Supporting Teacher Learning Programme

The course is aimed at those involved in the support of teaching professional learning at all stages of a teacher’s career including:

• teachers (at all career stages, across all sectors)
• teacher mentors
• SLT and headteachers
• policy makers
• third sector educators
• local authority educators
• Initial Teacher Education tutors
• Further Education teachers and leaders
• international students

It recognises a widening conception that the role of the teacher includes not only a central role in supporting pupil learning, but also recognises the important role that teachers can play in supporting each other’s learning. Previously, it was assumed that by virtue of knowing how to teach children teachers had also been equipped to support their colleagues’ learning. However, there is growing recognition that this important role requires additional specific knowledge, understanding and skills, which form the basis of this programme.

Programme outline

The course can also be taken as three modules within a wider Masters programme or the Doctorate of Education (EdD). The three modules are:

1. How Teachers Learn (Jan - April): sets the scene encouraging participants to think about how they learn, to reflect critically on different types of learning they have experienced across their personal and professional careers. It encourages the link between classroom pedagogies and pedagogies used for working with professionals, as such focusing in on the feedback loop between practitioners and students to support a metacognitive approach – closely related to the professional learning model. The assignments ask students to read around an area of interest, focusing on 3 representative articles, and to personally reflect on how these ideas influence their understanding of the theory and practice of teacher learning.
2. Contemporary Contexts for Teacher Learning and Teachers’ Work (April - July): builds on module 1 by facilitating a lens for looking at these pedagogies and experiences of teacher learning that reflects current policy and wider international education agendas. We also focus on the local influencers around community and student voice and what it means to engage in and with research when inhabiting a professional learning space. Throughout the module, students are supported to engage critically with education policy and the processes by which it is created.  The students complete an assignment in two parts, firstly a poster presentation in which they critically analyse one key policy that they find particularly relevant to their own learning and/or professional learning in their setting which they present as well as a written reflection on the core ideas they have been grappling with.
3. Supporting Professional Learning in the Workplace (September - December): takes the issues and skills developed in modules 1 and 2 and asks the participants to generate their own practitioner enquiry question, sensitive to their own setting, to support colleagues’ professional learning. The type of professional learning is open to the participant, but they are assessed on their rationale and through a practitioner enquiry approach supported in evaluating its success. Reflection is based on perceived successes of colleagues’ learning as well as their own learning when engaging in supporting others’ learning.

These modules build through to a coherent set of learnings around supporting professional learning.

Feedback

#StrathSTL - so worth it

- @LynneJ0nes, X (formerly Twitter)

‍

Engaging modules

Very supportive and lovely tutors

GTCS Professional Recognition

An extremely friendly and encouraging cohort of peers

I highlight recommend the #StrathSTL course and pathway. It is one of the best PL opportunities out there for those interested in #STL

- @MrJSlaven, X (formerly Twitter)

‍

STL a great course, I'm very proud to have done it! I regularly reflect on so many of the things we discussed as a cohort together. I'd love to show off my PgCert, but I don't have one, though I am very chuffed with the GTCS professional recognition for completing the course

- @egstirling, X (formerly Twitter)

‍

I LOVED this programme as the first year of my #StrathMEd @StrathEDU - would recommend to anyone who works with student teachers, probationers or has a role in staff professional development. I learned so much from #StrathSTL. Happy to chat to anyone thinking of applying.

- @KHair_BusEd, X (formerly Twitter)

‍

That was brilliant!  Kate created such a safe space (she called it a brave space and I really like that) that I forgot that I had been so worried. Going back to academic learning feels exciting rather than worrying now, and I can already see how I will be able to use some of this learning with staff. I loved the challenge of the dialogue in a group of such mixed experience. Home buzzing!

- (Quote from a student’s reflective journal after first session)

Staff teaching on the modules

• Prof Kate Wall is Professor of Education and has worked extensively in partnership with teachers of all ages and stages, using practitioner enquiry approaches and has a growing interest in how tools with pedagogic and methodological origins can be used to support theorised practice. She has used the same ideas when working under a 'students as researchers' or student voice heading with children as young as 4 and is interested in methodologies for gathering learners’ views on experience, curriculum and learning.‍
• Dr Laela Adamson is a lecturer in Education Policy, with a professional background as a secondary History teacher and school Research Lead, responsible for embedding practitioner enquiry as the core of continuous professional learning. Her research is international in scope, with a particular interest in language-in-education in sub-Saharan Africa. Since joining Strathclyde in May 2023, Laela has taught on a range of modules that enable students to develop critical policy analysis skills, both in the Scottish context and internationally. Laela also represents Strathclyde on the Scottish Government Plan for School Research Academic Reference Group.‍
• Kath McCrorie is a Teaching Fellow with extensive experience teaching in Scottish secondary schools. She is a former Supporting Teacher Learning student where she focused on supporting ITE students on placement. This has led to her doctoral research exploring mentoring, specifically mentoring relationships during school placements.  She is the PGDE lead for secondary modern studies. Kath is also interested in Practitioner Enquiry and how this can be used effectively to support teacher learning with busy, time-pressed professionals. She also engages in work related to citizenship education.
• ‍Prof Peter Mtika is an experienced researcher and educator with expertise in teacher education and international education and development. Peter has conducted research on teaching practicum, partnerships between teacher education institutions and schools,  learner-centred pedagogies, student-teachers and probationer teachers’ learning through mentoring, and inclusive education. As a result of the growing societal poverty, he is carrying out research around supporting teacher preparation for working in high poverty environments in Scotland and internationally. Peter is a former secondary school teacher, having qualified in Malawi. ‍
• Nova Lauder-Scott is a former student on the course and achieved the PG Cert and GTCS Professional Recognition in 2019.  Nova began the course as a primary head teacher and used the learning to develop professional learning opportunities in her school.  By the end of the course, Nova had moved to Strathclyde as a Teaching Fellow in Educational Leadership.  She now leads the Into Headship programme, working with over 50 aspirant head teachers from across six of Scotland’s local authorities.  Into Headship teaching is also centred around the Professional Learning Model.‍
• Dr Rebekah Sims specialises in practitioner research, higher education pedagogy, and integrating writing instruction into teacher education. Her teaching experience spans early years to postgraduate studies, and now focuses on initial teacher education as well as master’s-level courses. She currently researches academic writing capabilities among PGDE students. She brings these experiences to the STL course to enrich experienced teachers’ understanding of newer teachers’ learning as well as their ongoing professional learning.

Contact

Professor Kate Wall
University of Strathclyde
School of Education

kate.wall@strath.ac.uk

0141 444 8067

@kate_wall98
#StrathSTL