ESRC seminar series: Teacher Education for the Changing Demographics of Schooling

In today’s classrooms, new teachers are dealing with more diverse groups than ever, but often report that they don't feel properly prepared for the job.

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Calls to change teacher education (TE) are usually made due to poor student performance, particularly in relation to specific groups - such as students from ethnic minorities, those living in poverty, or those with special education needs. Until recently, our response has been to add new courses, or new content to an existing course. These often focus on special educational needs or diversity, instead of changing how all teachers are prepared to work in today’s schools.

This seminar series brings together key stakeholders to consider the research evidence around TE for diversity and to work out a way to research further into the field.

The seminars are designed to address a set of themes, to allow for the development of ideas on how to prepare teachers for the changing demographic of schooling.

 

 Seminar 1 - Teacher education for diversity (21 March 2014)

This seminar looked at approaches to teacher education for diversity in the UK and elsewhere. The implications for teacher education (programme structures, TE Curricula and assessment, partnerships with schools, and TE quality assurance) were explored and discussed at length amongst the delegates.

Speakers :

  • Lani Florian (University of Edinburgh): Welcome address & "Teacher Education for Diversity"
  • Pavel Zgaga (University of Ljubljana): "Teacher Education in the Grip of Academic Tribes and Territories - responding to diversities of a special kind"
  • Anna Beck (University of Glasgow): "Teacher Education Reform in Scotland: Implementing the Donaldson Report"

Related presentation and papers:

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PDF: ESRC-seminar1-programme (125.79 KB / FINAL)
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Seminar 2 - Teacher practices for educating all students (24 October 2014)

This seminar focussed on the ways teachers can make a difference for educating all students through their professional engagement at different levels, e.g. in collaborations with school colleagues, families and communities.

Speakers:

  • Liz Todd (Newcastle University) - "Schools, parents & inter-professional collaboration"
  • Mhairi Beaton (University of Aberdeen) - "Creating an inclusive curriculum"
  • Kristine Black-Hawkins (University of Cambridge) - "Supporting the participation of all learners"

Related presentation and papers:

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PDF: ESRC-seminar2-programme (122.23 KB / FINAL)
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Seminar 3 - Teacher knowledge, skills and values (8 December 2014)

This seminar considered the knowledge base underpinning teacher capacities for educating all students and how these capacities can be assessed and studied in further research. The seminar also considered aspects of teachers’ knowledge base such as understanding educational change, building relationships, reflection & inquiry, and moral values in contexts of diversity.

Speakers:

  • Theo Wubbels (Utrecht University) - "A knowledge base on student-teacher relationships for teachers"
  • David Carr (University of Birmingham) & Nataša Pantic (University of Edinburgh) - "Moral and Relational Teacher Agency for Social Justice: Implications for Teacher Education"
  • Archie Graham (University of Aberdeen) - "Embodiment of knowledge and inclusive pedagogy"

Related presentation and papers:

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PDF: ESRC-seminar3-programme (152.91 KB / FINAL)
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Seminar 4 - Teachers' development in contexts (20th March 2015)

This seminar focused on the contexts of teacher development for educating all students and explored how they can be accounted for in research of effective inclusive practices. The seminar considered issues around: - preparation of teachers for engagement in counter-hegemonic practices - diversity of student teacher population and teacher education routes - preparation of teachers for helping pupils who are facing difficulties in learning without stigmatising them

Speakers:

  • Celia Oyler (Teachers College, Columbia University) - "Teaching toward Counter-Hegemonic Pedagogies"
  • Ian Menter (University of Oxford) - "The Three D’s: Diversity, Development, Devolution"
  • Jennifer Spratt (University of Aberdeen) - "Inclusive Pedagogy: A framework for teacher development in a range of contexts"

Related presentation and papers:

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PDF: ESRC-seminar4-programme (170.94 KB / FINAL)
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PDF: ESRC-seminar4-COyler-handout (107.74 KB / OYLER - ESRC 4 - TEACHING TOWARD COUNTER-HEGEMONIC PEDAGOGIES (NOTES AND CITATIONS))
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PDF: ESRC-seminar4-IMenter-presentation (392.14 KB / MENTER - ESRC 4 - THE THREE D'S - DIVERSITY, DEVELOPMENT, DEVOLUTION)
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PDF: ESRC-seminar4-JSpratt-presentation (1.76 MB / SPRATT - INCLUSIVE PEDAGOGY - A FRAMEWORK FOR TEACHER DEVELOPMENT IN A RANGE OF CONTEXTS)
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Seminar 5 - Teacher education curricula for diversity (21 September 2015)

Speakers:

  • Ana Maria Villegas (Montclair State University)
  • Joanne Deppeler (Monash University)
  • Christine Forde (University of Glasgow)

Related presentation and papers:

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1-RTEN-ESRC-Sem5-Programme.pdf (398.81 KB / PDF)
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Ana Maria Villegas and Francesca Ciotoli Seminar 5 (520.81 KB / CIOTOLI_POWERPOINT_PRESENTATION_FINAL)
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Joanne Deppeler Seminar 5 (4.38 MB / PDF)
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Christine Forde and Beth Dickson Seminar 5 (1.51 MB / DICKSON_POWERPOINT_PRESENTATION_SEPT_2015)
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Seminar 6 - Teacher education cultures and environments (1 December 2015)

Speakers:

  • Linda Blanton (Florida International University) and  Marleen Pugach (University of Southern California)
  • Ninetta Santoro (University of Strathclyde)
  • Pauline Sangster, Yvonne Foley and Charles Anderson (University of Edinburgh)

Related presentation and papers:

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Seminar 6 Programme (448.61 KB / PDF)
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Linda Blanton and Marleen Pugach - Presentation (710.17 KB / PUGACH_POWERPOINT_PRESENTATION_DEC2015)
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Ninetta Santoro - Presentation (779.29 KB / DEC15)
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Seminar 6 Briefing Paper (621.01 KB / PDF)

 

Final Conference (15 March 2016)

Speakers:

  • Lani Florian & Nataša Pantić (Moray House School of Edinburgh)
  • Graham Donaldson (University of Glasgow)
  • Dr Rowena Arshad OBE (Head of School, Moray House School of Edinburgh)
  • Do Coyle (University of Aberdeen & the Graz Group)
  • Ana Maria Villegas (Montclair State University, USA)
  • Deb Smith (Claremont Graduate University) & Naomi Taylor (Vanderbilt University)
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Conference programme (681.06 KB / PDF)