Does Masters level work make better teachers? Does Masters level work give teachers the capacity to be better? Clare Brooks IOE GTE 2009

Questions we have been asking What does it mean to be a Master of Geography Education? What can you expect If you are one? If you employ one? If you are taught by one? What does this mean for the PGCE?

Other considerations Notions of professionalism? – Sachs Activist Profession Notions of scholarship? Judgements of professional practice

What do teachers think? 2007/8 Nearly 50% of our cohort applied to continue MA in Geog Ed study in their NQT year. Our cohort

Survey of PGCE students at start of course:

Their fears of Masters level work Workload … (27%) Time … (18%) Too Challenging … (10%) Irrelevant … (8%)

Who have you sought advice from: Most likely to be supportive: Friends Family Partner HE tutor Most likely to be unsupportive School colleagues

But evidence from former MA students … Majority receive promotion either during or after MA – better informed – ask different questions – better able to make decisions – go beyond policy Process is as important as content:

Evaluation I chose my topic early – I thought the most important dimension was Place. As I worked on the fieldwork tasks, I thought I was right but I realised it was more than the place – it was about thinking why that place was right I had to think about it more. Then when I started to prepare my assignment I realised that this was still to vague – what was it about the place that made it right for the fieldwork to work? Having such a tight timescale and the poster made me synthesise and collect my thoughts

Pulling these random thoughts together Perception of a theory-practice divide: Masters work =academic Contribution is in teacher thinking rather than teacher doing Assessment emphasis is not necessarily practice

The CPD landscape Technical Route: – Standards for QTS, Induction, Threshold, LfM, NPQH Academic Route: – PGCE, MA (MTeach), PhD (EdD) Professional Accreditation: – Chartered Geographer (Teacher), GAs Quality Marks Exam courses/Inset/Local alternatives

Our vision of an MA in Geog Ed graduate to develop a personal response to the challenges they encounter in the field of geography education will be informed by relevant literature and research from both the disciplines of education and geography Be able to undertake an active and influential role in the geography education community Will be able to describe and articulate practice. The course aims to prepare the Geography Educators of In other words it takes a view (and asks participants to do likewise) on what kind of contribution geography can make to educating young people in the year 2020.

Our approach with PGCE M level assignments Combination of: – Learning about classrooms/teaching/planning – Presentation/oratory skills – Teaching qualities (ie, responding to questions) – Mastery of the field – Judgement, evaluation and reflection

Questions What is the role for practice-based assessment in Masters level work? What is an appropriate relationship between academic and practice-based assessment?