10.09.09 - GTC Scotland shares knowledge at home and abroad

Research by the GTC Scotland into the Chartered Teacher initiative and the Teacher Induction Scheme is being presented at education conferences in the UK and abroad.

GTC Scotland professional officer, Rosa Murray, will present a paper on Chartered Teachers on the 28 September at the European Conference of Educational Research in Vienna. The paper (entitled 'Aspects of rewarding accomplished teaching') is part of a symposium including the Universities of Glasgow and Stirling.

The conference aims to evaluate and analyse the history and current state of educational research, and to discuss and develop further the relations between theory and evidence in education research in Europe.

Rosa Murray said:

"To be invited to participate in such a high profile conference highlights the fact that GTC Scotland's research and its findings are significant and relevant for the education community not just in Scotland but across Europe and beyond.

"Much of our work with leadership programmes such as Chartered Teacher is leading the way in Continuous Professional Development across Europe."

Meanwhile, Ian Matheson, Educational Planning and Research Officer at the GTC Scotland, recently attended the British Educational Research Association Conference in Manchester as part of a symposium including academics from the Universities of Glasgow and Edinburgh. Ian presented a paper on models of support in the Teacher Induction Scheme (TIS), with particular attention being paid to the experiences of the scheme of head teachers and supporters. The paper is the result of focus group findings in seven local authorities.

Ian commented:

"The TIS has provoked world-wide interest and as such we are keen to review users' experiences of it to ensure that it is the best scheme available.

"We know already that year on year about 97-98% of teachers succeed in achieving full registration through their participation in the scheme and we want to maintain and build on this."

Tony Finn, Chief Executive of the GTC Scotland added:

"We are delighted that key thinkers in the UK and the rest of Europe want to find out more about the work of the GTC Scotland. .

"Invitations to both conferences are the direct result of the hard work undertaken by GTC Scotland staff to help develop the innovative Chartered Teacher scheme and to continue to carry out incisive research. The papers presented by Rosa and Ian are part of larger Higher Education symposia; and this is evidence of the growing partnership between the GTC Scotland and the higher education sector."

Further information

Copies of these papers will be loaded to the research section of the GTC Scotland website for viewing following the events. Other research papers, including from the Teacher Research Programme, can currently be viewed within the researcharea of the website.

British Educational Research Association Conference - (2 - 5 September 2009)

 European Conference of Educational Research - (28 - 30 September 2009, Vienna)

For more information please contact Kelly Paterson, GTC Scotland press office, on T: 0131 200 6231 or at kelly.paterson@kindredagency.com