Mallows, David;
(2020)
Teaching Practice Groups: a case study of social constructive learning.
Doctoral thesis (Ph.D), UCL (University College London).
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Abstract
The focus of this thesis is the teacher learning of trainee teachers of English as a second, other or foreign language to adults, within a particular model of initial teacher training: Teaching Practice Groups. It contributes to knowledge in the field by centering on the mechanisms by which the Teaching Practice Group model supports prospective English language teachers in learning to teach. To do so it draws on sodio-construcivist and cognitive theories of teacher learning to explore the learning of trainees within the model, through their interaction with their fellow trainees, the trainers, and the activities of the course. It suggests that within the Teaching Practice Group model the classroom is both the focus and the place of learning about how to teach. The Teaching Practice Group model provides contextually meaningful experiences for trainees, engaging them in situational decision-making, both in advance of teaching in the form of lesson planning, and on their feet in front of a group of learners. The study identifies ways in which both subjective and objective understandings of knowledge impact on the judgments trainees make about how to act in the classroom. It shows how objective descriptions of teacher knowledge are used in order to help trainees to name elements of the teaching and learning process - the classroom and its moves, while subjective knowledge is foregrounded in the focused reflection that Teaching Practice Group model provides on the experience of teaching. The thesis uses concepts from social constructivist theories of learning. Teaching Practice Groups are highly social; trainees on courses using the model interact a great deal with each other, with their peers, with the learners in the teaching practice classroom, and also with the course documentation and activities. I suggest that the development of trainees’ knowledge and understanding of teaching within the model is highly scaffolded, allowing trainers to progress trainees’ attention beyond their own actions, to the learners and their learning. The teacher learning examined in this thesis is driven by engagement with concepts of teaching and learning, with other players (peers, students and trainers), in the specific cultural environment of the shared language classroom.
| Type: | Thesis (Doctoral) |
|---|---|
| Qualification: | Ph.D |
| Title: | Teaching Practice Groups: a case study of social constructive learning |
| Event: | UCL (University College London) |
| Open access status: | An open access version is available from UCL Discovery |
| Language: | English |
| Additional information: | Copyright © The Author 2020. Original content in this thesis is licensed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International (CC BY 4.0) Licence (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/). Any third-party copyright material present remains the property of its respective owner(s) and is licensed under its existing terms. Access may initially be restricted at the author’s request. |
| UCL classification: | UCL UCL > Provost and Vice Provost Offices UCL > Provost and Vice Provost Offices > School of Education UCL > Provost and Vice Provost Offices > School of Education > UCL Institute of Education UCL > Provost and Vice Provost Offices > School of Education > UCL Institute of Education > IOE - Culture, Communication and Media |
| URI: | https://discovery.ucl.ac.uk/id/eprint/10094107 |
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