Donald Gray

Tough acts to follow: the challenges to science teachers presented by biotechnological progress

The public controversies associated with biotechnological progress (genetic modification, cloning, and so forth) increasingly impact upon biology teaching in school; teachers find themselves engaged in discussions with pupils on value‐laden issues deriving from the social and ethical implications of the ‘new science’. The research described in this paper focused upon the thinking of a sample of 41 biology teachers as they endeavoured to implement the first year of the new Scottish Advanced Higher Biology course and to face the challenges associated with these controversies. Following questionnaire returns, the investigation employed semistructured, in‐depth interviews with 10 teachers and, separately, with their 61 pupils (17–18 years of age) and was part of a medium‐term to long‐term evaluation of a university summer school that had endeavoured to update these teachers on recent biotechnological advances. While teachers were found to be fairly positively disposed to handling discussion of such contentious matters, they were none‐too‐clear as to its precise merits and functions; many lack confidence in handling discussion. The research indicates that much needs to be tackled by way of professional development for science teachers now engaged in dimensions new to science teaching.

Socio-scientific issues in science education : implications for the professional development of teachers

This paper offers a critique of existing models of continuing professional development (CPD) courses for science teachers in the light of recent thinking about the nature of the subject (in particular, the arguments associated with ‘post‐normal science’) and the challenges presented by the teaching of controversial socio‐scientific issues (especially topics like bio‐technology and genetic modification). An analysis of the outcomes and limitations of an ‘up‐date/top‐down’ kind of CPD is used to argue that future forms of effective CPD must involve teachers in reflecting on the scientific, the social and the pedagogical dimensions to ‘new science’, and the relationships between them in the interests of improved classroom learning.

Evidence‐based practice and teacher action‐research: a reflection on the nature and direction of ‘change’

This study was conceived as an opportunity to reflect on the place of action-research in the contested landscape of educational change in the UK where increasing emphasis has been put on the use of evidence to drive reform. In the context of a government-sponsored project in Scotland, this study looked at the impact of a scholarship initiative supporting classroom teachers to undertake action-research projects on a topic of their own choice with the assistance of a mentor. Data collected from interviews with teachers and analysis of teacher action-research reports pointed to a multi-faceted concept of practice unfolding from individual inquiry and dialogical conversations with colleagues and university mentors. The study argues for further analysis of the use of action-research as a means to develop teachers’ knowledge and to recover the value of collective and creative engagements in education to guide reform.

New teachers' individual learning dispositions: a Scottish case study

This research is concerned with the professional learning and development of new teachers in the Scottish Teacher Induction Scheme, in particular, informal and formal learning, the workplace learning environment and the personal and professional characteristics of the induction year teacher. Building on the work of Unwin and Fuller and Hodkinson and Hodkinson on expansive and restrictive learning environments for teachers, this study considers learning at both the social and individual level, while providing a deeper understanding of the related concept of individual learning disposition. A sequential mixed methods approach was adopted, using online questionnaires and semi-structured interviews, to collect new teachers’ perceptions of their learning experiences. The research suggests that a policy-driven formal programme of induction for new teachers should be augmented with experience of an expansive learning environment with supportive colleagues. The authors suggest that, rather than fitting the new teacher into existing arrangements, schools must recognize the new teachers’ individual learning dispositions, namely their learning biography and attitude towards, and engagement with, learning opportunities. By demonstrating flexibility schools can tailor induction year experiences, thus enabling rich and complementary professional learning to take place within a supportive workplace community.

Challenges to ITE research in conditions of complexity

Research into initial teacher education has come to prominence in recent years, with governments and international organisations advocating reforms in teacher education to serve the needs of a ‘knowledge economy’. In this context, educational research plays a central, albeit controversial, role. On the one hand governmental focus on increasing global economic competitiveness frames the discourse of teacher education within agendas of scientific rationality and the search for ‘what works’ in education; on the other hand, teachers working on the ground are confronted with a plethora of multiple, and sometimes contrasting, interests and needs. Drawing on the experience of an ongoing Scottish Government funded project in initial teacher education in Scotland, this paper examines the tripartite tensions created by differing perspectives and rationales with respect to teacher education: policy, research and practice. Juxtaposed against recent thinking with regard to complexity theories the paper goes on to reflect on what we see as the changing attributes of practice‐relevant and ethically grounded research for education.

International perspectives on research in initial teacher education and some emerging issues

Taylor and Francis CJET_A_513839. gm 10.1080/02607476.2010.513839 Journal of Education for Teaching 0260-7476 (pri t)/1360-0540 (o line) Original Article 2 1 & Fran is 36 4 0 00November 201 D Don l Gray d.s. r y@ab n. c.uk To paraphrase Menter and Murray’s (2009) introduction to the JET special issue in November 2009, in these times of international comparisons and educational league tables, it should come as no surprise that there is a great concern about initial teacher education. Fallon (2006) cites a number of studies to argue that one of the, if not the, most important influences on children’s learning is the teacher. Thus, for governments to improve standing in international league tables, attention needs to be paid to the quality of the teachers produced by teacher education systems. As educators, however, our concerns are not so much with the standing in international league tables, but with the quality, including means and purposes, of our children’s learning provision. Of course, governments would argue that that is their interest also and to suggest they are only concerned with international league tables is unnecessarily provocative, and that is probably true. However, what is clear from the literature is that globalisation and internationalisation are having a profound effect on education systems around the world, and often not in ways that can be viewed positively (Spring 2008; Tatto 2006). Globalisation and internationalisation being such a prominent feature influencing teacher education, this JET special issue brings together an international group of scholars based across the four continents of Asia, Australia, Europe and North America to provide international perspectives on research and issues in initial teacher education, drawing from their particular context. The impetus for this special issue grew from experiences of involvement in a major Scottish initiative in initial teacher education, the Scottish Teachers for a New Era (STNE) initiative. This initiative is based on the Teachers for a New Era (TNE) initiative in the United States, described later, and the cross-Atlantic networking and communication, as well as face-to-face conversations at international conferences that led to the increasing awareness that there were many issues impacting on initial teacher education internationally that were worthy of sharing in a journal special issue. Four of the papers in this special issue arise from the TNE initiatives (Ludlow et al.; Darling-Hammond et al.; Sosu et al.; Gray and Colucci-Gray), two from contributions made at international conferences and addressing teacher education research in Australia and New Zealand (Ure; Andreotti and Major) and the remaining two from communications in the academic arena dedicated to general trends in teacher education across continents (Korthagen; Tan et al.).

Scallops, schools and scholars: reflections on the emergence of a research‐oriented learning project

This article is based on the emergence of a small research group and its journey to enhance scholarly activity within a new school of education. While exploring a research‐orientated learning project to determine what makes a beneficial school experience, the group comprising seven academics developed a way of working collaboratively. Narrative enquiry and hermeneutic analysis were used to develop descriptions and interpretations of the phenomenon from the perspective of the participants who in themselves were the researchers and also the researchers of the research process. Drawing on actor‐network theory to explore the network of relationships, the pattern that emerged closely followed that described by Michel Callon in his study of the scallops of St Brieuc Bay. The analysis is presented and discussed to help understand the processes that contribute favourably to research capacity building in an academic institution.

Retaining public and political trust: teacher education in Scotland

This paper traces the key periods, players and events which have contributed to the shaping of the current landscape of teacher education in Scotland. Starting with the Wheatley Report and the formation of the General Teaching Council (Scotland) in the 1960s through to the most recent Donaldson Review of Teacher Education, we examine ebb and flow amongst GTCS, government, colleges of education and universities. Following its own trajectory, Scottish Education resisted and rejected policies emanating from an ‘English’ ideology, capitalised on respect for and influence of the GTCS, and successfully moved teacher education’s base from autonomous colleges to high-status universities. At the core of teacher education in Scotland is the continuing desire for partnership-working amongst key stakeholders: local and national government, GTCS, schools, teacher education institutions, teaching unions, parents and pupils. A teaching profession of trained graduates, underpinned by university-led subject study, is now moving steadily towards Masters-level professional learning for all. Although having faced some troubled episodes, this period has also been characterised by remarkable stability and consensus and, although still tackling the improvement agenda suggested by the recent Donaldson review, teacher education in Scotland has retained a high degree of public and political trust.

Conceptions and expectations of mentoring relationships in a teacher education reform context

Researchers indicate that prior experience and beliefs about learning and teaching held by practicing and pre-service teachers contribute significantly in shaping their mentoring relationships and, more broadly, their career outlook and aspirations. While mentoring is commonly seen as a form of support for pre-service teachers, mentoring can be pivotal in the creation of enabling environments in which collaborative, professional dialogs are undertaken. Yet, there lies a tension between enculturation into the norms of schools and promoting self-belief, participation, and collaboration. Drawing on a qualitative methodology, in this study we focused on the conceptions and expectations of classroom mentoring within the context of a teacher reform initiative in Scotland. Findings indicated that participants in the study held a mixture of beliefs regarding mentoring practices. Implications for partnership arrangements in initial teacher education and teachers’ career development were discussed.

Visions for Sustainability

This paper argues that there is a crucial link between language and sustainability and explores in particular how the evolution of certain characteristics and functions of human language are related to it. The emphasis is on how the principal technologies of language speech and writing are related to our ways of being and doing, reflecting on and acting in the world and the consequences of this relationship in terms of the sustainability of our existence. The emergence of writing and its correlation with nominal language are seen as particularly significant developments in how we represent reality and thereby risk following unsustainable