Papers by Rupert Knight
Journal of Education for Teaching, 2021
Initial Teacher Education (ITE) is inherently complex. Challenges include the uncertain nature of... more Initial Teacher Education (ITE) is inherently complex. Challenges include the uncertain nature of teacher knowledge, the need to learn in both practical and theoretical contexts and the developmental journey of the beginning teacher. While one response to this complexity is greater standardisation, another is to foster thinking, autonomous professionals. Attempting to reconcile these tensions and provide a coherent ITE experience, one School of Education introduced an overarching framework of strands of content and phases of the training year. Beginning teachers, from both Primary and Secondary one-year postgraduate
Forum, 2020
Dialogic teaching has enormous potential to harness the power of talk in developing children's th... more Dialogic teaching has enormous potential to harness the power of talk in developing children's thinking but is sometimes challenging to enact within today's policy context. Similarly, sustained shared thinking is an established and powerful practice with children in the early years but faces pressure within today's educational climate. Though closely related, the two have been addressed largely separately until now. We argue for drawing dialogic teaching and sustained shared thinking together more explicitly, by reviewing how they are similar yet distinctive and by offering a continuum model for practice, throughout school, which takes a dialogic stance. We suggest that this more holistic approach may empower teachers to utilise these powerful forms of pedagogy. Establishing a continuum within which sustained shared thinking and the many pedagogies of dialogic teaching align may strengthen both perspectives in the face of outside pressures and help to clarify the position of productive dialogue throughout the curriculum.
Teachers and Teaching , 2017
The landscape of teacher education is undergoing significant change in many countries and this is... more The landscape of teacher education is undergoing significant change in many countries and this is often associated with a move towards greater school involvement in the preparation of teachers. One aspect of teaching expertise that is particularly challenging for primary student teachers is the development of subject knowledge across a wide range of subject areas. Subject knowledge for teaching is multi-faceted and is itself linked to broader questions about curriculum and the content that should be taught. It is timely, therefore, to consider how subject knowledge development might be reconceived in a school setting and how university and school staff might work in new ways with student teachers to this end. Communities of practice theory is employed as a framework for analysing the learning environment and evaluating these future possibilities. It is argued that collaboration with peers, with their mentoring teachers and with a wider professional community is an under-exploited way of integrating facets of subject knowledge: giving this time and status through structured activities might be a particularly fruitful form of hybrid working in situ. The paper concludes by proposing four principles to underpin this sort of practice.
Research Papers in Education, 2019
Education in many countries is heavily influenced by what has been termed a Global Education Refo... more Education in many countries is heavily influenced by what has been termed a Global Education Reform Movement, based on competition, measurement and comparison. As well as emphasising external accountability, this landscape offers schools, in theory, a degree of autonomy. School-level innovation, however, may involve a degree of courage on the part of teachers if this involves stepping away from the safety of an agenda based on externally measured standards. By documenting the voices of teachers throughout a year of pedagogical innovation in one school in England, this study aims to reveal what it is like to be a teacher experiencing an inspiring but challenging form of school-level change. The multi-faceted experiences of the teachers are characterised as three tensions centred on autonomy, innovation and collaboration. The study suggests that the innovation in question did result in a feeling of transformation in a variety of forms. However, this transformation was limited by various factors, such as the need for a stronger collaborative response to challenges of ‘unlearning’ deeply ingrained practices and, above all, the enduring spectre of external scrutiny. The authentic voices of these teachers provide an insight into the issues that schools must consider when exercising their autonomy and implementing ‘brave’ pedagogical innovations.
Schools and the families they serve are sometimes perceived as deficient and in need of fixing. ... more Schools and the families they serve are sometimes perceived as deficient and in need of fixing. One response has been the implementation of evidence-based family intervention programmes, which may be highly regulated and prescriptive as a condition of their (often philanthropic) funding. This article seeks to explore and bring to the foreground the often hidden role of the pre-existing, informal community networks with a view to more authentic evaluation of these externally imposed programmes. The article draws on a range of qualitative data reflecting the lived experiences of participants – including parents and other community members - in a family and parenting programme at an English primary school. The analysis uses the work of Tönnies as a theoretical lens. It suggests that while there are tensions caused by the rigid requirements of external programmes, these are overcome in many cases by the highly effective, but often unacknowledged, contributions of the informal aspects of community. It is argued that these operate within and complement the formal programme. Far from subverting the more overt procedures, they actually enable it to function successfully, leading to additional, unanticipated transformations among participants. The article concludes that these organic, often invisible connections need to be identified, documented and nurtured if their full potential is to be recognised and realised when evaluating similar interventions.
This study explored the links between school leadership and the implementation of the Internation... more This study explored the links between school leadership and the implementation of the International Baccalaureate (IB) Primary Years Programme (PYP). The research was conducted in six schools, with different histories of PYP use, located in six different European countries: Austria, England, Germany, Italy, the Netherlands and Sweden.
Journal of Education for Teaching, 2015
Integrating theoretical knowledge within teacher education has often been portrayed as difficult,... more Integrating theoretical knowledge within teacher education has often been portrayed as difficult, with previous studies reporting student teachers’ ambivalence, or even scepticism, about the value of research findings and theory to classroom practice. Moreover, the nature of teachers’ professional knowledge is itself uncertain and highly complex. This paper reports on the developing conceptions held by a group of postgraduate student teachers about the relationship of theory to classroom practice in learning to teach. The data are drawn from a small-scale longitudinal case study. They capture participants’ preconceptions about theory before beginning training and subsequent developments through the course and into the first teaching post. The research finds these students to be far from naïve at the outset, entering training open to a range of forms of learning, with a positive view of the potential contribution of theory to practice. Alongside a growing appreciation of the complex, situated and contested nature of theory, the data suggest that theory comes to be increasingly valued over time. As newly qualified teachers, the participants not only see theory as integral to their practice, but recognise the important, largely unanticipated, role of the university in this process. As a result of these insights, potential considerations for course design are offered, at a time when teacher education in many countries is becoming more school-based and new forms of partnership are being developed.
The document available for download is the accepted manuscript of the article in JET 41(2). Journal version available online through the following link: http://www.tandfonline.com/toc/cjet20/41/2#.Ve2QUZd1y_k
This paper reports on an exploration of the preconceptions held by Primary PGCE students about th... more This paper reports on an exploration of the preconceptions held by Primary PGCE students about the relationship of theory to classroom practice in learning to teach. While many of the complexities of teaching are yet to be unbderstood fully in the pre-course phase, these participants prove to be far from naive and begin the course open to a range of forms of learning, with a positive view of the potential contribution of theory to practice.
This article considers a variety of ways of eliciting children's prior knowledge in the primary c... more This article considers a variety of ways of eliciting children's prior knowledge in the primary classroom. The context is the teaching of science, but the ideas are applicable across the curriculum.
This brief article considers ways of maximising the potential of school-based ITE for developing ... more This brief article considers ways of maximising the potential of school-based ITE for developing student teachers' subject knowledge, using the case of mathematics as an example.
This brief article considers how the Williams Review of mathematics teaching might reinvigorate t... more This brief article considers how the Williams Review of mathematics teaching might reinvigorate the case for collaborative working in the primary classroom
This brief article considers ways in which primary teachers can value the process of mathematics,... more This brief article considers ways in which primary teachers can value the process of mathematics, as well as the product, by looking at some ideas for real-life using and applying contexts.
ATM Mathematics Teaching 224 Sept 2011
Conference Presentations by Rupert Knight
Recent reviews of the pr
imary curriculum point to
wards greater autonomy at
school level in fut... more Recent reviews of the pr
imary curriculum point to
wards greater autonomy at
school level in future. This s
uggests an opportunity, and perhaps even
responsibility, for emerging teachers
to evaluate and implement a wider range
of pedagogical approaches. However,
while challenging pedagogical ideas
may be well received during university se
ssions, there remains the issue of
effective transfer to the classroom se
tting. Apart from the need to make
sense of concepts in a new context, some ideas may also be at odds with the
prevailing classroom culture. This paper reports on a project to encourage
Initial Teacher Education students to em
brace and trial a challenging form of
pedagogy through a process of collaboration and peer support. Steps to
establish a form of community with a
group of final year education students
are described. The effects of this
intervention on students’ confidence in
implementing new ideas within their mathematics lessons, as well as other
outcomes, such as the constructi
on of shared understanding and increased
reflection, are also discussed. Finally
, implications for future practice and a
wider, sustainable use of th
is process are considered.
Uploads
Papers by Rupert Knight
The document available for download is the accepted manuscript of the article in JET 41(2). Journal version available online through the following link: http://www.tandfonline.com/toc/cjet20/41/2#.Ve2QUZd1y_k
The version offered is the accepted manuscript. The published version (Primary Science 114 Sept 2010) may be found online at: http://www.ase.org.uk/journals/primary-science/2010/09/114/
The version offered is the accepted manuscript. The published version (Primary Science 107 March 2009) can be found online at: https://www.ase.org.uk/journals/primary-science/2009/03/107/
ATM Mathematics Teaching 224 Sept 2011
Conference Presentations by Rupert Knight
imary curriculum point to
wards greater autonomy at
school level in future. This s
uggests an opportunity, and perhaps even
responsibility, for emerging teachers
to evaluate and implement a wider range
of pedagogical approaches. However,
while challenging pedagogical ideas
may be well received during university se
ssions, there remains the issue of
effective transfer to the classroom se
tting. Apart from the need to make
sense of concepts in a new context, some ideas may also be at odds with the
prevailing classroom culture. This paper reports on a project to encourage
Initial Teacher Education students to em
brace and trial a challenging form of
pedagogy through a process of collaboration and peer support. Steps to
establish a form of community with a
group of final year education students
are described. The effects of this
intervention on students’ confidence in
implementing new ideas within their mathematics lessons, as well as other
outcomes, such as the constructi
on of shared understanding and increased
reflection, are also discussed. Finally
, implications for future practice and a
wider, sustainable use of th
is process are considered.
The document available for download is the accepted manuscript of the article in JET 41(2). Journal version available online through the following link: http://www.tandfonline.com/toc/cjet20/41/2#.Ve2QUZd1y_k
The version offered is the accepted manuscript. The published version (Primary Science 114 Sept 2010) may be found online at: http://www.ase.org.uk/journals/primary-science/2010/09/114/
The version offered is the accepted manuscript. The published version (Primary Science 107 March 2009) can be found online at: https://www.ase.org.uk/journals/primary-science/2009/03/107/
ATM Mathematics Teaching 224 Sept 2011
imary curriculum point to
wards greater autonomy at
school level in future. This s
uggests an opportunity, and perhaps even
responsibility, for emerging teachers
to evaluate and implement a wider range
of pedagogical approaches. However,
while challenging pedagogical ideas
may be well received during university se
ssions, there remains the issue of
effective transfer to the classroom se
tting. Apart from the need to make
sense of concepts in a new context, some ideas may also be at odds with the
prevailing classroom culture. This paper reports on a project to encourage
Initial Teacher Education students to em
brace and trial a challenging form of
pedagogy through a process of collaboration and peer support. Steps to
establish a form of community with a
group of final year education students
are described. The effects of this
intervention on students’ confidence in
implementing new ideas within their mathematics lessons, as well as other
outcomes, such as the constructi
on of shared understanding and increased
reflection, are also discussed. Finally
, implications for future practice and a
wider, sustainable use of th
is process are considered.