« Previous | Contents | Next »
Listen
A REVIEW OF COLLABORATION BETWEEN SCHOOLS AND FURTHER EDUCATION COLLEGES IN SCOTLAND: Partner Document to the Interim Report
SECTION 8 PROFESSIONAL TRAINING AND DEVELOPMENT
Further Education College Lecturers
8.1 Equipping further education college lecturers with the necessary skills to teach under 16 year olds effectively is being considered in the context of the current Executive review of occupational standards and national guidelines on provision leading to the teaching qualification in further education (TQ(FE)) and related professional development.
8.2 The review steering group has set up a number of working groups to revise the existing occupational standards and write new standards in areas such as the use of Information and Communication Technology for teaching and learning purposes, first line management responsibilities and the teaching of young people under 16 years of age. The new standards will be converted into higher educational professional development awards and units (PDAs and PDUs), which will mostly be at level 9 on the Scottish Credit and Qualifications Framework. These PDAs and PDUs will be used in the Initial Teacher Training and Continuing Professional Development of further education lecturers. It is hoped that the new occupational standards will be published in the spring of 2005 and that the new PDAs and PDUs will become available for use in August 2006. The four Teacher Education Institutions that provide courses leading to the award of a TQ(FE) will also have to revise the content of their programmes.
Professional Development Award for Teaching Young People Under 16 Years of Age
8.3 One of the outcomes of the review will be a new PDA for teaching young people under 16 years of age. This PDA, which will form part of the provision for Continuing Professional Development, will be an optional award which can be taken by lecturers who are to teach pupils in S3 or S4. Those parts of the new PDA, which cover the legislative framework under which schools operate, the purpose and significance of National Priorities for Education and the structure and organisation of schools will be incorporated into core standards and, thus, included in lecturers' Initial Teacher Training and in TQ(FE) programmes. There may be a need to bring in experienced schoolteachers to help deliver aspects of this training.
Support Staff in Further Education Colleges
8.4 We have asked the Scottish Further Education Unit to scope the work necessary to build on and expand existing arrangements to give guidance, teaching support and other staff in further education colleges training on matters concerning the welfare and safety of school age pupils.
Working Group on 'Qualifications of College Staff to Teach School Pupils'
8.5 We have set up a working group chaired by Professor David Raffe of the University of Edinburgh to examine the issues surrounding the qualifications of college staff to teach school pupils. The membership and terms of reference of the group are outlined in Annex C.
Schoolteachers
8.6 The Scottish Executive Education Department recently announced the second stage of its review of teacher education for schoolteachers. Included within the remit of this review is to examine whether existing initial teacher education courses prepare staff as well as possible for entry into the profession and to look at whether current guidelines and requirements relating to initial teacher education remain appropriate. Arrangements will be put in place to make sure that changes made to occupational standards for further education lecturers take account of the latest thinking on the education of schoolteachers. Currently, it is expected that a report of the review group's findings will be published in the autumn. The Scottish Executive Education Department will incorporate in the standards for teacher education for school teachers awareness of the work of further education colleges, including the delivery of education and training in colleges and school/college collaborative activities. Consideration will be given to the extent to which this awareness can be reinforced, where appropriate, by the joint delivery of awareness training to teachers and college lecturers.
Scottish Executive Education Department
Scottish Executive Enterprise, Transport and Lifelong Learning Department
November 2004
« Previous | Contents | Next »