Output details

Professionalism and Pedagogy: a contemporary opportunity

This output is a culmination of TLRP’s work to synthesise understanding of pedagogy. This began with TLRP’s conferences and thematic activities, and was represented for public engagement through ‘evidence-informed principles’. This specific research addressed the tacit nature of much teacher knowledge, and sought to harvest, synthesise and re-present the conceptual language of expert teachers.

Research questions

What, explicitly, are the most powerful pedagogic concepts on which expert teachers draw?

Is it possible to represent and promote teacher expertise for a 21st century future through the identification of such concepts?

Methodology

There were two parallel strands of data collection.

• Research literature on teacher discourse, conceptualisation and classroom practice was reviewed. Complementing this during 2008-10, ethnographic methods recorded pedagogic representations at academic seminars and conferences, including BERA, EERA, APERA and AERA.

• Practising teachers were extensively consulted. In particular, a programme of teacher workshops, organised by GTC-E, explored the research questions through discussion and analysis of teacher-led case-studies of routine classroom practice. This work was also discussed at meetings of GTC-NI, GTC-S and at an international conference of GTCs convened by GTC-W.

Analysis was challenging because of the volume and diversity of concepts produced. However, terms with particular relevance to curriculum, pedagogy and assessment were distinguished, and patterns of use were identified in relation to aims, context, processes and outcomes. The resulting matrix appears to provide a robust structure through which to represent teacher expertise, irrespective of the particular concepts promoted.

Means of dissemination

The TLRP Commentary sought to present both the research base and knowledge of experienced teachers with contemporary challenges in mind. 40,000 copies were printed and distributed to UK schools and HEIs. The GTCs featured the work in their magazines for teachers and it underpins future-orientated, professional textbooks on Reflective Teaching for early, school, further and higher education.