Teacher educators in further education are preparing trainees to teach students aged sixteen and above, from entry level to level 6, in colleges, sixth form colleges, prisons, the workplace and in adult and community learning. They hold a substantial responsibility in terms of their impact on those who are learning to teach. This study illuminates the work of further education-based teacher educators and the process of learning to teach as trainees navigate the boundaries between formal and workplace learning. It posits that teacher educators model values both within and outside the classroom and that these impact the development of values in trainee teachers and their students. These concepts have been explored through a second person action research study in collaboration with teacher educators and trainee teachers in a further education college in the North of England. Data were collected over a period of twenty-six months, and involved semi-structured interviews, films of the teacher educators’ and trainee teachers’ classes, stimulated recall interviews and focus groups with three teacher educators and ten trainee teachers. Using a thematic analysis approach and the theoretical concepts of practice architectures, modelling and a layered pedagogy of teacher education, the practices of teacher educators and of learning to teach have been explored. The findings suggest that teacher educators have an orientation to values which influences the way they model values through their practice including managing a class and the construction of professional relationships. Whilst the modelling of values is implicit, it has a significant impact on trainee teachers and in turn, on students. This suggests that attention should be paid to the recruitment, induction and support of further education-based teacher educators in terms of their orientation to values.
| Date of Award | 27 Mar 2024 |
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| Original language | English |
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| Supervisor | David Powell (Main Supervisor) & Kate Lavender (Co-Supervisor) |
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