Dominant discourses of pre-service teacher education and the exigencies of the workplace: an ethnographic study from English further education

Dixon, Liz, Jennings, Anne, Orr, Kevin and Tummons, Jonathan (2010) Dominant discourses of pre-service teacher education and the exigencies of the workplace: an ethnographic study from English further education. Journal of vocational education and training, 62 (4). pp. 381-393. ISSN 1363-6820

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Abstract

The placement in colleges is a crucially formative experience for trainee teachers on pre-service Further Education (FE) initial teacher training courses. A project at the University of Huddersfield researched these placements in four colleges in the north of England and the relationships that were formed between the trainees, their mentors, other staff and students. Where the trainees were placed and who they taught were often matters of expedience, and their individual circumstances were contingent upon diverse, often local, factors. As such, the picture that emerged of the lived experience of placement defied simple classification and explanation. Drawing on data gathered during the project this paper argues that the experience of placements is characterised by confusion, insecurity and marginalisation on the one hand and integration, enthusiasm and development on the other. Regardless of their individual experience, however, there is evidence that the trainees learnt to cope and even that messiness may be useful preparation for the unstable FE workplace. The paper problematises the developmental basis for placements and questions what constitutes a successful placement before considering how trainees can be best prepared to teach in the FE sector.

Item Type:	Article
Subjects:	L Education > L Education (General) L Education > LF Individual institutions (Europe)
Schools:	School of Education and Professional Development School of Education and Professional Development > Centre of Lifelong Learning and Social Justice > Teaching, Public Pedagogies and Professionalism Research Group
Related URLs:	Author Author
Depositing User:	Kevin Orr
Date Deposited:	25 Jan 2011 08:33
Last Modified:	30 Mar 2018 12:17
URI:	http://eprints.hud.ac.uk/id/eprint/9400

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