Problems

Given that it is hard to generalise about the progress and development of history trainees it is not surprising that it is hard to generalise about the sorts problems that they may encounter. As each trainee is such a different 'package' of knowledge, skills, abilities, attitudes and aspirations then it is likely that our programmes will prove challenging in different ways for different individuals.

We can, however, say that the place where problems are most likely to emerge is in school. We may get hints of them in the university but it is likely that the nature of what we are doing (considering ideas for practice) and how we work in this context (through discussion, in small groups and so on) will mean that here they will appear as warning signs rather than actual problems.

We can also predict that there will be certain points in the year when problems are more likely to emerge: towards the ends of term when they are exhausted; when they change schools. And we can also predict that how we work with them can contribute to the creation of problems. We not only make a difference to what they do learn but we can also make a difference to what they struggle with. Asking them to undertake responsibilities before they are ready for them, requiring them to complete tasks when they have inadequate knowledge and understandings, expecting them to cope with a class that experienced teachers find difficult, for example, are all likely to create difficulties, however promising the trainee.

Just about any area of our curriculum for teacher education or any aspect of the Standards may prove challenging for an individual. And during the course of the year it is likely that all will struggle with one or another aspect of teaching. Some may find it difficult to work collaboratively, for others their subject knowledge may be weak, some may find it impossible to make decisions in their planning, others may struggle to design worthwhile activities for the pupils, others find it hard to communicate their own enthusiasm for history – the list is potentially endless! But although we cannot generalise about the likely focus of their problems we can say that there are common questions we should ask if a problem emerges

1. What's the nature of the problem?
   We need to look hard here and distinguish between 'presenting symptoms' and the key issue. For example, if a trainee is finding it increasingly hard to control their classes and the pupils are often off task it might seem that the key is assertive behaviour management techniques. But it is just as likely to be the nature of the learning activities and how these are presented to the pupils that are the heart of the problem. Hence what the trainee will most benefit from is support in their planning. Similarly, if a trainee's questioning is weak and always focuses on simple comprehension questions then it may be that the underlying issue is their own understanding of the history – and it is that which needs work rather than just questioning.
2. Why might they be having this problem?
   In relation to the last example, is it that they don’t know very much about this particular topic or is it that they view historical knowledge as a list of facts about the past to be learnt? If it's the first then this is much easier to tackle than the second. A very different example might be a trainee whose lessons are always teacher led, with pupils having little opportunity to work things out for themselves. This could be because this is how the trainee learnt history at school and hence what needs to be talked through are the values and limitations of this model of teaching and learning.
3. How severe is it?
   This is a tricky question to answer, not least as often it takes time for the answer to emerge. But if we (in conjunction with the mentor) have sufficient evidence to suggest that this is an enduring problem, a key issue we face is how we ensure that the trainee is aware of it and yet is not too disheartened by the knowledge. There are no easy answers here, but being dishonest with a trainee and pretending that all is well, will not help. If they are to address the issue, then they too need to understand its nature.
4. What can we do?
   Once we feel we have diagnosed the problem, only then are we in a position to design support that is more likely to be effective. Simply telling the trainee that they have to do something about it is unlikely, in most instances, to be enough: we will need to think about specific learning opportunities (focused observation of other teachers, video-taping of themselves, joint planning, specific discussion and so on) for the trainee.

Much of the work in addressing problems will actually be done by mentors, with tutors acting as a sounding board, source of advice and occasional contributor. Regular communication with mentors, in person, by phone or email will be important here. The other key player must be the trainee: if they understand the nature and purpose of the strategies we employ they will be much better placed to continue their development in the future.