As Scotland looks to address challenges in teacher recruitment, a new initiative is helping would-be teachers to overcome a barrier preventing well-qualified candidates from entering the profession.
The University of Aberdeen has introduced a pioneering Online Access course to allow those who want to teach gain pre-requisite qualifications in maths and english.
Dr David Smith, head of the School of education at the University of Aberdeen explains: “There is a great demand for teachers in Scotland, particularly in certain subject areas; and many people who have enjoyed successful careers in other industries want to meet that need.
“Many are extremely well-qualified in the subject areas that they want to teach; however, given the responsibility of all for Literacy and Numeracy, all teachers are expected to demonstrate their ability in english and mathematics.
“Our experience of meeting prospective Student Teachers highlighted to us a gap in their own formal education in these subjects, which was holding them back from gaining entry to our professional graduate diploma in education, which educates many of our new teachers.”
As a result, the University, with support from Scottish Government, has developed in partnership with Secondary School teachers from Aberdeen City and Aberdeenshire Councils, an innovative online programme which enables students to take short courses, which can be joined 24/7 365 days a year and completed in a timeframe which suits the individual student’s learning.
Dr Smith continued: “Making a career-change or continuing your education is a big undertaking and we wanted to widen access to allow potential teachers to make up for gaps in their own formal education as simply as possible.’
“Our Online Access courses are demanding, but we have kept flexibility at the heart of their development, allowing students to join whenever they choose and to exit the course at many points throughout the year – in order to support entry to the teaching profession throughout Scotland.
“It means that if they need to complete quickly and are prepared to put in many additional hours of study, they can do so; but, if they are fitting study around work, family, and other commitments, they can take longer.
“We wanted the students to dictate their own pace and place of learning, and to make the experience as interactive as possible with video and other engaging content.
“The feedback has been fantastic, and despite only running the courses for a short period of time, we already have 423 students who have completed or are working towards the qualifications. This is a real testament to the need that existed for such an option.”
John Swinney, deputy first minister and cabinet secretary for education & skills in Scotland, said:
“I am delighted the Scottish Government has been able to fund the development of the University of Aberdeen’s innovative and flexible Online Access programme, which is already helping a significant number of individuals gain the qualifications necessary to join teacher education programmes in a way that best suits their personal circumstances.”