Can partnership help to heal the fractured knowledge base in teacher education? Professor Gordon Kirk Professor Gordon Kirk Universities’ Council for the Education of Teachers Universities’ Council for the Education of Teachers APTE Conference14 July 2010 Professor Gordon Kirk Professor Gordon Kirk Universities’ Council for the Education of Teachers Universities’ Council for the Education of Teachers APTE Conference14 July 2010

Plan  The centrality of partnership  The problem: the fractured knowledge base in ITE  How might we create an integrated knowledge base?  Partnership: a re-interpretation  The centrality of partnership  The problem: the fractured knowledge base in ITE  How might we create an integrated knowledge base?  Partnership: a re-interpretation

The gradient of collaboration CPD/research, staffing, etc ITE placement Reciprocal benefits of collaboration CPD/research, staffing, etc ITE placement Reciprocal benefits of collaboration

The centrality of partnership  No partnership: no university involvement in ITE

The problem Surgery  Engagement with patients Plus  Teaching Plus  Research Integrated knowledge base Teaching  The world of the school  The world of teacher education  The world of research Fragmented knowledge base

The fragmented knowledge base  Institutionalised  Theoretically justified (eg “complementarity” )  Institutionalised  Theoretically justified (eg “complementarity” )

Some damaging consequences  The dissociation of theory and practice  The gap between research and practice  Career development  Staff recruitment  Perennial criticism and the threat of exclusion  The dissociation of theory and practice  The gap between research and practice  Career development  Staff recruitment  Perennial criticism and the threat of exclusion

A strategy for an integrated knowledge base? Step 1 Adjust the definition of the teacher’s role to include engagement with learners, teaching new entrants, and researching professional practice.

A strategy for an integrated knowledge base? Step 2 Exploit the REF requirement on impact to strengthen the engagement of teachers in the planning, conduct and evaluation of practitioner research.

A strategy for an integrated knowledge base? Step 3 Expect teacher educators to have a continuing engagement with professional practice.

Re-interpretation of partnership  The distinctive role of universities in professional education  Professional competence underpinned by the values of rationality, evidence- based practice, criticality  Partnership as the maintenance of networks of schools and other agencies committed to these values in the education of teachers  The distinctive role of universities in professional education  Professional competence underpinned by the values of rationality, evidence- based practice, criticality  Partnership as the maintenance of networks of schools and other agencies committed to these values in the education of teachers