What Comes Next? The In Service Needs of Newly Qualified Primary Teachers

Transcription

1 This article was downloaded by: [...9] On: March, At: : Publisher: Routledge Informa Ltd Registered in England and Wales Registered : 79 Registered office: Mortimer House, 7- Mortimer Street, London WT JH, UK British Journal of In-Service Education Publication details, including instructions for authors and subscription information: What Comes Next? The In Service Needs of Newly Qualified Primary Teachers Lynn D. Newton a a School of Education, University of Newcastle upon Tyne Published online: Sep. To cite this article: Lynn D. Newton (99) What Comes Next? The In Service Needs of Newly Qualified Primary Teachers, British Journal of In-Service Education, 7:, 7-, DOI:./797 To link to this article: PLEASE SCROLL DOWN FOR ARTICLE Taylor & Francis makes every effort to ensure the accuracy of all the information (the Content ) contained in the publications on our platform. However, Taylor & Francis, our agents, and our licensors make no representations or warranties whatsoever as to the accuracy, completeness, or suitability for any purpose of the Content. Any opinions and views expressed in this publication are the opinions and views of the authors, and are not the views of or endorsed by Taylor & Francis. The accuracy of the Content should not be relied upon and should be independently verified with primary sources of information. Taylor and Francis shall not be liable for any losses, actions, claims, proceedings, demands, costs, expenses, damages, and other liabilities whatsoever or howsoever caused arising directly or indirectly in connection with, in relation to or arising out of the use of the Content. This article may be used for research, teaching, and private study purposes. Any substantial or systematic reproduction, redistribution, reselling, loan, sub-licensing, systematic supply, or distribution in any form to anyone is expressly forbidden. Terms & Conditions of access and use can be found at

2 What Comes Next? The In-Service Needs of Newly Qualified Primary Teachers Lynn D. Newton School of Education, University of Newcastle-upon-Tyne Downloaded by [...9] at : March Without doubt, initial teacher training is very much in the limelight at the moment. The quality and variety of practice, especially of Post-graduate Certificate of Education (PGCE) courses, is being subjected to much scrutiny and comment. As Sir William Taylor (chairman of the Council for the Accreditation of Teacher Education) suggests, the criticisms of initial teacher training are without supporting evidence (Makins, 99). One aspect of the training of teachers which seems to be ignored is that of progression and continuity across the transfer period from student-teacher to experienced teacher in other words, the use made of the probationary year. What do these new teachers need and is this provided? In particular, what are the in-service needs of these teachers? All too often, in-service support is seen as something needed by experienced teachers after a few years at the chalk face when the multitude of ideas and enthusiastic energy generated during training have dwindled. However, a current longitudinal research project here at the University of Newcastle-upon- Tyne suggests that most newly qualified teachers feel the need for continued in-service support from schools, local education authorities and higher education institutions. Here in the School of Education, the New Teacher Project is an appraisal of the value of our primary PGCE course for the new teachers throughout their first and second years of teaching. The broad aim is to determine how useful the ex-students find their courses so as to build upon strengths and eliminate weaknesses in course provision. A subsidiary product of the project has been the identification of the additional needs of these new teachers, many of which could be met through more co-operative in-service provision by schools, local education authorities and higher education institutions. The Project Questionnaires were used to collect information from newly qualified teachers who had recently completed the PGCE (primary) course at this university. Their perceptions of the value of the course to them were requested at the end of their probationary and second years of teaching. Like many teacher-training establishments offering the PGCE, the course has three main elements: School-based work (% of the time) Professional studies (%) Curriculum studies (%) The questionnaire was designed to ascertain the teachers' views on each of these elements and the various components within them. A fourth section to the questionnaire, collected their views on what their needs were as new teachers which could be met through school, authority or institution-based in-service provision. The final questionnaire was a mixture of both open-ended and category type questions. Copies were posed to all ex-students for whom current addresses were available,.% of the 97- cohort and.% of the 9-9. Of those contacted, % responded and the questionnaires were analysed. Tables and show the sex of the new teachers and the age range of the children trained to teach and actually taught for the two groups. The overall characteristics of the sample were:. 9% female, % male.. Responses covered the age range to years, from nursery to junior school.. The majority of the ex-students considered that their PGCE training had been of great value to them as new teachers. However some critical comments on particular components of the course were scattered throughout their replies.. Many of them expressed the need for continued support, of the kind given to them during their PGCE year, as they moved into their teaching career. It is this last characteristic which will be more fully explored here. Of the respondents at the end of their second year of teaching, 7 (77%) identified varying needs for support from schools, local education authorities or higher education institutions. Of the 7

3 Downloaded by [...9] at : March who have just completed their first year of teaching this percentage was higher, with (9%) expressing similar needs. One new teacher stated: 'Probationary year should definitely get more support from Authority, especially in st term. I was in desperate need of 'time-out' to breathe, self-evaluate, communicate with other probationers and advisors and observe other classes and schools'. Many respondents praised the quantity and quality of support received from university tutors during school-based work and some suggested that support should be continued, with 'the university course linked to the probationary year (with) some form of assessment'. What of the needs which could be satisfied through school-based or institution-based in-service support? These tended to fall into two broad groups: generic skills and curriculum expertise (Table ). (i) Generic Skills: Not surprising, given the present educational climate, assessment and record keeping came high on the list of almost a quarter of the new teachers. Although many local education authorities may be providing some support in this area, one teacher crystallised views: 'Assessment, Record Keeping, Profiling, etc. in line with the demands of the N.C. Key Stage. Inset days run by the LEA left us rather high and dry!' Perhaps this reflects the fact that assessment is too big (and too important) an issue to be compressed into a single training day, which, given the constraints of time and money, is the most that some local authorities can offer or that individual primary schools can afford. Closely following assessment was the need for some further training in all aspects of classroom management, which included specific references to time and resources as well as children and experiences. A more formal course on psychology for the classroom was identified as being needed by some of the new teachers, particularly in the context of control and behavioural difficulties. This is interesting in the light of current pleas by some educationists to re-introduce the more formal, compartmentalised disciplines of education into initial teacher training courses. (ii) Curriculum Expertise A greater number of new teachers identified a need for support in the different areas of the primary curriculum, although fewer identified these needs as being for the core areas of National Curriculum Mathematics, English and Science than for the other foundation areas. This could be because the local education authorities have over the past two years been providing a large variety of school and teachers' centre-based courses for primary teachers in these areas of need. Also of interest is that while the needs in all other areas of the curriculum were related to aspects of practice in the classroom, the needs in Science were mainly for Science at the teachers' own levels rather than ; Science Education. Some of the teachers also expressed a need for in-service support as curriculum leaders, particularly with reference to developing whole school policies. Whether this reflects the needs of current roles, with all teachers in small primary schools taking responsibility for a slice of the National Curriculum, or whether it is with an eye to future promotion is not known. Discussion That support for newly qualified teachers is needed is emphasised on the opinion page of the Time's Educational Supplement during a discussion on teacher training: '.., the neglected question that most needs urgent national attention is how new teachers should be supported in their first jobs'. (TES Opinion Column, 99) The kind of needs identified by the on-going New Teacher Project could be a starting point. Although the project is in its early stages, informal comments of new teachers who work with the current students in school and those who are involved in the university's modular in-service programme support the findings to date. What is important is that all of these aspects of teaching and learning are encountered and valued on the Post-Graduate Certificate course at Newcastle (and probably at many other initial training institutions). However, as one ex-student, with two years of teaching behind her, commented: 'more (is) needed... not a criticism of the course, just a feature of lack of time... what we had was super'. This is one strong reason for developing current initial teacher training models and not jumping on the school based apprenticeship bandwagon. 7

4 Downloaded by [...9] at : March Perhaps our sights are aimed in the wrong direction. It is not one-year initial training courses that need changing. It is what comes next. The Post- Graduate Certificate in Education has much that is of value and is valued by most of those who are involved in it. -These experiences should be retained. The first years in teaching should also be a valued and valuable extension of this training. After all, IT-INSET programmes and the two-year PGCE are not new ideas. This is the direction in which teacher training should be moving, with training being a real partnership between higher education and local education authorities. The first year of the PGCE could be much as it is now. The Council for the Accreditation of Teacher Education is increasingly monitoring and controlling the standards of these courses nationally, and so all newly qualified primary teachers should have a broadly similar training. The following year then becomes the school-based apprenticeship year. The new teachers would be employed by the local authorities but involved in a probationary training programme in which they work in their own schools for four days each week and have one day of continued support and development, planned, co-ordinated and implemented by a joint local authority and higher education institution committee. This would give these new teachers the extra time out, support and breathing space they so obviously need. References Makins, V., 'Can student teachers spell "Professional"?', Times Educational Supplement, No., 7th Dec. 99, p.. T.E.S. Opinion Column, 'Time to stop hunting the teachertrainers'. Times Educational Supplement, No., 7th Dec. 99, p

5 TABLE 97-9 Cohort Male Female Total in cohort (.%) (.%) Contacted (.7%) 9 (.%) Responded (.7%) 7 (77.%) Age range trained for: Downloaded by [...9] at : March (-) (7-) Age range now teaching: (-) 9 7

6 TABLE 9-99 Cohort Male Female Total in cohort (.%) (.%) Contacted (.7%) (9.%) Responded (%) Age range trained for: Downloaded by [...9] at : March (-) (7-) Age range now teaching: (-)

7 TABLE INSET Needs of New Teachers Infant Junior of Teachers Total, Downloaded by [...9] at : March GENERIC SKILLS: Assessement and Record Keeping Classroom Management Educational Psychology Education of Young Children Education of Children with Special Needs Involving Parents Bilingualism CURRICULUM EXPERTISE: National Curriculum: Mathematics English Science Technology/IT Humanities* Music Art and Craft PE/Games Other: Drama Curriculum Leadership Phase-oriented Courses covering whole curriculum (.%) (.%) (.%) (.%) (.%) (.%) (.%) (.%) (.%) (.%) (.%) (.%) (.%) (.%) (.%) (.%) (.%) (.%) (.%) (.%) (.%) (.%) (.%) (.%) (.%) (.%) (.7%) (.%) (.%) (.%) (.%) (.%) (.%) (.9%). (.%) (.%) (.%) (.%) (.%) (.%) 7 (.%) (.%) (.%) (.9%) 7 (.%) (.%) (.%) (.%) (.%) (.%) (.%) * Humanities includes History, Geography and Religious Education.