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PROGRAMME OVERVIEW AND CONTEXT
STARTING POINTS FOR BATH SPA UNIVERSITY AS A TEACHER TRAINING PROVIDER
We believe that we are working together to achieve common goals for teacher training in the Lifelong Learning Sector (LLS), and therefore feel it is appropriate to share our vision and mission.OUR VISION - To help teachers in the Lifelong Learning Sector to become effective, self-aware and self-confident professional people who can operate as skilled teachers, promoting learning, achievement and diversity in their community, and living responsibly in the world as active citizens and agents of change.
OUR MISSION - To establish a centre of expertise in Initial Teacher Training with our partners, which supports the achievement of both Qualified Teacher Status (Learning and Skills), and Continuing Professional Development for our trainees.
TRAINEE EXPERIENCE
To develop an initial teacher education programme for trainees and associated support which will enable them to recognise and evaluate their own progress in all elements of this programme, to qualify as a teacher in the Lifelong Learning Sector, and to develop as Reflective Practitioners who continually improve throughout their career.
The training experience will include:
- A course as described in the Course Handbook, which will enable trainees to qualify as a teacher in the Lifelong Learning Sector.
- A taught programme of a minimum of 120 hours, including tutorials and milestone reviews.
- Support for trainee learning towards successful completion of the qualification.
- Supported teaching practice in trainees' workplaces, and opportunities to broaden their teaching experience.
- Support to develop their specialist area including 15 hours per year direct support from a mentor.
- Access to suitable accommodation, facilities, books, ICT and other resources.
CURRICULUM APPROACH
Our approach to designing the curriculum of these courses draws on Biggs’ (2003) idea of ‘constructive alignment’. The approach starts with the question‘what do we want our trainees to achieve (i.e. be able to do, understand and apply) as a result of their learning?’
We then develop a set of learning outcomes or objectives for each module which accurately and effectively describe these desired achievements. In order for the teaching to provide opportunities for that achievement to take place, the content, process, teaching and learning activity and assessment of learning all need to work together or be ‘aligned’ in appropriate ways which will result in achievement of the planned learning outcomes for each trainee.
Therefore we emphasise a positive reflective and flexible learning process where all the components of that process (content, teaching, learning activity and assessment) are aligned to enable trainees to achieve the module learning outcomes across the awards, and through that their Initial Teacher Training qualification.
CURRICULUM INFLUENCES
There are several key internal and external influences on the curriculum, which we are required to take account of in course content and assessment activity.These are:
1. The ‘Professional standards for teachers, tutors and trainers in the lifelong learning sector', and their associated ‘Units of Assessment’.
2. The Minimum Core in Language and Literacy, Information and Communications Technology (ICT) and Numeracy (Minimum Core)
3. The mangement, quality asssurance, course approval and modification ppolicies and procedures of Bath Spa University and those laid down for the university by external organisations such as the Quality Assurance Agency (QAA) for Higher Education.
CURRICULUM DESIGN
Reconciling the demands of the internal and external bodies and requirements is a complex challenge, as is aligning the content, learning activities and assessment activities. The development of the Course Handbook is the key activity each year in terms of curriculum design, and this ensures consistency of assessed activity across all centres, as has been shown by a wide range of indicators.The course is supported by a Teaching Resources Bank, available on line and developed jointly across the team where tutors can select suitable resources and activities for each module. Each centre is encouraged to also to respond individually and innovatively to the curriculum with their own strengths, so centres are still able to customise their teaching to some degree to meet local needs and utilise local expertise, without reducing curriculum consistency across all partner colleges.
CURRICULUM OPERATION
In order to manage and effectively develop and deliver the content, teaching, learning activities and assessment, the curriculum is constantly under review, and this is built in to all Management and Quality Assurance processes and procedures.The Course Handbook is the central curriculum document for trainees and the teaching team alike. There is a Year 1 Course Handbook and a Year 2 Course Handbook, with shared generic content relating to both years, and separate specific content which describes each module its learning outcomes and assessment activities in detail.
To support the effective use of the Course Handbooks, and the introduction of the reforms in Teacher Education and Development from September 2007, we introduced three further key guidance documents.
They are:
Guide to Recruitment
This guide covers the recruitment, application, selection, initial assessment, interviewing, registration of trainees, and the general principles of induction. Pro formas include application forms; initial assessment writing task, exemplar interview form, guidance regarding student finance and an indication checklist.
Guide to Practical Teaching and Professional Development
Practical Teaching and Professional Development remains a central component of these awards, and is developing as an embedded area of the curriculum, rather than a discrete module. In order to support trainees in their development and management of practical teaching we have produced a separate ‘Guide to Practical Teaching and Professional Development’ for each year of the awards.
- Clear guidance on the assessment requirements for Practical Teaching and Professional Development
- Formative guidance on assembling evidence for trainees’ Practical Teaching File throughout each year.
- Detailed advice about practical teaching observations
- Details of the course’s Professional Development Journal.
- Arrangements for monitoring, reviewing and tracking progress with Practical Teaching, Professional Development, through Milestone Reviews and Tutorials.
- Reviewing and recording progress with an Individual Development Plan.
Mentoring Guide
This document provides baseline information, advice and guidance for mentors of Bath Spa trainees, including advice about observations, proformas, reading and training materials.
These guides, and the other associated documents and proformas are intended to support trainees and teaching staff through the increasingly complex operation of the curriculum.
GUIDES
TO …. IN OPERATION
