Practical Theorising in Teacher Education: Holding Theory and Practice Together

Cover
Half Title
Title Page
Copyright Page
Table of Contents
List of illustrations
List of contributors
Introduction
The structure of the book
References
Section 1: The nature of practical theorising
Chapter 1: The role of practical theorising in teacher education: Formulation, critique, defence and new challenges
The relationship between theory and practice in ITE – a perennial topic of debate
Claims that theory is unnecessary: practice can be learned through apprenticeship
Claims that theory should precede the practice to which it is to be applied
Claims that practice should precede theory: establish competence before acknowledging complexity
The necessity of both theory and practice
Practical theorising as a means of combining practice and theory in the context of ITE
Critiques advanced in direct response to the initial elaboration of practical theorising
Re-iteration and wider acceptance of the principles of practical theorising
The wider influence of the concept of practical theorising and the structures that support it
Recurring critiques of practical theorising and ongoing practical challenges
Why persist with practical theorising when it’s so much easier in theory than in practice?
Note
References
Chapter 2: An international perspective on practical theorising
Introduction
Perspectives on the knowledge needed for teaching and how it is to be acquired
Contributions and limitations encountered in the international research literature
The fragmented nature of the spaces where teachers learn
The theory vs practice debate
The notion of practical theorising
The knowledge needed for teaching
The role of theory
The role of action research
The integration with practice and the role of a core curriculum
Additional approaches
Conclusion
Notes
References
Section 2: Negotiating the challenges of practical theorising for beginning teachers
Chapter 3: Practical theorising in learning to teach history: A shifting process of negotiation
Introduction
History curriculum programme context
A mentor’s perspective
What were the challenges that I encountered and how did I negotiate them?
In light of this experience, what is the value of practical theorising as a model for student-teachers’ professional learning?
A student-teacher’s perspective
What did the scheme’s commitment to the process of practical theorising mean for my practice as a student-teacher over the course of the PGCE year?
What were the challenges I encountered and how did I negotiate them?
In light of this experience, what is the value of practical theorising as a model for beginning teachers' professional learning?
Tutor’s concluding commentary
Note
References
Chapter 4: Practical theorising in a changing context: Enabling beginning science teachers to negotiate different expectations in the reality of schools
Introduction
Practical work and its role in science education
‘Miss, Miss! Are we doing a practical today, Miss?’
Practical theorising about practical work in initial science teacher education
Assessment of practical work in a changing context
Project Calibrate
Conclusions and implications for collaboration in changing context
Acknowledgements
References
Chapter 5: Developing teacher agency Through the use of Theory and reflection when teaching students to produce written responses to text
Introduction
Essay-writing structures
The relationship between praxis and practical theorising
The specific contexts in which this research was conducted
Student-teachers' experiences in the context of practical theorising
Early career English teachers engaging in praxis
How do ECTs understand essay writing, and how do they use scaffolding structures?
The role of praxis
Conclusions
References
Chapter 6: Preservice teachers’ ways of addressing challenges when teaching reasoning-and-proving in their mentor teachers’ mathematics classrooms
Introduction
Research context
Method
Process and data sources
Unit of analysis
Developing the analytic framework
Findings
Discussion
Acknowledgements
References
Chapter 7: Theorising practices of inclusive pedagogy: A challenge for initial teacher education
Introduction
SEND and inclusion: policy and practice
The special school placement
Learning from special education
Learning to observe/to notice
Learning to hypothesise and problem-solve
Conclusion
References
Section 3: Tools to support practical theorising
Chapter 8: The use of visual models to support practical theorising in mathematics
Introduction
The complexity of mathematics teaching and its implications for student-teachers’ developing practice
Visual models as representations of practice
Examples of student-teachers working with the two models
Results
Implications for our practice as teacher educators
References
Chapter 9: Assignments as tools for practical theorising: An exploration of affordances, limitations and possibilities
Introduction
Outline of the chapter
Vignette 1 – Joanna
Vignette 2 – Molly
Vignette 3 – Nico
Discussion
The affordances of written assignments as tools for practical theorising
Tensions experienced by student-teachers when developing practical theorising via assignments
Pressure and performativity
School context
Structure as scaffold or stranglehold
Legacy
Conclusion
References
Chapter 10: The use of assessment in sustaining student-teachers’ engagement in practical theorising to support professional learning
Introduction
The socially situated student-teacher
Conceptualisation
Recontextualisation
Assessment in ITE
Teacher knowledge and assessment
To what extent can different forms of ITE assessment promote practical theorising?
Peer assessment and practical theorising
The formative assessment activity
Scaffolding practical theorising through formative assessment
Summative assessment and practical theorising
Raising the profile of practical theorising
Conclusions
References
Chapter 11: Developing the practice of teacher educators: The role of practical theorising
Introduction
Teacher educators’ knowledge and learning
The knowledge base of teacher educators
Teacher educator learning
Practical theorising in the learning of teacher educators
The design of the MSc in Teacher Education: the course rhetoric
The taught course – from rhetoric to reality
The reality: Year 1 Vignettes
The reality: Year 2 Vignettes
Analysis
Is this practical theorising?
In what ways is practical theorising different for teacher educators?
Practical theorising for teacher educators – a final reflection
References
Section 4: Practical theorising beyond initial teacher education
Chapter 12: Sustaining practical theorising as the basis for professional learning and school development
The limitations of learning from experience alone
The Oxford Education Deanery: extending practical theorising beyond initial teacher education
Matthew Arnold school: a case-study of practical theorising within the Oxford Education Deanery
The school's rationale for joining the Deanery
The work of research champions across the Oxford Education Deanery
The work of creating a research culture and promoting research-informed professional development at Matthew Arnold School
The nature of teachers' engagement in and with research across the school
Conclusion
References
Chapter 13: Practical theorising in the professional development of primary teachers: Outcomes of the ‘Thinking, Doing, Talking Science’ project
Introduction
Practical theorising
The context and crisis for teachers teaching science in primary school
Developing expertise in primary science teaching
The TDTS approach
The TDTS approach in detail
TDTS strategies and constructivism
Teachers practically theorising how to implement the TDTS strategies
Conclusion
References
Chapter 14: Curriculum: Practical theorising in the absence of theory
What is curriculum?
Curriculum theory
The absence of curriculum theory in curriculum development
Curriculum development outside curriculum theory
England
Australia
Adopting a practical theorising mindset in relation to curriculum
References
Index