Teacher training - basic and specialist teacher training - United Kingdom (Northern Ireland)

Teacher education

Initial teacher education [ITE] in Northern Ireland is based on the reflective and activist practitioner model and is centred on the development of a framework of teaching competences as outlined by the General Teaching Council for Northern Ireland [GTCNI] (GTCNI, 2007).

The competences make explicit the attributes, skills, and knowledge that teachers require within the context of a model of continuous professional development. The competences are not discrete or ‘complete’ at any stage of the teacher’s professional life, but rather must be viewed in a dynamic fashion as, initially supporting, but also evolving out of the teacher’s particular professional context at given stages in their career.

Specific reference is made in the GTCNI competence statements for the need for teachers to meet the needs of all pupils in their care, including those who may have particular or special needs. The competences state that teachers need knowledge and understanding of their responsibilities under the Special Educational Needs Code of Practice; they need to know the features of the most common special needs and how best to address them; and they need to plan and employ appropriate teaching and assessment strategies to meet the variety of pupil needs they encounter in their professional lives.

http://www.gtcni.org.uk/uploads/docs/GTCNI_Comp_Bmrk%20%20Aug%2007.pdf

http://www.deni.gov.uk/teachers_-_teacher_education_review-consultation