Evidence versus ideology in education policy; the recent history of initial teacher education in England and Wales and the implications for educational researchers as agents of change

The last thirty years have seen a radical revision of the ways in which university graduates have been inducted into the teaching profession in England and Wales. Even within this relatively short time span, it is possible to discern a significant change in the manner in which change in this facet of education has been attempted. The 1980s were characterised by a cautious, piecemeal and gradual evolution towards a system of 'partnership' between schools and universities, with graduates spending an increasing percentage of their training in school rather than in the University. More recently the move towards school based teacher education, and to an imposed 'competence' model of accreditation, has been more precipitate, and less consensual. The contrast with the manner in which earlier changes to the system of initial teacher education in England and Wales were effected is even more striking. The paper outlines the changes in approach to reforming initial teacher education in England and Wales and considers the implications of these changes for those engaged in educational research. The same period has also seen a change in the extent to which the government has directed education policy from the centre. Examination of these changing approaches to the reform of initial teacher education, and to the genesis and means of policymaking, reveals that at different points in time, the comparative influence of evidence and ideology has fluctuated, as has the relationship between policymakers and academics. The implications of these fluctuations for university departments of education and for educational researchers will be considered.En els últims trenta anys, hem assistit a una reconsideració radical de la manera com els llicenciats universitaris han estat iniciats en l'ensenyament a Anglaterra i Gal·les. Malgrat que es tracti d'un breu espai de temps, és possible discernir un canvi significatiu en la manera com s'ha tractat de portar a terme un canvi en aquest aspecte de l'educació. Els anys vuitanta es van caracteritzar per una prudent i gradual evolució cap a un sistema «d'associació» entre les escoles i les universitats. Els estudiants ocupaven més temps d'instrucció a l'escola que no pas a la universitat. Més recentment, l'acostament a l'escola com a base de la formació va ser redefinit des d'un model precipitat i poc consensuat d'acreditació segons «competències». El contrast amb les anteriors modalitats de formació de mestres a Anglaterra i Gal·les és encara més notable. L'article subratlla els canvis d'enfocament en la reforma de l'etapa inicial de l'educació de mestres a Anglaterra i Gal·les, així mateix, considera les implicacions derivades dels dits canvis per a aquells que es dediquen a la investigació educativa. El mateix període ha contemplat també fins on va dirigir el govern la política educativa de manera centralitzada. La revisió d'aquests canvis ens acosta a la reforma de l'etapa inicial de l'educació de mestres i a la gènesi i maneres de crear política educativa. Això revela que, en diferents moments, la influència entre les evidències i la ideologia ha anat oscil·lant, igual que la relació entre els dissenyadors de les polítiques i els docents. Es consideraran les implicacions d'aquestes oscil·lacions per als departaments universitaris i per als investigadors educatius.En los últimos treinta años, hemos asistido a una reconsideración radical de los modos como los licenciados universitarios han sido iniciados en la enseñanza en Inglaterra y Gales. A pesar de tratarse de un breve lapso de tiempo, es posible discernir un cambio significativo en el modo como se ha tratado de llevar a cabo un cambio en este aspecto de la educación. Los años ochenta se caracterizaron por una prudente y gradual evolución hacia un sistema de «asociación» entre las escuelas y las universidades, con los estudiantes ocupando la mayor parte de su tiempo de instrucción en la escuela en vez de hacerlo en la universidad. Más recientemente, el acercamiento a la escuela como base de la formación fue redefinido desde un modelo precipitado y poco consensuado de acreditación según «competencias». El contraste con las anteriores modalidades de formación de maestros en Inglaterra y Gales es todavía más notable. El artículo subraya los cambios de enfoque en la reforma de la etapa inicial de la educación de maestros en Inglaterra y Gales y, asimismo, considera las implicaciones derivadas de dichos cambios para aquéllos que se dedican a la investigación educativa. El mismo periodo ha contemplado también hasta donde dirigió el gobierno la política educativa de modo centralizado. La revisión de estos cambios nos acerca a la reforma de la etapa inicial de la educación de maestros y al génesis y modos de crear política educativa. Ello revela que, en diferentes momentos, la influencia entre los indicios y la ideología ha ido oscilando, al igual que la relación entre los diseñadores de política y los docentes. Se considerarán las implicaciones de dichas oscilaciones para los departamentos universitarios y para los investigadores educativos

Baseline study

In terms of deliverables, the baseline study aims to find out teachers’ views and practice in terms of the use of history magazines. ‘What questions are worth asking?’ about popular history magazines, and what sort of materials and activities based around popular history magazines would be helpful in developing the historical, critical and media literacy of young people? At the opening EHISTO seminar in Augsburg, it was decided to focus on two particular historical topics which were felt to be commonly represented in the history curricula of partner countries (and probably across the EU in general) and which were likely to be also represented in popular history magazines. The two topics chosen were a) the causes/outbreak of World War One, and b) Voyages of Discovery/Colonialism/Empire. These topics could be seen to represent a European ‘history crossroads’, in the sense that the topics are widely encountered, both in history classrooms and in ‘public history’ outside the school, through television, the internet, and in newspapers and magazines. Through a combination of questionnaires and interviews with history teachers in all five of the countries involved, the baseline study aimed to gain insight into the issues described above.This project has been funded with support from the European Commission. This publication reflects the views only of the authors, and the Commission cannot be held responsible for any use which may be made of the information contained therein

A case study of the use of popular history magazines in history teaching in England

The paper reports the outcomes of one strand of the EHISTO Project (http://www.european-crossroads.de). The EHISTO Project is an EU funded collaboration which explores the use of popular history magazines in history education in schools with the aim of developing pupils’ critical and media literacy. The baseline study at the start of the project found that although many history teachers in the five countries involved in the project believed that popular history magazines had the potential to be a useful resource for history teaching, only a minority of teachers made regular use of them in their teaching. The paper looks at attempts to use the EHISTO website to encourage teachers and student teachers to explore the use of popular history magazines in their teaching. The outcomes of the study provide some insight into the potential of popular history magazines as a useful resource in history teaching, the ways in which teachers and student teachers made use of the magazines and the EHISTO website in their teaching. The conclusion also reflects on some of the limitations, problems and mistakes which were made in the execution of the project. There is some evidence to suggest that in spite of these problems, many teachers did find popular history magazines and the EHISTO website to be useful resources and there was a substantial increase in the proportion of teachers and student teachers involved in the study who read and made use of the materials, compared to the outcomes of the baseline study conducted at the start of the study

European history crossroads as pathways to intercultural and media education (EHISTO)

[EN] EHISTO (European history crossroads as pathways to intercultural and media education) is concerned with the mediation of history in popular (science) media and the question of social and political responsibility of journalists and other mediators of history, especially teachers, in the field of commercial presentation of history. The project responds to the increasing significance of a commercialised mediation of history within the public historical culture and reflects the fact that these representations, which do not always meet the EU standards for history education, can have a lasting impact on the young generation’s understanding of history. Using the example of popular history magazines, the project shall, besides the necessary basic research, develop didactically reflected materials for both history education in school as well as initial and in-service teacher training. On one hand enable a media-critical examination of history magazines and on the other hand, by working with the history magazines, the project addresses itself to popular interpretations of history from the participating countries and reflects their similarities and differences in European cultures of remembrance. Therefore, this approach not only trains mediacritical competences but furthermore enables a multi-perspective and comparative access to history. The project EHISTO will last two years and is funded by the EU Lifelong Learning Programme with about 300,000 euros. Partners from six European nations take part in the project

Imagining technology-enhanced learning with heritage artefacts: teacher-perceived potential of 2D and 3D heritage site visualisations

Background: There is much to be realised in the educational potential of national and world heritage sites. Such sites need to be supported in sharing their resources with a wide and international public, especially within formal education. Two-dimensional (2D) and three-dimensional (3D) heritage site visualisations could serve this need. Our study focuses on the teacher-perceived possibilities and benefits for education around such visualisations. Purpose: We describe how a group of UK teachers perceive the potential of cross-curricular learning that could arise from an Italian world heritage site. The teachers commented on 2D visualisations of artefacts from this site, as well as the design of a 3D immersive environment to serve educational purposes. We consider as follows: (1) how the cross-curricular teaching potential of such resources is perceived, and (2) what design features of a 3D immersive environment teachers suggest are needed for educational explorations. Sample: We recruited 10 teachers from the Midlands region of the UK and carried out semi-structured interviews. Methods: Interviews were transcribed and a thematic analysis applied to the conversations. Questioning was grounded in the examination of 2D and 3D visual resources. This provoked cross-curricular and educational design thinking. Results: Teacher responses highlighted a wide range of cross-curricular possibilities. However, they expressed a more ‘assimilative’ than ‘accommodative’ approach when relating resources to the curriculum. Such ‘assimilation’ involved seeing the site artefacts as raw material for more instrumental ‘curriculum activities’ (e.g. within art and design, geography, maths or literacy) rather than a more accommodative approach whereby curricular disciplines were exercised to make new meaning from the artefacts. In relation to 3D technology design, most teachers highlighted three technology features that would render it well matched to educational practice and three educational benefits over non-3D immersive environments. Conclusions: Teachers can easily imagine a rich range of opportunities to utilise 2D and 3D heritage site artefacts within the curriculum. However, the largely assimilative nature of this cross-curricular appropriation suggests the value of providing more guidance and support to teachers in the interpretation and application of artefacts. Their design suggestions can usefully inform construction of educational features within 3D immersive technologies that support heritage site experiences

Portrayals of the Holocaust in English history textbooks, 1991–2016: continuities, challenges and concerns

This study examines portrayals of the Holocaust in a sample of 21 secondary school history textbooks published in England between 1991 and 2016. Evaluated against internationally recognized criteria and guidelines, the content of most textbooks proved very problematic. Typically, textbooks failed to provide clear chronological and geographical frameworks and adopted simplistic Hitler-centric, perpetrator-oriented narratives. Furthermore, textbooks paid limited attention to pre-war Jewish life, the roots of antisemitism, the complicity of local populations and collaborationist regimes, and the impact of the Holocaust on people across Europe. Based on these critical findings, the article concludes by offering initial recommendations for textbook improvement

How do you get pre-service teachers to become ‘good at ICT’ in their subject teaching? The views of expert practitioners

The paper reports on a particular strand of the outcomes of the English contribution to an Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development comparative study, ICT in Initial Teacher Training, which aimed to develop insights into how courses of initial teacher training prepare student teachers to use information and communications technology (ICT) effectively in their teaching. The paper extracts from the broader dataset the views of practitioners who were identified as being particularly ‘expert’ in their use of ICT, on what strategies and interventions are most helpful in developing teachers who are able to use ICT to enhance learning in their subject teaching, and also what it means ‘to be good at ICT’ as a subject teacher. Although some findings confirm research elsewhere on the importance of Technological and Pedagogical Content Knowledge (TPACK) frameworks, other aspects of the study question some of the assumptions which have been made about teacher induction in this field in England, which may have implications for the training of pre-service teachers in other countries