The context of men following a primary SCITT programme is under- researched and so my findings are relevant and important. My study indicates there are a number of strategies and interventions that could be considered in a primary
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school-centred programme that could more effectively support male trainees. There are two areas of practice involved: the schools and the training centre.
Initial teaching providers should consider how they can better prepare male trainees for the challenges ahead of them in terms of how they may be viewed and stereotyped in the primary school and the possible conflict between professional and personal identities. Centre-based training can encourage trainees to reflect on their professional identities as male teachers as they progress through their training year. The trainees should be given the opportunity to consider how their previous life experiences have already affected and helped to establish their personal identities and so may influence their behaviour and development of their professional identity. By discussing potential tensions with them, men may be able to become more prepared as they enter the primary school community of practice. Gender issues and stereotypes should also be discussed, and not only with the male trainees. It is important to challenge an assumption that masculinity is necessarily aligned with men and femininity with women and training should be included which would allow both men and women to consider the expectations and stereotypes that still seem to be prevalent in some primary schools. Scenarios could be put to all trainees, for example, one about asking a man to move furniture, to see how they would react with a discussion about this type of request. This could also be discussed as part of mentor training. Warin and Wernesson (in Brownhill et al. 2016 p. 5) argue that neither men nor women should be disadvantaged by “limited and restricted views of what is appropriate and inappropriate for their behaviours as gendered individuals” and if more men could be attracted into early childhood education, a more gender- equal society may begin to be established.
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Course leaders and tutors, alongside the mentors, should be considered as important influences on identity development and should also be aware of gender issues within the teacher training year. Strategies to support the way in which male trainees can develop their resilience should be included within the programmes. Providers could incorporate open discussions about trainees’ emotional health and resilience at different points of the training year. Including an awareness of these issues in mentor training and developing more in depth training for mentors on the kinds of experiences and concerns men have, gender identities and masculinities, would enable them to support trainees more effectively. Impact studies in relation to men who had successfully overcome different obstacles to complete the course, such as feeling isolated, lack of support at home or finding the move to a new career difficult could be shared. Appointing mentors who volunteer for their role and are keen to fulfil their commitment, as well as ensuring that they are all able to access training, will encourage the relationship between trainee and mentor to have the best possible start.
As men with skills and interests in both sport and ICT seem to achieve well and these attributes appear to facilitate their acceptance in the feminised school environment, initial teacher training providers should consider this in their recruitment drives. Train to Teach events could be advertised at sporting venues as well as universities. Although this presents a dilemma for providers in terms of reinforcing gender stereotypes, my study has shown that having sporting skills can be a very positive factor in helping male trainees to feel confident and become accepted and achieve well in a primary school and as the aim is to have good teachers, whatever their gender, it is a possible way forward. It would also be appropriate to signal to men that although being good at sport may be an advantage, it may also be
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limiting. The events would also hopefully attract females too. Having sporting abilities may indicate skills and qualities such as determination, team spirit and being able to overcome setbacks and so would be of benefit to those embarking on a teaching career. For those female trainees who do not have sporting or ICT skills, providers should ensure that they have sufficient training in these subjects to support them to feel confident to teach these subjects so that they are not seen as areas in which only men teach.
The findings show that having support from male peers can be beneficial because it lessens the likelihood of the trainee feeling isolated. Placing male trainees in schools where there are other male trainees or teachers, however, is not a straight- forward solution for practice. Due to the chronic shortage of men in primary schools and on teacher training courses, peer placements cannot always be organised. For those whose role it is to place trainees in schools, there should be a concerted effort to ensure that at least one placement has a male teacher who is willing to mentor or provide support for the male trainee. Male peer support was found to be more important than having a male headteacher as a role model and this finding could encourage a change in approach for providers when placing trainees. School-centred ITT providers could encourage men practitioners to help deliver the centre-based training so that the male trainees have the opportunity to meet and talk with them; male trainees could then have the opportunity to observe these teachers back in their own classrooms. Opportunities such as these could help to build networks to support male trainees.
With the increase in numbers of small school-centred ITT providers, with perhaps only one or two male trainees each, it is worth considering how providers can work together to create opportunities for men to meet and discuss common areas
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of concern. Informal support groups of male trainees and qualified male teachers could be set up for groups of schools within a training cluster. Meetings could be held off-site so that they are more of a social occasion where experiences, help and advice can be shared. These meetings could be held each term or half-termly, depending upon specific needs, with an agenda to encourage men to discuss school matters and establish a sustainable social and professional network that could also include on-line support. If schools were supportive of this, perhaps meetings could be held in school time. A man involved in training the trainees could lead these meetings. Being aware of potential areas such as safeguarding and gender expectations would enable ITT providers to guide the initial agendas of these support groups. In my professional experience, all trainees and newly-qualified teachers appreciate the support of their peers, although this does vary from individual to individual and so it would be important to consider the purpose of these meetings each time.
Encouraging men to follow an education degree pathway if they want to become a primary teacher is a practice implication for providers to consider as there were successful men in my study who had this educational background. Although there were successful males who studied other subjects, two men in my research who had education degrees found that the subject matter prepared them well for teaching; their placement schools also found this to be beneficial. If providers could work with younger students, whilst they are still at sixth form and attending career fairs at this level, it may encourage young men to consider an education based degree in readiness for applying for a place on a teacher training programme in the future. Providers could continue to work with potential young male trainees by offering
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school experience and short placements in their partnership schools alongside practising male primary teachers.
With the increase in school-centred and school-led teacher training programmes, trainees are in the primary classroom right from the beginning of their course. Men in these training contexts are seen as role models straight away. School staff may have gendered expectations of their capacities to manage pupils, teach boys, play sport or understand digital technologies. They do not have the opportunity to work alongside other men to observe how they perform these roles before becoming a male role model themselves. Male trainees will need to develop an awareness of this expectation and be given opportunities to consider how they should react to it. As part of their centre-based training, providers could plan in sessions led by male teachers with a focus on real-life experiences and responses.
For men in primary teaching to feel that they are not automatically scrutinised in relation to safeguarding and to address some of the tensions surrounding this issue, perceptions of others need to change. For providers this could mean acknowledging in courses and in open discussions with school staff and male trainees, the pressure trainees may feel. Centre-based training and school-based mentoring could help men prepare for and respond to messages about safeguarding. Mentors should have specific training to become more aware of the intense scrutiny men feel and education of the whole school staff through INSET may help to alleviate the situation. Changing the perceptions of the outside world is more complicated. The media is powerful and many are influenced by it, including parents. Schools and the government could disseminate positive case studies and images of men working with young children and deliver a campaign that teaching is a career for both men and women. All children should have the right to have their education delivered by both
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genders and there should be employment equity within primary teaching, which includes leadership and management roles.
Government policy is to attract career changers into teaching and there has been a specific “Troops to Teachers” recruitment drive since 2010. The focus on encouraging men from military and masculine professions to teach is linked to concerns about boys not having appropriate role models, boys’ underachievement and classroom management. My research shows that this may not be the right approach. Mature male trainees, in my study who were career changers, did not achieve as well as younger men. The current recruitment drives may be aimed at the wrong sector and demographic. For men who have been in senior positions, for example in the police or the armed forces, the move into the feminised primary teaching profession where they must establish new identities and ways of interacting may present real challenges. Schools and training providers should consider whether these hyper-masculine stereotypes are the only acceptable ones within primary schools; very successful trainees in my study, those that achieved outstanding outcomes, did not come from this type of background and were not militaristic role models. If government policy continues to encourage career changers from the more masculine professions, ITT providers need to consider how they can support these men so that they achieve well. This may be through additional guidance during induction, before beginning school placements, as well as continual support once trainees are in school. Providers should consider this in the recruitment and selection process.