The University of Glasgow’s Faculty of Education is co-hosting with the General Teaching Council of Scotland an Invited International Symposium on Accomplished Teaching on June 23 and 24.

Representatives from the Scottish Government and HM Inspectorate for Education will be joined by scholars from Harvard, Cambridge, Oxford and Cardiff and from the Australian Research Council to examine the nature and development of accomplishment in teaching.

The Symposium is funded by the Scottish Government as part of the development of the Chartered Teacher Programme in Scotland.

A central focus of the Invited International Symposium is to bring together academics and leading professionals from different national education systems to develop thinking and practice in relation to accomplishment in teaching.

The think tank-style Symposium will look at new ideas and strategies to deal with how key issues are generated. A focus of the discussions will be on the role and practices of accomplished teachers across different educational systems internationally and the impact of expert teachers on other teachers and learners in a school.

The Symposium will be an opportunity also to share and extend current thinking on the recognition and sustaining of accomplished teaching situated in emerging constructions of professionalism.

The International Symposium is the first gathering of an International Network for Research and Development on Accomplished Teaching and includes academics, policy makers and representatives from professional bodies from across the UK, USA, Australia, Chile and New Zealand. This Network reflects the international concern for improving and sustaining teacher quality over a teacher’s career.

This International Symposium will inform thinking on the recognition and development of accomplished teaching in Scotland. It is to be followed by a National Seminar on September 6 and 7 which will bring together researchers, providers, lead professionals and policy makers from across Scotland to consider the future development of Chartered Teacher in Scotland.

Professor Christine Forde, who is jointly convening the Symposium with Rosa Murray, the Professional Officer of the GTC, said: “The Symposium is an exciting new development which will foster international links to support the growing research programme on accomplished teaching and teacher leadership in the Faculty of Education.

“The Symposium will also support the ongoing development of the Chartered Teacher Programme which under the leadership of Dr Margery McMahon recently received unconditional re-accreditation.”

For more information contact Nicolas White in the University of Glasgow Media Relations Office on 0141 330 3535 or email n.white@admin.gla.ac.uk

First published: 22 June 2010

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