Looking forward through ‘backward mapping’ – issues and challenges arising from research into ‘how and where teachers learn to teach effectively’

Menter et al. (2010a) characterise UK teacher education research as facing a number of issues including the ‘high volume of single studies and the paucity of large-scale, longitudinal studies’ (ibid: 15); the limited theorisation present within the research and some methodological weaknesses. They also argue that ‘the professional education of teacher educators is an under-researched area’ (ibid: 15). BERA (2014) recognises these issues but considers that teacher education research does have the potential to make a ‘major contribution to effective teacher education’ and recognises the presence of ‘some robust evidence that doing so improves the quality of students’ learning in schools’ (ibid: 4). Crawley (2014) argues that the field of teacher education encounters many contextual factors including political, sociological, financial, pedagogical and conceptual influences which generate complexity and change. This complexity and change, combined with the multiple components and characteristics of teacher education systems, results in a situation where synergies, models and typologies of teacher education are particularly difficult to identify. BERA (2014) also suggests that ‘there is no guiding philosophy for teacher education to unify this highly variegated pattern of provision’ (ibid: 17). In order to contribute to a deeper understanding of this complex field and to seek‘common features of effective teacher preparation’ from published research a WERA ‘backward mapping’ exercise was carried out during Summer 2014 by, among others, academics from Bath Spa University in England. This work was designed to inform global decision making in relation to teacher preparation and in particular teacher education research. The exercise did identify some common features, whilst simultaneously reinforcing some of the challenges raised by Menter et al (2010), BERA (2014) and Crawley (2014). The insights gained are helpful in making a contribution to the ongoing preparation of a search and categorisation strategy to assist this international research group to move forward