A Research Informed Approach to Initial Teacher Education in Wales: Intentions, Examples and Reflections

Abstract

This chapter explores the impetus for, and implications from, a radical overhaul of initial teacher education in Wales. The chapter outlines the chronology of reform and the resulting, significant changes to programmes of initial teacher preparation. The chapter outlines how a research-informed approach has redefined the contours of initial teacher education generally and has raised expectations of teachers using research to shape their practice, specifically. Examples from three initial teacher education partnerships highlight the centrality of a research informed design and each example illustrates how clinical practice is used as a model of delivery. The chapter contends that a research informed approach to initial teacher education in Wales has not only raised the quality of provision but also brought the prospect of a research-informed profession that much closer.