Ros Hyde and Lucy Hoyes‘ PGCE mathematics trainees recently joined a Roundtable event ‘How to enhance student teachers evidence-based decision competencies’, co-chaired by Christian Bokhove as part of the Erasmus+ RiTE project. Delegates were presented with a series of thought-provoking statements and had the opportunity to discuss how these related to using evidence with trainees and early career teachers. Our trainee teachers listened in with interest as teacher educators discussed and debated what this looked like in their settings and with their trainees. Questions such as ‘what do we mean by evidence’, ‘Does what works for me work for you’ and ‘what makes educational research so complex’, got our trainees thinking! The vibrant discussion can be exemplified by the copious notes on our whiteboards. One of our trainees commented ‘Something that stuck with me was a discussion about whether we should agree that if something has consistently worked in the past then it will continue to work in the future. I think that although certain teaching practices are consistently successful, that should never limit a person in trying to improve or in finding alternatives for different circumstances. Even if there are practices which we can heavily rely on, our job should be that of building upon what we already have.’ (Maths PGCE trainee, 2021-22). These were the slides for the session; they include quotes that might sprak your own thinking.

Posted By : MSHE