How do trainee teachers from minoritised groups in England feel about their training?

Vickers-Hulse, Karan

Abstract

This research focuses on the findings of a case study conducted with a group of trainee teachers from minoritised communities in a Higher Education institution in the South West of England. It explores the experiences and opinions of a small group of trainees from minoritised groups (Black, Asian, Disabled, Neurodivergent and LGBTQ+) studying on teacher training courses within the institution. The 2017 Runnymede Report entitled: 'Bristol - a divided city?' remarks that the ethnocentric frameworks for learning coerce schools towards normalcy bias against positive representation and that there is a strong need in Bristol to design a curriculum with the explicit themes of equality, diversity and inclusion as teachers tend to avoid abyssal-thinking and so adopt epistemic blindness (Marn, 2017). The report highlighted that Bristol, England had fewer teachers from diverse groups (in particularly those from the global majority) than other cities of the same demographic and that educational and employment outcomes for pupils is wider in Bristol than any other city in the UK (Runnymede, 2017). There is growing demand for change, as evidenced by the recent events in Bristol such as the toppling of the statue of the controversial figure Colston; nationally due to the lack of teachers from minoritised groups and internationally with regards to the activist movements of Black Lives Matter. This research is part of a longer-term study where the outcomes will impact on future communities of trainee teachers; partnership schools and wider stakeholders in Bristol and beyond. This presentation is a summary of the findings from the research, recommendations for practice and policy and an exploration of future research projects.

Citation

Vickers-Hulse, K. (2022, May). How do trainee teachers from minoritised groups in England feel about their training?

• Presentation Conference Type: Lecture
• Start Date: May 27, 2022
• Deposit Date: Jun 7, 2022
• Publicly Available Date: Jun 8, 2022
• Keywords: trainee teachers; minoritised groups; teacher training
• Public URL: https://uwe-repository.worktribe.com/output/9613066