Training teachers, trusting teachers, building competence - understanding teacher expertise

Training teachers, trusting teachers, building competence - understanding teacher expertise

Date: 09 Oct 2018 Venue: Cambridge Assessment The Triangle Building, Shaftesbury Road Cambridge CB2 8EA
Time: 15:45 - 18:30
Type: Seminar Fee: Free

"The nature of teacher expertise is a contested area, with no real consensus as to what it consists of". Professor Christopher Winch of King's College London will discuss this issue, with particular reference to the implications for teacher education at this Cambridge Assessment Network seminar.

"Three archetypes of teacher expertise seem to be in play in public debates on the issue in England:

  • The teacher as craftworker: teachers rely on subject knowledge, experience, character and situational judgment for their effectiveness. The preferred mode of teacher education is apprenticeship under the mentorship of an experienced craft teacher.
  • The teacher as executive technician: teachers rely on lesson protocols developed by curriculum and pedagogic specialists and their effectiveness depends on their following these protocols accurately. The preferred mode of teacher education is training in the protocols and practice in their execution.
  • The teacher as professional: teachers exercise professional judgement on the basis of subject knowledge, a conceptual framework for thinking about education and teaching and knowledge of empirical research about teaching and learning. The preferred mode of teacher education consists of closely integrated university-based and school-based work.

These three archetypes are an idealisation of what teachers should be like. They are rarely found in a pure form in actual schools and classrooms. However, there is confusion in the policy world about what should be the preferred model for England. I will illustrate this confusion in recent policy documents, show the relationships between the different archetypes and make a suggestion for the preferred model for England and the type of teacher education that should accompany it."

About the speaker

Chris WinchChristopher Winch is Professor of Educational Philosophy and Policy in the School of Education, Communication and Society at King’s College London. He was head of the School from 2008-2012 and was Chair of the Philosophy of Education Society of Great Britain from 2008-2011.

His main interests are in professional education (and in particular the nature of professional know-how and judgement) and in philosophy of education. He is also an experienced empirical researcher and has carried out extensive work on European vocational education and EU policy tools for developing vocational education in Europe. He is an experienced teacher who has worked in further, primary and higher education in England and Wales.

He is the author of numerous books and articles. These include: Teachers’ Know-how (2017), Knowledge, Skills and Competence in the European Labour Market (2011) with Linda Clarke, Michaela Brockmann, Georg Hanf and Philippe Mehaut. Dimensions of Expertise (2010) and The Philosophy of Human Learning (1998).

About Cambridge Assessment Network seminars

Through inviting authoritative voices in education to share their expertise, our seminars aim to inform and stimulate debate on current issues in assessment. As well boosting your CPD, these free events are an opportunity to network and share insights with other professionals from the wider education community.

The Triangle Building, Shaftesbury Road Cambridge CB2 8EA

These larger seminars organised by Cambridge Assessment could become a significant focus of interest for the education and wider community dealing with the most urgent and deep rooted concerns."

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