Institute for Teaching launches to create ‘expert teachers’
A new ‘Institute of Teaching’ was launched this week in Manchester which will see teachers who want to train as teacher-educators undertake courses developed from the expertise of professionals, including those from the fields of jet-piloting and ballet.
Last month, the new graduate school secured a share of £75 million of government money, to help teachers progress in their careers without having to leave the classroom and move into school management.
Speaking ahead of the launch, Justine Greening, Secretary of State for Education, said: “Schools collectively spend more than £1 billion every year on teacher development but it mostly doesn’t help them get better.
“These new programmes, backed by government funding, will give them the skills, confidence and knowledge they need to provide a world-class education for all children.”
Peps Mccrea, the Institute for Teaching’s Associate Dean told Schools Week: “What we’ve learnt is that there are many similarities between how people become experts.
“While the needs of teachers are unique, we have much to learn by looking sideways at what other sectors have learnt about developing expertise in systematic and scalable ways.”
Details were also released of the courses available at the Institute of Teaching, including a ‘Fellows’ course which is designed to help experienced teachers become ‘teacher-educators’, and and a Masters in ‘expert teaching’ for those who want to develop advanced techniques.
Another programme, which was funded by a government grant, titled ‘transforming teaching’ will meanwhile offer school leaders the chance to improve their skills in developing the teachers in their schools.
Founder and Director of the Institute for Teaching, Matt Hood, said: “Having an expert teacher in every classroom is the best way to make sure that every pupil, regardless of their background, gets a great education.
“To improve teaching, we have to improve the training teachers get.”
The work of the Institute for Teaching will also be supported by a range of other organisations, including the charity Ambition School Leadership, the law firm Clifford Chance, and the Relay Graduate School of Education, an American non-profit institution for higher education.