Teacher education is an important field for research, since the quality of teacher education has been regularly questioned by governments across Europe, whilst teacher quality is increasingly seen as crucial to improving educational outcomes and pupil achievement (OECD, 2011; European Commission, 2015). Although it might look ’deceptively simple’ (Grossman et al, 2009), the work of teacher educators is complex and multiple (Boyd and White, 2017), and we are not just teachers of teachers (Lunenberg et al., 2017).

This workshop will begin with a short presentation from each of the convenors outling their current research practcies  before we move on to make connections using LEGO® SERIOUS PLAY®, a facilitated methodology that uses brick-building and metaphoric storytelling as a form of communication and problem-solving.  In Making is Connecting Guantlett (2018) argues that through making things people engage with the world and create connections with each other. The aim of the workshop is to offer an opportunity for those interested in teacher education to engage with the themes of the network and create networking opportunities for doctoral students, emerging and early career researchers and those interested in learning more.   In this workshop you will learn about the LEGO® SERIOUS PLAY®  method and how it can be used in a wide range of learning, teaching and research contexts as well as explore possibilities for connection and collaboration in teacher education.

Boyd, P. and White, E. (2017). Teacher educator professional inquiry in an age of accountability. In Boyd, P. & Szplit, A. (eds.) Teacher and Teacher Educator Inquiry: International Perspectives . Kraków: Attyka. Guantlett, D. (2018) Making is Connecting: The social meaning of creativity, from DIY and knitting to YouTube and Web 2.0. Cambridge: Polity Press. Grossman, P., Hammerness, K. and McDonald, M. (2009) Redefining Teacher: Re-imagining Teacher Education. Teachers and Teaching: Theory and Practice, 15(2): 273-90. Izadinia, M. (2014). Teacher Educators’ Identity: a review of the literature. European Journal of Teacher Education, 37 (4), 426-441. OECD (Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development) (2011) Building a Teaching Profession: Lessons from around the World. Paris: OECD Publishing. Lunenburg, M. Murray, J, Smith, K. and Vanderlinde, R. (2017) Collaborative Teacher Education Development in Europe: Different Voices, One Goal. Professional Development in Education, 43(4):556-572.