This is the question I was asked by one of my PGDE students that made me think there are some words we use in Initial Teach Education (ITE) that are not commonly used in other parts of society. The student…
Reflections on potential tensions in the knowledge base of ‘novice teacher educators’
Professional knowledge is messy and encompasses a range of categories (Markauskaite and Goodyear, 2014). Furlong and Whitty (2017: 13) identify three categories of “knowledge traditions” for educators which can arguably be applied to teacher education – academic, integrative, and practical.…
The Imperative for Expressive Arts Education in Primary Schools in Scotland
The arts play a pivotal role in shaping identities, fostering connections, and enriching lives. Within education, the Expressive Arts serve as a powerful means for children and young people as they seek to express themselves, engage in self-discovery, and support…
Informing thinking of teacher educators using value dilemmas of primary school teachers
Educational researchers Berlak and Berlak (2012) introduce us to language that can be used to talk about a variety of value judgements that primary school teachers make which underpin their day-to-day practice. In this post the use of this language…
Place2Be in a Place of Learning
At the end of September a new partnership between the University of Glasgow and Place2be was established with the overarching goal of developing mentally healthy classrooms and schools. Place2be is the UK’s largest children’s in-school mental health provider who support over 700 primary and…
From ID-Learning to ID-Thinking
For those interested in the concept of Interdisciplinary Learning (IDL) (Scottish Government, 2008) there is a blog and network worth reading and joining. The blog post “With apologies to Dewey” (McGregor et al., 2023) looks at the challenge issued to…
Navigating the Reform Agenda: A Few Considerations for Government’s Role
Education: a crucial public provision which receives a great deal of attention and regular debate, even in a comprehensive and well-designed system. Regular topics of contention continue to emerge regarding the preparation of teachers and their readiness to meet the…
“The Religious Safari” – an example of active, co-operative, interdisciplinary and outdoor enquiry-based learning.
What?! All of those things at once? Surely there must be some mistake? And what is a “religious safari” anyway? Are you off hunting for religious people, and bringing them back to mount as trophies on some ghastly wall? Of course not. The…
STEM outreach – Is enthusiasm, expertise or collaboration key?
When the president of the Engineers Without Borders student society at the University of Glasgow approached the School of Education to support them in developing a resource for a STEM outreach project in local secondary schools, a new collaboration was…
Placing children firmly in the hearts and minds of our student teachers
Putting children at the centre of our thinking and practice is fundamental if we are to make a difference as teachers. Asking what children’s behaviour is communicating is essential if we are to nurture them through their school days. These…