Pastoral Care in Initial Teacher Education: A Survey of Secondary Teacher Education Institutions

The study reported in this paper was undertaken to discover the extent of pastoral care training carried out during secondary initial teacher education. Questionnaires were sent to heads of initial teacher education institutions in England and Wales. It was found that institutions were likely to provide some form of training in pastoral care but the extent and method of training varied greatly between institutions. However, training in actual practical skills such as basic counselling skills was much less likely to be available. The authors conclude that there is still some considerable way to go before newly qualified teachers are likely to feel adequately prepared for their pastoral roles.     

An analysis of the changing shape of initial teacher education and training in Wales since devolution

After a sustained period of relative calm, initial teacher education and training (ITET) in Wales has seen much change in recent times since devolution and all the indications are that this change agenda is likely to escalate in both the short and long term. In order to understand what has been happening in the ITET field in Wales, our paper sets out to achieve three things: first, it has contextualised the changing ITET, political, social and economic climate within Wales. Second, it has presented ITET data for Wales from the onset of devolution to the present time. Thereafter, these data have been compared and contrasted. Third, we have attempted to project our findings forward, albeit in an era which is increasingly difficult to predict given both the financial climate and “cuts” agenda. These latter aspects may result in the longer term, at best, to ITET in Wales becoming even further fragmented or reduced in numbers to, at worst, being decimated or changed forever from the more traditional scene which was apparent in both Wales and the rest of the UK since the Robbins Report aftermath in the late 1960s.     

Developing a Holistic Assessment Stance in Student Teachers

Over the last 10 years far-reaching changes have been introduced to the education system of England and Wales. In particular, the curriculum in state schools has been prescribed through the introduction of a National Curriculum. Associated with the National Curriculum is an assessment system involving teachers undertaking the on-going assessment of pupils, as well as externally set national tests, the results of which are published. These changes have had a profound effect on the training needs of in-service teachers and on the content and structure of training courses for pre-service teachers. The assessment system linked to the National Curriculum is extremely complex. There are huge demands on the time available for pre-service teacher training. This means that teacher educators struggle to find valid ways to train students to develop good assessment practices that will enhance students' teaching and the learning achieved by their pupils. This paper reports on the attempts of one group of course tutors to develop a means of achieving this goal.     

‘Say NO to Bullying!’: A Message from Your Peers

The study reported in this paper was undertaken to discover the extent of pastoral care training carried out during secondary initial teacher education. Questionnaires were sent to heads of initial teacher education institutions in England and Wales. It was found that institutions were likely to provide some form of training in pastoral care but the extent and method of training varied greatly between institutions. However, training in actual practical skills such as basic counselling skills was much less likely to be available. The authors conclude that there is still some considerable way to go before newly qualified teachers are likely to feel adequately prepared for their pastoral roles.     

英国入职教师教育国家课程探析

英国入职教师教育国家课程对合格教师资格标准,课程总要求,英语、数学、科学和信息交流技术在学科教学中的应用等几个方面进行了规定,并提出了较为具体的要求。实施其课程的目标是达成合格教师资格标准。该课程具有实践性,注重信息交流技术在学科教学中的作用,注重中小学在教师教育课程中的作用。这些启示我们要尽快制定教师资格标准,强化实践性入职教师教育课程并注重对其实施效果进行指导和监督。     

Developing Human Capital: training and mentoring for principals

The links between educational development and economic capability are widely recognised and have provided part of the rationale for the shift to market concepts of education in many countries. As more functions have been devolved to school level, it has become increasingly evident that principals require training and development to carry out their new responsibilities and to lead improvement in their schools. In Singapore, aspiring principals take a 1‐year training course which includes mentoring by an established principal. In England and Wales, the new National Professional Qualification for Headship is undertaken on a part‐time basis and adopts a quasi competence model without a mentoring dimension. This article compares the two approaches and concludes that training is likely to be more effective if mentoring is a central component of the process.     

Policy and Power: One hundred years of Local Education Authorities in Wales

The theme of this article is that, individually and collectively, the local education authorities in Wales have a distinctive history in the 20th century. The thesis is explored mainly by means of three case studies: the reaction of the local authorities to the Education Act of 1902, which eventually escalated into a national movement dubbed 'the Welsh revolt'; the response of some local authorities, particularly in industrial Wales, to the 1932 legislation which required them to replace their free secondary school places with special places; and the attempts of some councils to resist the largely clandestine attempts of the Ministry of Education and its Welsh Department to impose a tripartite system of secondary education against their wishes after 1944. This tradition of independent action in Wales bears on contemporary patterns of power and policy. The article concludes by suggesting that, in an education power structure now radically altered by the creation of the National Assembly for Wales in 1999, the local authorities are regarded more favourably than is the case in England and vested with significantly more responsibility, so making it likely that their future course will diverge increasingly from that of their English counterparts.     

为实现各民族事实上的平等开发少数民族智力作出贡献——兼论研究民族教育的特殊重要意义

民族教育是达成各民族之间相互理解 ,学习与尊重的根本性途径 ,也是整个民族工作的重要内容之一。建国五十年来 ,我国民族教育事业有了长足的发展 ,取得了显著成果 ,但中国的民族教育是一个复杂庞大的系统工程 ,有较多的特殊性 ,因此就要大力开展民族教育的研究工作 ,培养本民族的创造型、复合型人才。《藏族高等数理教育比较研究》和《藏羌民族教育与阿坝州经济社会发展战略研究》两项课题的意义和目的就在于抓住特点 ,找到规律 ,探索开发民族智力 ,培养民族科技人才和经济社会发展人才的路径和方法 ,实现民族教育新的跨越     

The advance of research and evaluation skills by EPs: implications for training and professional development

Research and evaluation has become increasingly important in many professions, including educational psychology, particularly as the profession moves to becoming more evidence‐based in its practice. The recent move to a three year doctoral programme in England, Wales and Northern Ireland may be viewed as a positive one in developing research skills, although it is also crucial to consider what could be done to extend the research skills of those already qualified. Lessons may be learned by looking to clinical psychology and some of the health professions. Finally, some further implications for the training and professional development of Educational Psychologists (EPs) in the UK are considered.     

Dimensions of progression in a curriculum

Abstract

The focus of this article is upon progression in the curriculum, its relation to a particular psychological model, and implications for policy and practice. The illustrative case is the National Curriculum for England and Wales. Focusing primarily upon the history and the science curricula, the author offers and justifies the idea of a three‐dimensional model for the curriculum to account separately for profiles in acquiring knowledge in a variety of contexts, and for progress in the ability of students to handle increasingly complex concepts. Without a theoretically justified notion of progression, the author concludes that the implementation of the National Curriculum, including its assessment procedures, will continue to be problematic.     

Changing policy,legislation and its effects on inclusive and special education: a perspective from Wales

This article, by Jean Ware of Bangor University School of Education, examines policy developments in education in Wales since devolution, and their implications for inclusive and special education. This is set in the context of the demographics of Wales, which, it is argued, have a significant influence on policy and on the nature of educational provision as a whole. The discussion initially focuses on issues related to the Welsh language. The article then discusses four policy initiatives (the Foundation Phase, the Literacy and Numeracy Framework, the Masters in Educational Practice and the proposed reform of initial teacher education and training), intended to respond to Wales's poor performance in the Programme for International Student Assessment, and their potential impact, as well as the White Paper on reforming the special educational needs system in Wales. It is too soon to discuss the impact of these special educational needs‐specific reforms, but the differences from the English special educational needs reforms highlight the inherent tensions in special educational needs systems. It is argued that the Tabberer Report's critique of the teacher education system in Wales, which emphasises the need for teacher education to be strongly connected to relevant research, provides an opportunity to improve the quality of education in Wales for all children; but that considerable investment, and a willingness to address the potential tensions between the different initiatives, is necessary to achieve such an outcome.     

Portfolio Assessment as National Policy: the National Council for Vocational Qualifications and its quest for a pedagogical revolution

The National Council for Vocational Qualifications established assessment procedures for qualifications in England, Wales and Northern Ireland in which portfolios play a central role. The relevant qualifications (National Vocational Qualifications and General National Vocational Qualifications) have been taken by large numbers of young people in upper secondary schooling, and young people and adults in work or in government training schemes; and are intended to have labour market currency and to provide routes into further and higher education. The use of portfolios derives from a commitment to direct and comprehensive assessment of the whole ‘syllabus’, but also from a belief in certain pedagogical approaches and in enhancing students' independence and initiative. There is evidence that the approach has affected learning styles, but major problems have arisen relating to the manageability of the approach and the reliability of assessor judgements.     

The Question of Competence: the origins,strengths and inadequacies of a leadership training paradigm

During the 1990s the Teacher Training Agency showed its commitment to adopting elements of a 'competence' model of educational management training in the construction of the National Standards for Headteachers (TTA 1997, 1998). These same 'standards' have come to underpin the most ambitious programme of educational management training and development ever attempted in the UK (Glatter 1997) including the National Professional Qualification for Headship (NPQH), the Headteachers' Leadership and Management Programme (HEADLAMP) and the Leadership Programme for Serving Headteachers (LPSH). This article attempts to trace the origins of competence-based approaches to management training and suggests that the model, though having much to commend it, contains within it a variety of underlying and unresolved tensions.     

The Early Reading Research: The impact of instructional psychology

The Early Reading Research (ERR), is a six-year research project investigating the most effective approaches to: improving reading standards; ensuring that every child can reach age and skill appropriate targets in reading; and, preventing the occurrence of reading difficulties. This article reviews the educational and psychological research into teaching reading and relates recent findings to theories and research emerging from instructional psychology, which underpins the 'framework for teaching reading' used within the ERR. Two studies are then summarised which evaluated the impact of the ERR reading framework. Study 1 involved a two-year experimental study where the progress of children following the ERR framework during reception and Year 1, was compared to that of children taught to read through their usual classroom methods. Study 2 involved a one-year study where the progress of a sample of children within the ERR was compared to children following the National Literacy Project. The article concludes by highlighting some implications of the ERR for educational psychologists (EPs), the field of special education and the National Literacy Strategy.     

高职院校人才培养工作评估指标体系的改进研究

我国高职教育人才培养质量评估工作已取得一定成效,但现行评估指标体系存在逻辑主线不清晰、结构安排不合理、考察内容不完善等问题,影响了评估工作效用的正常发挥。教育行政部门应在明确评价标准、设定评价原则的基础上,通过明确逻辑主线、合理安排结构、健全评估内容等途径,改进高职院校人才培养工作评估指标体系。     

高等学校教师基本素质的研究

新时期，世界竞争日益激烈。要想在竞争中取胜就要拥有高素质的人才，要培养高素质的人才就必须拥有高素质的教师。笔者就当前的形势，分析了高校教师应具备的基本素质。     

The accommodation of contested identities: The impact of participation in a practice-based masters programme on beginning teachers’ professional identity and sense of agency

Teachers' professional training and development has been the focus of intense academic and political debate. This paper contributes to this by considering Beginning Teachers' (BTs') self-views of their professional identity. The findings are derived from a mixed methods study with questionnaires (n = 886) and focus groups and interviews (n = 60) with BTs in Wales. Drawing on a socio-cultural approach, the findings illustrate how BTs’ integration of competing professional identities bolstered their sense of professional agency. These findings have salience within a policy context where both teacher education and professional development are increasingly aligned with the narrow organizational objectives of the school.     

Questioning the crisis account: a review of evidence for increasing polarization in schools

This paper reconsiders three sources of evidence that have been presented to suggest that polarization of pupils both between and within schools is increasing, thus creating an increasingly divided system of 'winners' and 'losers'.The project from which this paper emerges has shown, in an analysis over ten years of all schools in England and Wales, that schools are becoming more mixed in terms of their social composition in many respects. Despite this reasonably comprehensive evidence, it has been argued by others that polarization is taking place below the level of the indicators used in our analysis (polarization by stealth), or thatwhile school compositions may be converging, school outcomes are definitely diverging, both within and between schools. The primary evidence presented for these three arguments is reviewed here, and it shows that none of the objections has any serious empirical foundation as yet. Of course, evidence may emerge in the future, and so the paper concludes by suggesting a few ways in which research in this area might proceed.