Rethinking partnership in initial teacher education – developing professional identity for a joint school-university appointment – a case study in mathematics

A new team of mathematics educators is establishing at the University of Manchester. One member of the team is a joint school-university appointment. A former local authority consultant she now works 50% in a partnership training school where she mentors four students and 50% as a PGCE tutor contributing to all elements of the PGCE course including subject specific and professional studies sessions, tutoring a number of students including school visits.What are the affordances of a joint school-university appointment? What are the personal challenges for the appointee and colleagues working with the appointee – in school and in university?Evidence for the paper is through personal reflective accounts, and focus group discussions with school and university colleagues. There will also be an anonymous questionnaire of student teachers to find out whether the joint school-university appointee’s support is qualitatively different to that of other tutors.Becoming a teacher educator is challenging at the best of times (Berry, 2007; Swennen & van der Klink, 2009), as is establishing yourself as a teacher in a new school (Day et al. 2007). To do both at once is novel, but given current government priorities something that is likely to become more commonplace, with initiatives such as School Direct (TDA, 2011).Professional identity provides a means of interpreting the way practitioners conduct their work (Day et al, 2005) and the development needs they prioritise. In school there are priorities of learning systems and policies and establishing oneself as a member of the adult community. In higher education this often includes embarking on Masters level study as a requirement for becoming a higher education lecturer (HE academy n.d.). The outcomes of this early experience have implications for the developing practice of the University of Manchester PGCE mathematics team and the way in which university and school based colleagues work together to optimise learning for beginning teachers, as new models of ITE are adopted within a well-established partnership. These implications may provide areas for consideration by institutions rethinking partnership in initial teacher education.Berry, A. (2007) Tensions in teaching about teaching: understanding practice as a teacher educator SpringerDay, C., Elliott, B. & Kington, A. (2005) Reform, standards and teacher identity: challenges of sustaining commitment Teaching and teacher education 21(5) 563-577Day, C., Sammons, P., Stobart, G., Kington, A. & Gu, Q. (2007) Teachers Matter: connecting lives, work and effectiveness Maidenhead: Open University PressHE academy http://www.heacademy.ac.uk/professional-recognition (accessed 21/03/2012)Swennen, A. & van der Klink, M. (ed) (2009) Becoming a teacher educator Springer Science+Business MediaTDA (2011) http://www.tda.gov.uk/training-provider/itt/schooldirect.aspx (accessed 21/03/2012)