Creating Professional Space in Initial Teacher Education: Sharing Practitioner Enquiries on Socio-Economic Disadvantage

The University of Glasgow project explored what benefits can be derived from student teachers sharing and discussing practitioner enquiries focused on literacy, numeracy and health and wellbeing outcomes for the socio-economically disadvantaged. Findings included that ITE students were able to identify a range of specific pedagogical measures derived from practitioner enquiries which might work to assist pupils from disadvantaged backgrounds (though contextual variation was identified as a crucial factor and the act of ‘translation’ or ‘transformation’ across contexts was thus critical). Further, participants noted a sense of preparedness to be independent in decision-making through practitioner enquiry (at a level appropriate to an early career teacher). The importance of moments of reflection (and shared reflection) was emphasised by participant student teachers, including the significant value of being part of a community of enquiry in respect to socio-economic disadvantage in education. Student teachers also derived insights from a range of enquiries with differing research methodologies. Importantly, student teachers expressed a deepened sense of enquiry as a pedagogical stance (Cochran-Smith and Lytle, 1999), with this being of significant value in supporting outcomes for the educationally underprivileged. Thus, taken overall, findings are expressive of the considerable utility of ITE students sharing and discussing practitioner enquiries to address aspects of the educational disadvantage