abstract