“Journaling Was A Challenge...” Professional Development Activities for HEI placement tutors

• In Event: Imagination and Innovation for Sustainable Futures: Education in Challenging Times

Abstract

When second level teachers become HEI placement tutors on an initial teacher education programme (ITEP), they bring their experience as teachers to bear on their new practice. As yet, no formal programmes or strategies exist within the Republic of Ireland that assists these tutors in studying their own practices, both as teachers and as teacher educators, and articulating this craft knowledge. Additionally, no policy exists that offers structure to these tutors in relation to induction and professional development during this mid-career transition. There is, however, an international trend towards self-study of teacher education practice (S-STEP) where teacher educators are encouraged to both reflect upon and write about their practices. This paper reports on the process used to develop such a practice amongst a group of HEI tutors in NUI Maynooth during the academic year 2011-2012. These tutors engaged in professional development activities such as writing, reading, journaling and discussion. The paper will demonstrate the effects of these activities on their professional development and will illustrate these effects through the use of excerpts from their writings, audio recordings of the meetings and video-recorded interviews with the participants. The results highlight the benefits and difficulties of journaling, the significance of the group meetings as motivation, an increased sense of connectedness and resultant reduction in the isolation dimension of the role and the effects of such a process on the day-to-day work of the HEI tutor.

Author

• Rose Dolan, National University of Ireland - Maynooth