Subject-specialist pedagogy resources for ITE trainees now available

Resources to support trainee technical education teachers to develop their subject-specialist pedagogy are now available:

www.improvingtechnicaleducation.org.uk/teacher-education 

A team at the University of Huddersfield’s School of Education and Professional Development, led by Professor Kevin Orr, has developed resources to support teachers’ decision-making by focusing on their subject-specialist pedagogy. 

A body of existing work highlights the role played by teachers’ subject-specialist pedagogy and awareness of context-specific decision making for good teaching. These arguments, which the Huddersfield team built on as the basis for this project, are covered by the literature review, available here: www.gatsby.org.uk/uploads/education/literature-review-of-subject-specialist-pedagogy.pdf 

The online learning resources are designed to support trainee teachers’ thinking about what informs the decisions they make in the planning and management of sessions with their students in their own particular context.  

The resources encourage exploration of several underpinning concepts that might inform teachers’ decision making: 

• Pedagogical content knowledge (including content representation exercises [CORE])
• Occupational identity 
• Recontextualisation 

The resource is made up of learning modules defining key topics, with video materials providing in-depth explanations, and sections prompting trainees to reflect on how these concepts apply in their own teaching practice. Users can create an account to log in and save their progress through the learning journey, completing it at their own pace. The website will also feature important updates and events that may be of interest to FE teachers and teacher trainees. 

Complementary pathways for teacher trainers, teachers undertaking CPD, and subject leaders wanting to deepen their understanding of subject-specialist pedagogy will be made available on the site in the coming months. 

Watch a video introduction to the resources here: 

More background information on the project can be found here: www.gatsby.org.uk/education/programmes/teacher-education-in-FE