Curriculum, learning and teaching
What’s in a name? In the autumn 2017 issue, Hedley Willsea asked the question ‘are we qualified?’ Picking up on that theme, Denry Machin further expores the PGCEi
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training to teach in later life? And what about specialist English as an Additional Language teachers, or sports coaches looking to gain formal teaching qualifications? Once upon a time, the option was a year spent studying in, for example, the UK, US or Australia. However for many – with roots established, families started and economic commitments made – full-time study would be an impossibility. For these aspiring teachers, a range of options are available. For example, the Post Graduate Certificate in Education (PGCE) of England, Wales and Northern Ireland is now available in international form, and offered by a number of institutions (usually under the title iPGCE or PGCEi). Similar to their nationally-based counterparts, participants study academic modules covering teaching, learning, assessment, and educational theory. Some PGCEi programmes include face-to-face taught elements, some do not. Some include consideration of the international context, some are more UK-centric. Critically, some include compulsory teaching assessments, others do not. In many regards, the PGCEi mirrors the national school-led training route – a programme whereby fledgling teachers train full-time in schools, learning Autumn |
Spring
With the number of international schools increasing, being a qualified teacher should guarantee job security: more growth, more schools, equals more opportunities? Not necessarily. There is another factor at work here. Faced with political, economic and social uncertainties in their home countries, ever more teachers are looking to international schools for jobs, for prosperity, and for a better life. It follows that competition for the best jobs, in the best schools, and in the most desirable locations is intensifying. In this competitive world, credentials matter. At least in part, the wheat gets winnowed from the chafe through teaching qualifications. The ‘traditional’ route to appropriate qualification has been an undergraduate education degree or a post-graduate teaching certificate. With qualification in hand, a few years’ experience under their belts, and the right passport, teachers who have followed this route have full access to the lucrative and exciting world of international schooling. What, though, for those not able to access this ‘traditional’ route? What options exist for those whose state teaching qualifications don’t grant entry to international schools? What about those
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