Category: Teacher Education
-
The Oracy Debate
Lucy Powell’s recent announcement that oracy will be given equal status to reading and writing within the new English curriculum has sparked intense debate. Whilst there is compelling evidence to suggest classroom talk enhances learning, there are concerns within the education community that oracy is a nebulous term and that without a shared understanding of…
-
Collaboration in Further Education Initial Teacher Education (FE ITE): Messy, complex and worth it
Sarah We champion collaboration for our students, but what does meaningful collaboration look like in our partnerships? Recent DfE guidance emphasises that, within collaborative arrangements, responsibility for programme quality remains with the lead institution. Partners should be “fully engaged”, understand the nature of the partnership and able to explain how it benefits them and their…
-
Celebrating the teachers of tomorrow on World Teachers’ Day
Here at the Sheffield Institute of Education, much of our time is dedicated to training the teachers of tomorrow. To mark World Teachers’ Day, we asked our trainee teachers to tell us about the difference they hope to make in our schools and colleges. In this troubled and cynical world, take a moment to appreciate…
-
Flexible working in teaching: what’s good for the goose is good for the gander
‘ Teacher supply in England remains in a perilous state.’ (NFER, 2023) Whilst effective flexible working in schools has traditionally been a part-time working pattern associated with women teachers with caring responsibilities, this can be stigmatising. But, new legislation means a request to work flexibly is now an option for all, and from the first…
-
Teachers of the world, we salute you!
To celebrate World Teachers’ Day 2023, colleagues at the Sheffield Institute of Education recall the teachers that meant the world to us. Mr Eskdale, Gosforth East Middle School, Newcastle Upon-Tyne, 1976-1979Mr Eskdale understood, as I look back at it now, that if you take an interest in a child, they will be motivated to do…
-
The poetry of reflection
We love poetry and we love teaching. But is it possible to combine the two? We came across an article in the Times Higher Education (Illingworth, 2022) that did just that, and decided to try it. This post describes our experiences of using poetry to widen the horizons of our trainees, showing them how they…
-
Covid has put wellbeing in schools front and centre
Covid has put wellbeing in schools front and centre The school shutdowns during the Covid pandemic may feel like a distant memory. But the effects of this period are still being felt in schools today — and pupil wellbeing is one of the biggest casualties, as explored recently by Dr Caron Carter on this SIOE…
-
Issues and Answers: Teacher Recruitment and Retention
COVID 19 showed us more clearly than ever the importance of education and why we need to protect it. We have not only seen how hard it is when teachers and their pupils cannot be together but also how much it matters that we address the disruption to learning this has created. We have also…
-
Why we need to look after new teachers: now more than ever
In the Doncaster Opportunity Area, of which I am deputy chair, we have seen large numbers of people losing their jobs because of Covid-19. This is having a huge impact on lives, communities and, of course, children. So what has been the effect of this on new teachers starting this year? As you would expect,…
-
Building A Culture of Mentoring: How We Are Doing It
“I feel that this year more than ever, the mentor has a crucial role in supporting the students through their placements. Schools are just not the same as ‘usual’ and I feel it is the role of the mentor to support the students even more during these strange times.” Hallam Mentor Recently we have been…