Comments on: Is a degree enough?

By: Doug Belshaw

Doug Belshaw — Wed, 23 Apr 2008 17:22:32 +0000

Thanks for the comments, people. Without wanting to belittle any of the great work and self-reflection that goes on in the edublogosphere, a lot of back-slapping goes on at times. :s

The most popular bloggers are the most self-reflective ones, and therefore probably the ones least likely to benefit from formal courses anyway. Those who don't blog are, to make a sweeping generalisation, less likely to be reflective practitioners, and therefore more likely to benefit from formal programmes.

Ideally, I'd like to see people do both. Formal and non-formal learning are not mutually-exclusive. They (can) feed into each other very well… :D

By: Paul Harrington

Paul Harrington — Wed, 23 Apr 2008 07:27:07 +0000

I can only just remember back to my degree and PGCE ( no we did not use quill pens!) some would say that but they would be very cruel!(PH BSc PGCE DipHE) I would equate coming out of University all shiny and new with going onto the road first after passing your driving test. Sure you know all of the theory , however you know very little about the practicalities of driving, which of course comes with experience.
It is as Lisa suggest a shame that classroom teachers are not rewarded more for excellent classroom practice, but seem to gain kudos more in the eyes of the powers that be, by climbing the greasy pole and pushing themselves to become more qualified. Unfortunately this route also has a tendency to lead you out of the classroom, for many the whole reason for entering the profession in the first place.
It comes down in the end to personal preference, I know that personally I would very much prefer to be a lifelong learner who is constantly challenged and develops along my own 'learning journey' independent of organised academia, however I can also see that for the 'younger generation' (oooh I sound old!)having those additional
qualifications may be seen as a good insurance policy. However I still think life experience will win out over qualification in the end ( well, I would say that wouldn't I?)

By: Charlie A. Roy

Charlie A. Roy — Wed, 23 Apr 2008 00:51:37 +0000

I think teachers who are life long learners have the most impact on their students. Sometimes this translates into advanced degrees. I don't think anyone becomes a worse teacher by taking more classes but the two are not essentially correlated.

My MA in EdAdmin and master's classes in theology have helped me to be a better principal and teacher but I would say the bulk of my learning has come from my own PLN. Reading the journals and saying abreast of those who have powerful innovative ideas has been a second education worth its time spent in front of the computer.

By: Mtt

Mtt — Tue, 22 Apr 2008 20:59:32 +0000

We needs teachers that are enthusiastic and passionate about working with young people and their subjects. Completing a PGCE gives teachers a good grounding in educational thinking, but I feel that the classroom is the place for teachers to really learn.

Looking back at my own degree (B.A. in Primary Education), I learnt how to be a teacher when on practices. Theory is important, indeed, but there's so much more to teaching than theory. Would giving teachers more time to observe excellent teachers teaching help them to better themselves. I would think so. Would I learn how to be a better teacher by completing further study? Possibly. Having said that, teacher training institutes are, in some ways, out of date some of the time. How can tutors that haven't themselves taught for many years, tell students how to teach in, let's face it, an enviornment that is constantly changing.

By: Lisa

Lisa — Tue, 22 Apr 2008 19:48:07 +0000

I don't think that more (official) study and having more letters after my name would make me a better teacher, nor would finding the time to pursue it in an already hectic life. Further study is not for everyone – some are not inclined towards that sort of thing, and for some it is not practical.
When I was young(er) and started teaching, it was as much as I could do to keep sane enough to teach to the best of my ability. Then I went into middle management and had paperwork too. Family too takes time. I'm not saying that you neglect any of these if you take your studies on further but for me (and I suspect others) a decision has to made on priorities – and that's not one of the highest for me if I want to maintain my identity as ME and not as simply a teacher.
That's not to say that I've let my brain stagnate and am coasting along content with my current level of knowledge – that would be wrong as I'm always looking for new ideas and want to learn all the time, and I'm constantly reflecting on how I teach as I work with others who are starting out on language teaching.
If experience and good classroom practice were recognised more highly, there would be reward for anyone who is a good teacher – with or without further qualifications.
If you were to paid by qualification, a few years ago I'd have driven myself into the ground to gain a higher degree – now I don't think I would. For me – money is great but I'd rather have a happy family , enjoy my work with the respect of others (both within and without the school) and have a life outside teaching.

By: Dave Stacey

Dave Stacey — Tue, 22 Apr 2008 19:06:00 +0000

In theory, that's a great idea. More qualifications = better at teaching. Only problem is, as you yourself point out in the first half of the post, that equation doesn't always stand up to closer inspection.

Firstly, I was overwhelmingly disappointed with large chunks of both my undergraduate degree and PGCE. Some parts were fantastic, but as a rule of thumb I'd say I learned more that's been useful to me as a teacher though the work I did with the Student Media and Students Union during my degree than my degree work, and I've learned far more about teaching though blogging and the schoolhistoryforum than I did through my PGCE. My time is precious and I for one would rather spend it researching, trying ideas out and blogging about it, than having to research and write essays that someone else is telling me is important.

Now if I could get a qualification for that, then we'd be talking…