Trialling the use of the Knowledge Quartet as a framework to facilitate beginning teacher learning on one ITE programme in Wales

This study involves trialling a tool called the Knowledge Quartet (KQ; Rowland et al., 2005) on a postgraduate initial teacher education programme in Wales and reports on perceptions of its use to facilitate lesson planning, analysis and feedback and reflection. The study aims to answer the following questions: 1. In what ways is use of the KQ framework perceived by Lead Mentors, tutors and student teachers to be effective as a tool in facilitating beginning teacher learning in the areas of: a) Lesson planning b) Lesson observation analysis and feedback c) Reflection 2. In what ways is use of the KQ framework perceived to be a challenge? Findings are from two action research cycles, involving semi-structured interviews (with two Lead Mentors, a university tutor and ten science student teachers) and an analysis of six science students’ portfolios (containing mentors’ lesson observation and feedback reports and associated student lesson plans and reflection). The tool is perceived to be effective in several ways. Firstly, the KQ tool is perceived to structure and support student planning by breaking down, categorising and raising awareness of underlying teacher knowledge. Secondly the tool is perceived to get easier to use over time. Thirdly, there is a perception that using the tool contributes to mentor professional development. Fourthly, the tool is perceived to be most helpful to beginning teachers; assessment requirements to use the KQ to structure reflection ensured its use by all science student teachers in this study. However, there are also challenges. More education and time may help embed its use (this study was affected by Covid-19). To make use of the tool more educative, during mentor development, mentors could be encouraged to share experience of using the KQ and lead an exploration of how its use can support beginning teachers towards meeting the Teaching Standards.