Sir, – Prof Jim Gleeson's comments on initial teacher education ("The double-think at the heart of teacher training", Education Opinion, November 3rd) and Tomás Ó Ruairc's response (November 6th) provide food for thought.
Like Prof Gleeson, I too have spent over 40 years as both teacher and teacher educator at primary level and have witnessed many changes in both curriculum content and teaching methodologies. I fully agree with Prof Gleeson’s view that young and newly qualified teachers are full of idealism on leaving college but that this enthusiasm evaporates very quickly. Why? Many young teachers, after graduation find that many of them are on short-term contracts in primary schools and short-hour contracts in secondary schools. This instability in their early careers results in these newly qualified teachers keeping a low profile and going along with the status quo in the school in the hope that they might at some stage get a permanent position. They haven’t the time to get involved in staff-room politics, such as the recent debate on Junior Cert reform and school-based assessment. I think Prof Gleeson is a little harsh on the teaching profession when he states that “graduates encounter the prevailing scepticism of many teachers about education studies and research”. My experience of working with practicing teachers is that they are always interested in trying to improve their practice and many undertake “action research” within their own schools and classrooms. John Elliot and Michael Bassey, both eminent educationalists, agree that educational research should improve practice and not be undertaken just to add more noise to journals.
The initial teacher education sector is trying to develop critical reflective practice among its student teachers but as with teachers in schools preparing students for exams by teaching the test, teacher educators are also caught in the same dilemma by having to prepare the student teachers to perform in the classroom during placement, thus not giving much time for critical reflection. This pressure is a result of the Teaching Council’s demand for more time by student teachers on school placement, creating, as suggested by Prof Gleeson, a problem for teacher educators – do they spend time on the practical issues of teaching or encourage research? – Yours, etc,
Dr DAVID O’GRADY,
Killarney,
Co Kerry.