Revitalise your career with chartered teacher status

Issue 29

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Teaching Scotland journalist

Studying for Chartered Teacher status - far from being an obligation - could be the catalyst for renewed vigour and a reminder of why you became a teacher in the first place: your love of learning.

Fizzing tablet

Not everyone who commits to a course of study with the aim of becoming a Chartered Teacher does so willingly, as these extracts from submissions to GTCS illustrate:

"I embarked on the Chartered Teacher studies course with a heavy heart and a deep-seated resentment . . .

When the McCrone agreement came to pass I found myself demoted, demoralised and disaffected".

"At the outset, I was little more than a small cog in the wheel, ranting in the wilderness".

Yet, having completed their studies and gained the right to apply for the formal status of Chartered Teacher, the same teachers showed that their experiences had transformed them. The first wrote: "I believe I've become a better teacher than I was four years ago, and aspire to be a great teacher within the next four . . . After 20 years of teaching it is a delight and revelation that I still want and need to learn more".

The 'small cog in the wheel' felt the programme of study had led him "to explore values, knowledge, attributes and actions that have placed me at the heart of development in my school".

"I believe I've become a better teacher than I was four years ago, and aspire to be a great teacher within the next four"

Reports of dramatic changes like these are frequent. Surprisingly, given that the Accreditation Route was devised to recognise the expertise of more experienced teachers, nearly half of those who chose to return to rigorous study on the Programme Route were aged over 45 when they began their courses. Why did they make such a commitment? Evidence from their own statements suggested that most did so because they wanted to grow as teachers, or as a natural progression from their own reflective practice.

Whatever their starting point, they refer constantly to being renewed and reinvigorated by their studies. For some, the experience of becoming a learner again was a revelation. Not only did it rekindle enthusiasm for gaining new knowledge, but some found it gave them a greater empathy with their pupils.

A change in perspective from teacher to learner reminded them what it is like to face the pressure of preparing for assessment, this led them to reflect on classroom strategies from the point of view of the learner and, in some cases, changed their relationships with pupils. One teacher felt she had become a role model in lifelong learning for her senior pupils, who: "Watched me juggle work commitments, extra-curricular activities, home life and studying, have a much better understanding of why being well-organised, focused and hard working is so important as they have seen it modelled on a day-to-day basis."

Key areas of learning

Though many had been reflective practitioners for years, they found that their study re-awakened - or awakened for the first time - their interest in theories of how people learn and how they could be used to develop their own practice. Study of diversity and inclusion made them aware of the barriers to learning faced by some of their pupils, one observing that this had forced her "to re-appraise my practice and the attitudes to my pupils who have diverse educational needs".

This process was often reinforced by greater knowledge of the potential of formative assessment, leading many to reconsider classroom strategies as their understanding grew of the difficulties faced by individual pupils and their learning needs.

The outcomes of these factors were often dramatic. Teachers reported their classroom management had improved as they became better communicators. They were more likely to encourage interaction within the classroom, to reward effort with praise and to show they valued pupils' opinions.

"My teaching has been transformed"

Not surprisingly, many found it easier to motivate pupils and create a positive learning atmosphere. They gained insight into reasons for some pupils becoming disruptive and were able to devise strategies to prevent such behaviour becoming a problem. This had an impact on practice, as one teacher explained: "My teaching has been transformed and I now endeavour to create learning environments with an emphasis on the management of learning rather than the management of behaviour."

Facing the future

None of this was easy. Much of the programme is based on cooperative learning, which is often challenging to manage. The study demanded high levels of commitment, sometimes from colleagues in school as well as the 'new' student, with collaborative practical research being a major and vital component of the work.

Yet the rewards of this commitment were well worth the effort. Apart from the new status and enhanced salary, many Chartered Teachers who have come through this route have found that they have more fulfilling professional lives. Some act as expert advisers or consultants to colleagues in and beyond their own schools in areas in which they had developed specific expertise: one supports and guides colleagues working with pupils with Autistic Spectrum Disorders; another contributes to CPD for teachers with isolated bi-lingual learners; a third offers master classes in the use of ICT in the classroom; while a fourth leads on integrating Modern Languages in the primary school curriculum. More broadly, some state that they have simply become a resource for colleagues:

"I have felt like a pioneer in every sense of the word"

"I am being sought out by my colleagues, who now regard me as an expert teacher, for advice on . . . teaching and learning issues" and "I have been able to deliver in-house support to colleagues . . . this is proving to be a very effective type of training. I am 'just along the corridor' and have experiential knowledge of the exact difficulties and challenges which my colleagues are trying to overcome."

The new confidence discovered by these teachers is a major resource for Scottish education, which must be used to the benefit of colleagues and pupils alike. These statements show that at least some who have come through the programme route are already showing leadership qualities in their schools and in their education authorities.

Feel the excitement and the pride in the teacher acknowledged as a leader in her school: "I have felt like a pioneer in every sense of the word. I have explored new territory in terms of educational research. I have initiated new practices of teaching in the school. I have helped clear the obstructions of cultural norms and misunderstanding and prepared a way for others to follow."

What is a Chartered Teacher?

There are those who have been, and are, cynical about the Chartered Teacher programme. What is a teacher - or indeed a Chartered Teacher? Let us leave the last words to one of these teachers who offers a powerful antidote to the cynics and the critics:

"The most important aspect of teaching is our humanity and respect for others and our underlying care for pupils' well being and the quality of education they receive."­

Related websites

www.gtcs.org.uk/charteredteacher

 

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