Abstract

The push towards research evidence in schools has led to various models depicting the ways which schools and teachers engage with policy, practice and research. This ranges from Scutt’s (2019) evidence-informed approach to the OECD (2022) policy, practice and research engagement review. Missing from these models is any explicit recognition that trainee teachers, supported by their initial teacher training providers, are encouraged to develop their own lines of enquiry from the very beginning of their entry into the profession. Trainee teachers are often simultaneously developing pedagogical content knowledge and digital competencies. Where they are teaching computing or attempting to integrate technology into their teaching, trainees can be reliant on an uncertain body of evidence (Kucirkova, 2022). What counts as evidence may range between product testimonials, mentor expertise or experimental evidence. The trainee teacher needs to navigate these complexities in relation to their own practice. This presentation looks at the range of topics selected by primary and secondary PGCE trainees on both UK and international initial teacher training programmes and presents the researchable topics of current concern to those entering the teaching profession. As we look to the future, it is important to be informed as much by ‘newcomers’ as by ‘old timers’ in our communities of practice.