The trials of transition, and the impact upon the pedagogy of new teacher educators

Abstract

This study explores the tensions and challenges experienced by new teacher educators in higher education in England, large numbers of whom are coming directly from posts as schoolteachers. Although traditionally an under-researched group, recent studies have confirmed that this transition from schoolteacher to teacher educator is fraught with difficulty, and that the new professional identity is hard-won. This has been variously linked to the differing demands and culture of the two workplace settings, as well as the shifts in role, some of which are subtle but fundamental in terms of impact. Although, to an extent, the findings of this small-scale qualitative study of a group of recently appointed teacher educators do mirror those of previous studies, they also indicate that there may be an underlying key theme which has received less attention thus far; that is, the development of an understanding of the pedagogy of initial teacher education. The study suggests that new teacher educators may inevitably default to an impoverished pedagogical model in the early stages of their practice, and argues that this is an area which warrants further consideration by the teacher education community as a whole.

Keywords:

• new teacher educator
• transition
• pedagogy
• meta-teaching
• professional identity

Notes

1. Since submitting this paper, a second edition of the Guidelines was published in October 2011.