Textbooks on dyslexia ascertain that writing strategies designed for dyslexic students are effective, some suggesting their suitability for all students. However, there is a lack of empirical evidence to substantiate these claims (Glazzard, 2011). This paper examines these claims, by presenting the findings from research into writing strategies…

This research was conducted in response to the exit survey of a cohort of Primary PGCE trainee teachers at a UK University in a predominantly White area who indicated low confidence in teaching children from Black, Asian and other minority ethnic (BAME) backgrounds at the end of their course. The research aimed to find out why trainee teachers…

Despite extensive interest in the needs of autistic pupils in education, there seems to date to have been no focus on the needs or attitudes of teachers who are autistic. This paper reports on the case study of an autistic trainee teacher during his Initial Teacher Education (ITE) year undertaking a Post Graduate Certificate in Education (PGCE) at…

Although reasoning and proof in learning and teaching mathematics is crucial and have gained more presence in school mathematics, both students and their teachers face great difficulties when engaging in proving activities. One potential cause for such difficulties might be due to teachers' conception of proof. However, to date, there are few, if…

The National Student Survey (NSS) frequently highlights students' dissatisfaction with feedback. Data collected over the past two years by tutors working on a Batchelor of Arts (Honours) Primary Education 5-11 programme, leading to Qualified Teacher Status (QTS), shows increasing satisfaction as students engage with and use feedback. The…

The small-scale research study reported in this paper aimed to explore the ways in which mentors in primary school settings approach the assessment of trainee teachers within the English Initial Teacher Education system. Consistency and accuracy of assessment is judged by Ofsted (Office for Standards in Education) as a key indicator of quality,…

This small scale study investigated how much value undergraduate primary trainee teachers perceive there to be within a programme of peer mentoring. As this was a small scale study gathering qualitative data, the findings do not represent a general consensus and may be situational to this setting. The literature suggests that there are a wide…

This article describes a small-scale qualitative study focusing on Newly Qualified Teachers (NQTs) during their first year of teaching. The study aimed to find out how Initial Teacher Education (ITE) providers can best support NQTs by looking at barriers that NQTs face, their perceptions of the support they need, and how these findings could be…

The success of student teachers studying on employment-based Initial Teacher Education (ITE) programmes partly depends on a synthesis of the influence of theoretical university inputs and professional standards with the specific, local requirements of the schools where they are employed. Improving the quality of student teacher learning,…

Situating itself within the field of feminist scholarship, this piece brings together a range of academic and professional literature, as well as the author's own experiences as a PGCE (Postgraduate certificate in Education) tutor in England, to consider how women teachers are using online life-writing for personal and professional…

This question - 'What are the characteristics of a professional teacher educator?' - was simply sent out as a survey to all teacher educators who engage with the Teacher Education Advancement Network (TEAN). The aim was to give respondents the opportunity to comment from their own perspectives, whatever they were, thus adding their voices to our…

This article focuses attention on influences that affect Early Career Teachers' (ECTs') professionalism during their process of learning to teach. The main purpose is to generate an approach informed by Cultural-Historical Activity Theory (CHAT) and evaluate the relevance of this approach to research influences affecting ECTs' professionalism and…

The ever-changing world of qualifications for the Early Years workforce depends on a wide range of factors. A dichotomy between the need for industry practice and academic skills is present within the current sector as changes to qualifications continue to develop. This paper explores one route of qualification into Early Years, the BTEC (Business…

The aim of this current research is to investigate teachers' perceptions of the purpose and impact of chemistry/science outreach work. Considering views of educators, both in training and practice, is an important area to explore as teachers are the gatekeepers to these experiences and consciously or subconsciously have their own views about the…

This paper reports on one phase of a research project examining the National College of Teaching and Leadership's (NCTL) revised methodology for the allocation of postgraduate ITE places for the 2016-17 academic year. The paper's focus is the often-neglected voices of applicants as they negotiated this process, for whom this revised methodology…