Article

Reflecting on 'classroom readiness' in initial teacher education in a time of global pandemic from the perspectives of eight university providers from across England, UK

Details

Citation

Rushton EA, Murtagh L, Ball-Smith C, Black B, Dunlop L, Gibbons S, Ireland K, Morse R, Reading C & Scott C (2022) Reflecting on 'classroom readiness' in initial teacher education in a time of global pandemic from the perspectives of eight university providers from across England, UK. Journal of Education for Teaching, 49 (4), pp. 551-568. https://doi.org/10.1080/02607476.2022.2150840

Abstract
n the context of a decade of change and reform in Initial Teacher Education (ITE) policy making, we assess the impact of the substantial changes caused by Covid-19 affecting ITE from the perspectives of eight university providers in England. Whilst previous research has documented the impact of the first period of lockdown in the UK, initiated in March 2020, we draw on the conceptual framework of classroom readiness to consider the continued and variable disruption caused by Covid-19 on ITE programmes in England during the period September 2020 – June 2021. Through a participatory workshop, which included identifying key questions, group discussion and written reflections with teacher educators working across eight institutions, we assess the changes to pre-service teacher education provision over this period, with a focus on postgraduate programmes. We identify that the nature and implementation of school visits and the role of technology and digital pedagogies are key areas of change during the pandemic period, whilst continuity in the value and strength of school and university partnerships remain. We consider the ways in which ideas of developing ‘classroom readiness’ have been informed and shaped through changes to teacher education brought about during the pandemic period. We argue that conceptualisations of classroom readiness need to be grounded in reflective professional learning in the context of collaborative professional communities so to enable pre-service teachers to become adaptable pastorally engaged subject specialists. We reflect on how learning from this period might be incorporated into future international ITE programmes and policy.

Keywords
Education; Initial teacher education; classroom readiness; school placement; online teaching and learning; policy

Journal
Journal of Education for Teaching: Volume 49, Issue 4

StatusPublished
FundersEconomic and Social Research Council
Publication date online28/11/2022
Date accepted by journal28/09/2022
URLhttp://hdl.handle.net/1893/35374
PublisherInforma UK Limited
ISSN0260-7476
eISSN1360-0540

People (1)

Professor Lizzie Rushton

Professor Lizzie Rushton

Professor of Education, Education

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