A Guide to Early Years and Primary Teaching

Dominic Wyse, Sue Rogers, Dominic Wyse, Sue Rogers

• Publisher: SAGE Publications Ltd
• Year: 2016
• ISBN:
  9781473965577
• Edition: 1
• Topic: Education
• Subtopic: Elementary Education

How do people become effective teachers?

Thisis the textbookstudents need to supportthem on this journey, no matter their training route or whether primary or early years in focus.

Through a unique pairing of academicresearch and teaching expertise, each chapter is collaboratively authored by an academicspecialist and an experienced practitioner to provide a realistic and practical view of teaching children from years 3 - 11. The book combines all the major topics, theories and researchstudents need to know, alongwith up-to-date policy and legislation. Inventive and practical learning aids and carefully crafted online resources will helpreaders to:

Understand: helpful learning aims at the beginning and summaries at the end of every chapter guide students through each topic

Apply: Spotlight on Practice features highlight real teaching examples, Putting it into Practice features provide advice on how key concepts can be employed in real life whilst classroom activities on the website provide further ideas for teaching

Reflect on key concepts, as well as your own practice and values, through the refection points and author podcasts on the website outlining key issues to stimulate critical thinking

Go further with informative annotated further reading at the end of every chapter, links to relevant websites integrated throughout, and carefully selected SAGE journal articles freely available on the website

This is an essentialtextbookfor use across all your primary and early years teaching courses - whether students aretraining to be lower/upper primary school teachers or early years practitioners, including those on undergraduate or postgraduate teacher training courses and employment-based routes.

1 Becoming A Teacher

Kay Livingston

Pamela Di Nardo

Learning Aims

This chapter will enable you to:

• reflect on your own and other people’s expectations of a beginning teacher
• consider different views about what makes for a ‘good’ teacher
• develop an understanding of the influence of those who support you in school, particularly your mentor.

In the countries of the UK and beyond, there is a variety of routes into becoming a teacher, including university-led, school-led and a combination of school and university or other providers working in partnership or consortia arrangements. Different routes into becoming a teacher mean that the experiences for individuals differ, and diverse institutional and provider arrangements mean that within the main pathways into teaching there are also differences. In addition, teachers have their own personal and professional identities, and between schools and within schools their work is highly differentiated. However, results from the Becoming a Teacher Project conducted in England (Hobson et al., 2009) indicate that whilst statistically there are significant variations in beginning teachers’ experiences of initial teacher education, these variations are largely ‘washed out’ by subsequent experiences of teaching in school. This does not imply that all teachers have the same experiences once they are in school but no matter their route into teaching they teach within the realities of school, and many teachers’ experiences are influenced by similar factors – for example, relationships with pupils, parents and colleagues in school; curriculum and assessment policies; and quality assurance and accountability measures including teaching ‘standards’.

The different pathways into teaching mean that for some beginning teachers their teacher training is mainly school-based whilst for others (who follow the university-led route) their first experiences in school as a teacher will be on a practice placement. Consequently, some beginning teachers may be more acutely aware of the differences in people’s expectations and views when they are a student teacher, whilst for others it may not be until they are in their first year of teaching. The early phase of becoming a teacher considered in this chapter includes student teachers and those in their first year of teaching who are working towards qualified teacher status.

As a beginning teacher, you have to relate to and interact with others in your context on a daily basis. In the first section of the chapter, beginning teachers’ own expectations and those of others in school are explored. The implications of contrasting views about models of teacher education, professional knowledge, values and learning and teaching are discussed. The impact of different expectations and views on the formation and re-formation of beginning teachers’ identities will be considered. In the final section, those who support beginning teachers’ professional development in school are discussed, particularly mentors.

Different Expectations of a Beginning Teacher

Beginning teachers generally look forward to taking up their first school placement with excitement and anxiety in equal measure. In a study with student teachers, Anspal et al. (2012) highlighted their mixed feelings of anxiety, joy, concern and doubts about becoming a teacher. There are many reasons why people decide to become a teacher but often a beginning teacher’s decision stems from a belief that teaching provides opportunities to make a difference to children’s lives, to inspire them and help them to grow and develop. This belief may underpin feelings of excitement you have when you meet and work with your first class. At the same time, feelings of anxiety may stem from realising the responsibility for children’s learning, and for establishing, developing and maintaining the learning environment and culture in your classroom, including the norms for behaviour, relationships, communication and classroom organisation.

reflection point

• What were your reasons for wanting to become a teacher?
• What are your feelings about becoming a teacher?

The amount of autonomy you have for the decisions you take, and your learning and teaching choices in the classroom as a beginning teacher, are very context-specific depending on local and national circumstances. Schools, local authorities and/or national guidelines or prescribed policies will to a greater or lesser extent shape your and other’s views about your role as a beginning teacher and your relationship with your teacher education provider. Schools and their policies sit within larger contexts and they are shaped by different purposes and values. As Conway et al. (2009) point out, as with all teachers, your work is embedded in historical, cultural and political contexts. Whilst you have expectations about your role and responsibilities in becoming a teacher, others also have expectations of you. People’s expectations about what beginning teachers should know, care about and be able to do may align or contrast with your own. In a series of studies of mentors working with beginning teachers, Livingston and Shiach (2013, 2014) consistently found that the mentors reported differences in people’s expectations about beginning teachers, their roles and responsibilities and how they should act in the classroom and school. These differences served as a source of learning and development and/or as a source of emotional angst for the beginning teachers (examples of some of the different expectations are explored below).

spotlight on practice

Different expectations of a beginning teacher

Sam has just begun a placement in a primary 3 class but she will also have opportunities to observe classes in other stages of the school. Different people in school have expressed their views about the expectations they have of Sam as a beginning teacher.

The school leader’s expectations

As children, our pupils are our most precious members of society. It should therefore be considered a privilege to teach them and to support parents/carers with the nurturing and educational development of their children in the early years and primary school stages. The role of the teacher requires a proactive mindset, regardless of the stage being taught. I expect Sam to evaluate herself, her learning about the context of the school, the primary stage and, most importantly, the pupils she is working with. I expect that the learning experiences of her class are appropriately paced and delivered. It is important that she makes effective use of class planning to support her with the organisation and management of classroom learning and teaching. It is also essential that her daily preparation and organisation support effective learning and teaching and promote pupil independence. In the early years and primary school stages, it is particularly important that she demonstrates that she is able to work in partnership with the parents/carers to get it right for each child and ensure that responsive and appropriate teaching and learning are taking place. I am also expecting her to develop links with colleagues across the school and learn about the policies and procedures within the school.

The expectations of Sam’s mentor

I still remember the feelings I had as a beginning teacher: looking forward on the one hand to having a class to teach but on the other hand wanting to make sure that I understood what the school and the parents expected of me. It is a bit of a balancing act. Beginning teachers have to demonstrate that they are capable teachers and understand what being a professional means but they also need to show they are open to learning from others’ experiences. I expect Sam to have her own views and ideas about what she is doing but, at the same time, be willing to find out how we function as a school and learn from working with colleagues. I have high expectations but these are all about caring for the pupils and ensuring they have the best possible start in their learning journey in the best possible learning environment.

The expectations of a parent of a primary 3 pupil

I have some concerns about a beginning teacher taking the class that my child is in. The early years are so important for my child to feel safe and enjoy going to school. It is important that my daughter has strong foundations for her learning. I want her to be happy but I don’t want her to fall behind in her work. I am sure the head teacher will keep an eye on what is happening.

reflection point

The case study indicates that different people have different expectations of Sam as a beginning teacher. What expectations do you have of yourself as a beginning teacher?

Reflecting on why others have different expectations is an important step in developing as a reflective practitioner, and in beginning to understand why views differ and conflicts can arise in relationships. There are many possible reasons for differences in people’s expectations but they often cluster around different views about:

• what makes for good teaching and learning
• what knowledge matters most
• models of teacher education, and the nature and level of support that beginning teachers should receive
• how ready beginning teachers are to teach when they arrive in school and what they are expected to do at the start of their placement or career.

How aware you are of your own expectations and how much you understand about the expectations others have of your role as a beginning teacher will depend to some extent on your own personal experiences and the support you have to reflect on different expectations in an open and explicit way. Developing an awareness of the expectations and assumptions...

Table of contents

• Cover
• Half Title
• Publisher Note
• Title Page
• Copyright Page
• Contents
• Editor Biographies
• Contributor Biographies
• Acknowledgements
• Guided Tour
• How to Use the Companion Website
• Introduction
• 1 Becoming A Teacher
• 2 School and Society
• 3 Current Developments in Education
• 4 Teaching and Learning
• 5 Child Development
• 6 Planning
• 7 Teaching Strategies
• 8 The Curriculum
• 9 Assessment and Learning
• 10 Diversity and Inclusion
• 11 Partnership Working
• 12 Reflective Practice
• 13 Behaviour
• 14 New Technology
• 15 Your First Job
• 16 Legal Issues
• 17 Research and Teaching
• Index