Connecting Learners for Distance Learning Initial Teacher Education (DLITE)

Yvonne Bain, Jayne Bruce

Research output: Contribution to conferenceUnpublished paperpeer-review

Abstract

“The Scottish Government will continue to encourage universities to widen access to teacher education, including through effective part-time and distance learning.” (Scottish Government, 2011). This was one of the key actions identified by the Scottish Government in 2011 in response to “Teaching Scotland’s Future” (Donaldson, 2010)

In a subsequent response to that report “Teaching Scotland’s Future – National Partnership Group Report to Cabinet Secretary for Education and Lifelong learning” (2012), the University of Aberdeen’s partnership activities were described as providing the opportunity “to maximise the combined expertise of all partners and promote a collaborative culture whereby university tutors and supporter teachers regard each other as colleagues and are able to co-construct knowledge and learn from each other.”

Since then, issues with teacher shortages have been reported in press stories highlighting the large number of unfilled vacancies and shortage of supply teachers with stories of children being sent home or areas of the curriculum not being taught as a result of shortages in Highland Council for example (BBC news and STV news, November 2013).

The added impetus of the need to address teacher shortage in the local education authorities within our Northern Partnership has been a catalyst for the University of Aberdeen to reconceptualise the provision of part-time distance learning to provide a local solution to teacher shortages. Embedded in the design of the new distance learning ITE programme DLITE PGDE is reduction of fragmentation between the University and school-based partners in supporting student teachers, and the reduction of the gap between the ITE experience and the Induction year through the development of sustainable models of partnership.

This project will highlight the importance of providing the DLITE PGDE programme and the emerging implications for the partnership between the University and the Northern Partners to reduce the fragmentation of learning experience for students, university tutors, and the local authority staff.

Original languageEnglish
Publication statusPublished - May 2014
EventTEPE (Teacher Education Policy in Europe) 2014 - University of Zagreb, Zagreb, Croatia
Duration: 15 May 201417 May 2014

Conference

ConferenceTEPE (Teacher Education Policy in Europe) 2014
Country/TerritoryCroatia
CityZagreb
Period15/05/1417/05/14

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