What training do teachers need?: Why theory is necessary to good teaching

Abstract

Recent years have seen a concerted and systematic move towards a school‐led system of initial teacher training in England. The role of universities, and particularly their part in engaging new teachers with educational theory, has been radically challenged. Only around half of new entrants to the profession now follow university‐based training routes. These seismic changes to teacher education have been driven through with a minimum of formal consultation or public debate. In this urgent and compelling pamphlet, Janet Orchard and Christopher Winch argue for a conception of teachers as professionals who require a deep understanding of the conceptual, empirical and normative dimensions of educational practice. They explain why university education departments are better placed than schools to help beginning teachers acquire that understanding. And they propose a significant expansion of initial teacher education, with full licensure contingent on completion of both a preliminary teaching qualification and a higher grade apprenticeship in the first two years of employment. Teachers need educational theory because they must understand what they are doing and why they are doing it, and must be able to think intelligently about how to do it better. At present, universities have the capacity and the expertise to meet this need. But they may not have it for much longer if the shift to school‐based teacher education continues unabated.

Exploring the Teacher Role in English MA Class Presentations

“…At present, universities have the capacity and the expertise to meet this need. But they may not have it for much longer if the shift to school-based teacher education continues unabated (Orchard & Winch, 2015). Furthermore, for students to accept teachers with such adept roles, whether it be sitting among them or mentoring intellectually, requires a corresponding change in their perceptions of teacher authority and responsibility.…”

Teaching as a research-engaged profession: Uncovering a blind spot and revealing new possibilities

“…To raise this curriculum-oriented (rather than pedagogy-oriented) point takes us back to the question of moral purpose. This is related, particularly in secondary schools, to notions of the teacher's subject identity (Brooks, 2016) and takes us beyond a concept of the teacher as a highly skilled executive technician to one that invests high levels of professional responsibility and autonomy in the teacher (see Orchard and Winch, 2015). In terms of preparing high quality subjectspecialist teachers, it is unhelpful if research engagement is associated only with school leadership priorities, possibly dominated by identifying techniques for raising attainment (at any cost).…”

Evaluation of Basic Literacy Educator as Social Change Agent

“…Bahkan seorang pendidik pun dituntut untuk mengembangkan aspek spiritualitas peserta [9]. Namun mengacu pada kerangka kerja konseptual yang dipikirkan dengan baik dan koheren, penelitian empiris yang dibuktikan, dan prinsipprinsip etika yang dianggap baik untuk sampai pada keputusan dalam konteks kelas [8].…”