Mastering teaching and learning through pedagogic partnership: a vision and framework for developing ‘collaborative resonance’ in England

Abstract

The design and early implementation of a major national design initiative in England, the Masters in Teaching and Learning (MTL), is described in this paper. This novel hybrid master's degree seeks to span the traditional academicpractitioner divide, reconstitute the theory-practice dynamic as reciprocal and coconstruct an authentic signature pedagogy for teacher professionals drawing on contextualised theories of learning and teaching. The historical, theoretical and pedagogic foundations of the programme of professional enhancement are described at the outset of the implementation of this new model of early career development in the South West of England through the formation of university provider consortia, stringent processes of validation and critical milestone reviews including trainer and coach training, recruitment and first inauguration of the programme. IntroductionThis paper informs the debate about professional learning from the perspective of improving practice-related outcomes for learners who are also school teachers. It seeks to reframe teacher professional learning within the specific policy context of a new national model of master's level professional development -the Master's in Teaching and Learning (MTL) -which is being developed under the aegis of the Training and Development Agency for Schools (TDA) in England, and more broadly against the background of issues raised in the literature on approaches to professional development. Here we seek to situate the account of this reframing within:

Alternatives to a master’s degree as the new gold standard in teaching: a narrative inquiry of global citizenship teacher education in Japan and Canada

“…Building on strong subject knowledge and teaching pedagogy, effective initial teacher education programmes have recently been revised to include additional pathways into teaching, including master's degree programmes. The Master's in Teaching and Learning Programme in the United Kingdom, described in detail previously in JET, is one (albeit abandoned) example (Totterdell, Hathaway, and la Velle 2010).…”

Authentic and entrepreneurial teaching practice in science and technology – variation and diversity in outcomes from professional development courses for teachers

“…Simon et al, 2006;Totterdell et al, 2011;Vos et al, 2011) as well as in models for effective CPD (Clarke & Hollingsworth, 2002). Although the background and knowledge of the individual teacher has great impact on the outcome, individual concerns have not been addressed here.…”

“…Other writings discuss teacher transformation as the process that turns changes into growth (e.g. Kennedy, 2005;Shulman & Shulman, 2004;Totterdell et al, 2011).…”

“…Hattie, 2009;Totterdell, Hathaway & la Velle, 2011). Hence, teachers' experiences and competences must match the increasing demand for authentic issues and entrepreneurial skills in the classrooms.…”

Catching the sparks: an evaluation of the early development of a novel master’s degree in teaching and learning

“…Within the south west of England a consortium of seven higher education institutions (HEI), named Transform, gained the MTL contract and subsequently developed a collaborative approach to the design and implementation of this new qualification. This in itself was an innovation, as such co-operation between HEIs had not been seen before (Totterdell et al 2011). Against a background of critical, and at times hostile, professional and media responses, the MTL was introduced in January 2010 and Transform began to deliver it to eligible teachers from Easter 2010.…”