An Alternative Vision for ITE in England: findings from a Delphi consensus study of what makes for high-quality ITE
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Despite persistent policy reform, there remains no shared consensus of high-quality ITE in England across universities and schools. This study employed an adapted Delphi survey methodology to investigate Russell Group (RG) teacher educators’ perspectives of high-quality initial teacher education (ITE) in England. Participants included university- and school-based teacher educators from thirteen participating RG ITE partnerships. Findings revealed a striking hierarchy of agreement: greatest consensus was observed concerning the purpose of high-quality ITE, followed by its structure and content. In contrast to the Market Review, the findings illustrate that importance of the moral and relational dimensions of teaching, critical engagement with different pedagogic approaches, and teacher reflection are central to developing ‘full professionals’. The study contributes to an evidence-based understanding of high-quality ITE in England, with implications for the profession’s response to shifting sands of policy reform. In addition to presenting some of the findings, we will also explore how the data might be used to inform the development of an alternative model for high-quality ITE in England grounded in Delphi-derived evidence. Here we focus on two interconnected parts – the prerequisites for high-quality ITE policymaking and practice, and the development of a dynamic model of high-quality ITE in England. We examine how these prerequisites (along with any related model) might equip policymakers and practitioners with a conceptual architecture that is simultaneously contextually-sensitive and nationally-relevant for high-quality ITE in England.
For details of the project and biographies of the speakers, see:
https://www.education.ox.ac.uk/project/the-delphi-ite-study-russell-group-teacher-educators-perspectives-on-high-quality-initial-teacher-education/
