Systems of teacher training/education in the uk part a introduction

Systems of teacher training/education in the UK
Part A
Introduction
This paper will explore one of the policy areas, particularly the significance of teacher training/education system in England. Initially, this essay will be divided into following two parts: ‘Part A’ and ‘Part B’, and then, I shall give brief information about the topic: a description of teacher training in England, the development of the policy, and a description of how its implementation is expected to function. Following this, this essay will critically discuss about ontological, epistemological as well as methodological positions of the system of teacher training in the UK. Finally, I shall reflect on the implications of the policy.


The significance of teacher training/education system in England
Essentially, the vast majority of western authorities spend a lot of public money on improving education system, and in an era characterised by the persuation of national targets, the policy-makers would prefer ‘value for money’ (Stephens et al., 2004). Alternatively, this might be considered as a complex circumstance in the field of policy. That is to say, policy is complex to conceptualize or to indicate how processes of policy production, especially, as Edwards (2012) highlights that investigating international process of education policy formation which are dynamic, processual as well as multi-levels, for example, international, national as well as local. Besides, among multiple kinds of policy actors are international development organizations, local program staff and national policymakers. For this reason, this kind of education policy formation refers to a specific phenomena, namely those processes, portrayed by a wide range of actors and forces, for example, domestic and international in which national, political along with governmental representatives (Edwards, 2012).
Despite enthusiastic policy extension of practical training from the government, academics have raised concerns about the removal of higher education’s role in initial teacher training in the UK. Hodgson (2014) criticises this policy as causing ‘wreckage’ as teachers become removed from exploration of the pedagogical underpinnings of their subjects. After surveying 730 educators, it was noted that the majority expressed grave concerns about the policy changes.
Comparative studies may well offer alternative approaches to teacher training. In accordance with the research of Stephens et al. (2004), teacher preparation is the most pivotal case for creating or implementing future quality education. In particular, they analyze the distinction as well as complementary state-defined roles of starting schoolteachers in both England and Norway by exploring mainly obligated initial teacher preparation programmes in both countries. Despite Jennings’ (2001) and Bauman’s (2002) arguments, curricula of intentions is a key reformation for both students` and teachers` further development. Yet, there is a significant difference through comparative analysis, Stephens et al. (2004) scrutinize the policy-makers in London as well as Oslo relating to the teachers of future generations of schoolchildren. Moreover, they investigate accessible opportunities for cross-cultural policy acquisition. Nevertheless, Ball (1993) argues that matrix of power relations as well as the importance of schoolteachers` work are interconnected with the following three main forms of control: the curriculum, the market as well as management. These kinds of controlling forms are being used in the UK in order to try to capture, specify as well as delinate educating process. Indeed, all of this seems to depict a radical attempt to reconstruct as well as redefine the meaning of teaching and the objective of educating, both as vocational practice and intellectual work (Ball, 1993). Overall, comparative analysis of teacher training in England is much needed—teachers have second-lowest autonomy of eleven professions, mainly healthcare professionals. Indeed, both private doctors as well as private schoolteachers were found to have marginally higher autonomy than their counterparts in the state sector (Alexander, 2001; Ball, 1993, 1998). Clearly, if students are to be empowered to take charge of their learning, teachers must also be afforded greater autonomy in professional decision making. Lack of teacher autonomy may have a detrimental impact on students’ learning outcomes and retention within the profession as teachers may lose motivation.