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A blog from ATL
Excited child in classroom

What's worse than being a teacher in this system? Being a child at the mercy of it

“Seeing those lightbulb moments, helping children to achieve.” This is what our members say teaching should be: but workload pressures and government’s heavy hand in curriculum, assessment and accountability means that the reality is often very different. 

Developing the expertise of vocational teachers and trainers

How can vocational teachers and trainers (VTTs) develop and their subject and pedagogical expertise? How much CPD goes on ‘under the radar’ as VTTs seek their own ways to maintain their professional connections? Do FE and skills institutions provide enough support to new, experienced and part-time VTTS?

Is a bottom-up approach to professionalism the answer for the FE sector? 

I was invited to chair a session on the Policy Contexts of Professionalism, as part of the in the Developing Collaborative Expertise in the Further Education Sector seminar series.

There is policy and reality. Why can't we bring the two together?

Dual professionalism was meant to leap the chasm of teacher practitioner and industry expert.

The workload is part of the job... isn't it?

ATL Future have undertaken a survey of teachers new to the profession to ascertain the attractiveness of teaching and the results are powerful, shocking and yet unsurprising.

A qualified workforce - what was said

The first seminar in ATL's Developing collaborative expertise in the FE sector programme took place on 30 January 2015 at ATL's offices in London.

It’s all about teaching...

One of the most interesting parts of the 'Qualified Workforce' seminar (and there were plenty!) was around what qualifications should look like in the FE sector - although I prefer the term VET (vocational education and training) because whatever else FE does, its unique provision is VET.

A qualified workforce?

Why a qualified workforce? Is this a question we should even be posing?

Sahlberg on ITE: great report, but don’t hold your breath

The stage 2 review of initial teacher training infrastructure in Northern Ireland, led by the Finnish educator and scholar Dr Pasi Sahlberg, was published at the beginning of July. It reports that the Northern Ireland system falls short of international best practice in many respects.

Keep calm and carry on blogging

Professionalism is hard. When, like today, after two hours editing lesson plans, an intimate hour with the laminator, 32 paintings of the sea (with approximately 32 litres of paint!), a lengthy and somewhat irrelevant conversation with a seven year old about King Kong and an over-reliance on caffeine only marks 1pm, professionalism is really hard.