Initial teacher trainees and their views of teaching and learning

One hundred and sixty-two student secondary teachers were followed through a postgraduate certificate in education course at a university department of education in England to identify, using a variety of methods, changes in their thinking about the teaching and learning process and initial training course. While it was found that student teachers' knowledge of teaching gained from earlier experience was highly influential in their views on teaching and learning and interpretation of the course, differences between individuals and curriculum groups emerged which suggest that the course of training could not be considered a constant, as had been assumed by earlier studies. Several issues are raised and discussed concerning the influence of preservice courses on student teachers' thinking and classroom practice, together with their implications for course design and the selection of students.