2007 / 2008

Welcoming delegates to the annual Prince’s Teaching Institute (PTI) Summer School, course director Bernice McCabe told delegates that teaching had to be rescued from an often pessimistic and sceptical outlook. ‘Just as we must inspire children to discover what lies at the heart of our subjects, so we must rediscover our own sense of idealism about our profession.’

This seventh Summer School is taking place at Homerton College, Cambridge from 30 June to 3 July. In response to teacher demand, Geography is to be added to the list of subjects for discussion. This year the Summer School will concentrate on Science and Geography, with a second event in November dedicated to English and History. Further details of the Summer Schools programme and other PTI events can be found at www.princes-ti.org.uk

Mrs McCabe, who is headmistress at North London Collegiate School, told delegates that the Institute had been established to bring teachers together for the purpose of discussing and, where appropriate, challenging the ways in which the teaching of their subject is approached. ‘Its emphasis is on subject knowledge and academic rigour, both in the classroom and in the professional development of teachers.’

She said, ‘Each year we have spent time discussing the kind of teaching that moves a lesson from being good to being inspirational. For me, that quality of “inspiration” is about communicating something of our own passions and values. And when we find a way of communicating our own passions and values, pupils sit up and take note.

‘There has been a widespread feeling among teachers that there should be more incentive for them to communicate the richness of their subjects and the sheer enjoyment of studying them. But it is not always easy for them to do so, because of the way the curriculum and its assessment have been designed.

‘One aspect of education policy that has depressed many teachers has been the pervasive rationale that the over-riding purpose of education is to enhance the economic competitiveness of the nation. One serious consequence of this has been the emphasis on functional learning which may lead to the cultural and intellectual impoverishment of a generation of school children.

‘One of the regular conclusions of our Summer Schools has been that pupils are encouraged by being challenged, that it is possible for them to enjoy “difficulty” and that problem solving can be popular. By having high expectations and ensuring that all pupils, irrespective of their backgrounds, are taught the aspects of our subjects that we most value rather than those that are immediately accessible, we can raise standards too – the standards of scholarship, engagement, self-motivation.’

The keynote address will be given by climate science expert Professor James Lovelock (Planet and People – Where Next?). There will also be presentations from Cambridge University’s Professor Lisa Jardine-Wright (Keeping up with the Universe) and the British Antarctic Survey’s Dr David Vaughan (Climate Change in the Polar Regions – Remote or Relevant?) as well as an after-dinner speech by explorer and television star Michael Palin.

The Rt Hon Ed Balls, Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families, and Lord Adonis, Parliamentary Under Secretary of State for Schools and Learners, will attend a plenary panel discussion at the conference on 2 July

The Summer Schools are part of The Prince’s Teaching Institute (PTI). A venture by teachers for teachers, the PTI works in partnership with Cambridge University, and has the support of the Training and Development Agency, Ofsted, and the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families.

The Prince’s Teaching Institute is committed to improving children’s education in state schools. Its aims are to:

• Promote and provide subject-based continuous professional development for teachers
• Create an inspirational forum for teachers, enabling them to step away from the classroom and rediscover their love of subject
• Promote the idea that subject knowledge, subject rigour and the enthusiasm for communicating them are essential requirements for effective teaching
• Encourage and inspire teachers by demonstrating good use of academic rigour and challenge in the classroom
• Create stronger links between academic departments in schools and universities
• Promote and enable a more constructive dialogue between teachers and government educational agencies
• Exercise a beneficial influence on the development of policy in the areas of curriculum development, assessment and training
  

Notes for Editors

The Prince’s Teaching Institute (PTI) has grown out of The Prince of Wales’s Education Summer Schools which have provided an inspirational forum for teachers to step away from the classroom and rediscover their love of their subject. More than 500 teachers have attended the Education Summer Schools since the scheme started in 2002.
The PTI was constituted in 2006 as a registered charity to provide more systematic support for teachers. It works in strategic partnership with the University of Cambridge.

In November 2007 the PTI launched its Schools Programme, open to all state secondary schools in England, to recognise and reward school departments which have developed inspirational ideas and activities that enhance the teaching of their subjects.