Report on Research Question 2: Of our current practice, what do we do well and what could we do better?

Boland, M. and Doherty, C. (2019) Report on Research Question 2: Of our current practice, what do we do well and what could we do better? Project Report. University of Glasgow.

Abstract

This report presents the outcome of the second collaborative research phase in the Scottish Attainment Challenge project of the Scottish Council of Deans of Education. The project’s aim is to inform innovative pedagogies in teacher education to better prepare teachers to work productively to close the poverty- related gap in schooling outcomes. The research questions driving this phase were: ‘What do we do well?’ and ‘What could we do better?’ in regard to initial teacher education programmes. A brief literature review frames this research in international and national studies of teacher education research about teacher education pedagogies, teacher preparedness, and understanding poverty and place to highlight both how Scotland’s teacher education and circumstances align with international trends, and how its particularities distinguish it. Interviews and focus groups were conducted with a total of 93 participants from four stakeholder groups across seven of the participating university communities, including 24 teacher educators, 22 alumni newly qualified teachers, 28 head teachers and mentor teachers in partner schools and 19 staff in the relevant local authorities. A qualitative analysis profiled the responses in each university community, the themes emerging across stakeholder groups, then how the responses aligned with the various types of teachers’ knowledge outlined by Shulman (1987).

• Item Type: Research Reports or Papers (Project Report)
• Keywords: Teacher education, poverty, deprivation, teacher knowledges, Scotland.
• Status: Published
• Glasgow Author(s) Enlighten ID: Boland, Professor Moyra and Doherty, Prof Catherine
• Authors: Boland, M., and Doherty, C.
• College/School: College of Social Sciences > School of Education; College of Social Sciences > School of Education > Pedagogy, Praxis & Faith
• Publisher: University of Glasgow
• Copyright Holders: Copyright © 2019 Scottish Council of Deans of Education