Teacher knowledge, re-contextualisation and the case of the burnt cream: Implications for mentoring in the FE and Skills sector and beyond
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In the absence of significant research into the knowledge base of teachers in the Further Education and Skills sector in England, this qualitative study, conducted with four teacher educators, sought to describe this knowledge base. The research also investigated the extent to which traditional conceptualisations of teacher knowledge were adequate to capture the knowledge that FE teachers need to teach. Data were collected principally through semi-structured and focus group interviews with the four teacher educators. Findings showed that the knowledge base of teachers in the FE setting is complex, nuanced and not fully captured within existing traditional conceptualisations of teacher knowledge.
This talk will highlight the challenges for teacher educators working within FE settings in terms of their capacity to develop FE teachers’ subject-specific pedagogical knowledge. It will also raise key questions not only about the implications for the development of subject-specific provision within FE, and also beyond FE in the ongoing debates around generic versus subject-specific mentoring.
The research for this presentation was developed on the basis of insights generated by experienced teacher educators, undertaking the MSc in Teacher Education at the University of Oxford.
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Bio
Trevor Mutton is Professor of Teacher Education at the Department of Education and a Visiting Professor at Cardiff Metropolitan University. His principal research interests are in the fields of initial teacher education, teacher education policy and teachers’ continued professional learning. He currently leads the Department’s ‘Capacity for Research in Teacher Education’ project.
Ann Childs is Associate Professor of Education at the Department of Education and until recently was the Course Director for the MSc in Teacher Education. She is an experienced science teacher and teacher educator and has worked extensively to support the development of science teacher education in different contexts.
