“An incentive for innovation”: the impact of being a subject-specific secondary ITE mentor on the professional learning of teacher mentors

Photo by Karola G on Pexels.com Crooks, V., London, L., & Snelson, H. (2025). “An incentive for innovation”: the impact of being a subject-specific secondary ITE mentor within an HEI partnership on the professional learning of teacher mentors. Professional Development in Education, 1–19. https://doi.org/10.1080/19415257.2025.2580324 This paper used a case study approach across three Higher Education Institution … Continue reading “An incentive for innovation”: the impact of being a subject-specific secondary ITE mentor on the professional learning of teacher mentors →

Recalibrating Your Teacher Identity: When Your Past Success Doesn’t Fit Your Current Experience

Photo by cottonbro studio on Pexels.com I feel like a failure At some point every year I will have a conversation with a beginning teacher who confesses that they feel like a total failure. "I just don't think I'm up to the job," they say. “I just don’t seem to be able to do it”. … Continue reading Recalibrating Your Teacher Identity: When Your Past Success Doesn’t Fit Your Current Experience →

Get into teaching: Selecting the teacher training course that is right for you

Photo by Pixabay on Pexels.com In recent years, the proliferation of initial Teacher Training (ITT) routes has made the landscape baffling for the uninitiated. I am often approached by people who are pondering training to be a teacher but are not quite sure which ITT route will be best for them to pursue. I’ve written … Continue reading Get into teaching: Selecting the teacher training course that is right for you →

You Don’t Have to Be a Natural: Overcoming Imposter Syndrome in Teaching

Photo by Gratisography on Pexels.com “Great teachers are born, not made” is one of the great myths of teacher training. Unfortunately, it is also a myth which makes its way into the subconscious of prospective teachers. As we prepare to begin a new academic year in initial teacher education, I know there are soon-to-be beginning … Continue reading You Don’t Have to Be a Natural: Overcoming Imposter Syndrome in Teaching →

Getting a foot in the door: Applying for a teaching job

Photo by RDNE Stock project on Pexels.com As we enter peak job application season in our secondary schools (I’m aware the application window for primary colleagues is different), I am reminded of the huge amount of time beginning teachers spend on applying for jobs. They often find the process of writing the application, and the … Continue reading Getting a foot in the door: Applying for a teaching job →

Moving Schools: Finding your footing in a new school as a teacher

Photo by Victoria Strelka_ph on Pexels.com One of the first blogs I wrote for the mentors of beginning teachers explored why mentees find changing teaching placements so hard. This blog contextualised the feelings that beginning teachers (although this is also true of more experienced teachers) can have when beginning roles in new school settings. It … Continue reading Moving Schools: Finding your footing in a new school as a teacher →

It’s not about the money, money, money – until it is. Teacher recruitment and the need for bursaries

Photo by Pixabay on Pexels.com The Initial Teacher Training (ITT) landscape should be driven by market forces like every other employment market. This is an argument we hear time and time again. There is a shortage of physics, maths, geography teachers (add or delete as appropriate) therefore we need to recognise the market forces at … Continue reading It’s not about the money, money, money – until it is. Teacher recruitment and the need for bursaries →

Experience and the educational ecosystem: why retention of experienced colleagues matters for beginning teachers

Photo by zhang kaiyv on Pexels.com A little while ago I had the opportunity to chat with a teacher who is 20 odd years into their teaching career. As they spoke about their Trust’s approach to curriculum, the demands being placed upon their department through whole school initiatives and the challenges that come from a … Continue reading Experience and the educational ecosystem: why retention of experienced colleagues matters for beginning teachers →

Tough teaching interviews: reflections on intentions and impacts

Photo by Andrea Piacquadio on Pexels.com I was recently in a conversation with a beginning teacher who told me about an interview question they had been posed. Then they laid down a challenge: “I’m interested what you would have said”. The interview question was interesting, and not one I’d heard before: What three substantive historical … Continue reading Tough teaching interviews: reflections on intentions and impacts →

To apply or not to apply – that is the question.

Photo by Markus Winkler on Pexels.com In the past few weeks, I’ve been asked the question ‘should I apply for this job?’ both by beginning teachers and more experienced teachers looking for a promotion post. It has led me to wonder why so many seemed consumed by this question, by a fear of making the … Continue reading To apply or not to apply – that is the question. →

Noticing the positives of beginning teachers’ practice: Supporting the transition between teaching practice placements

Photo by Binti Malu on Pexels.com Recently, I encountered this tweet passing on wisdom to mentors about to receive a new Initial Teacher Training/ Initial Teacher Education (ITT/ ITE) student for their second teaching practice placement: I have previously talked about why it can be difficult for ITE students when they change placement during their … Continue reading Noticing the positives of beginning teachers’ practice: Supporting the transition between teaching practice placements →

The elephant in the room: Why the subject specific training of beginning teachers matters

Photo by cottonbro studio on Pexels.com A number of years ago, I watched a lesson where the beginning teacher had been schooled in a set of systematised generic teaching strategies. They had diligently practised and tried to implement these strategies in their lessons, but they were struggling. They were also frustrated. They felt like no … Continue reading The elephant in the room: Why the subject specific training of beginning teachers matters →

Unintentional Teachers: Looking beyond vocation to attract people into the teaching profession

Photo by Pixabay on Pexels.com I didn’t intend to become a teacher. I knew I wanted a career which was, to my youthful judgement, ‘socially responsible’. I knew I liked people, although I wasn’t 100% sure about young children. For personal reasons I needed to stay living in my university town. I also knew I … Continue reading Unintentional Teachers: Looking beyond vocation to attract people into the teaching profession →