- College of Teachers
-
The College of Teachers is an examining body and learned society of teachers, professors and associated professionals who work in education in the United Kingdom and elsewhere.
The college was originally founded as the Society of Teachers in 1846 and incorporated by royal charter as The College of Preceptors in 1849. It changed its name to The College of Teachers in 1998. The college published The Educational Times from 1847–1923. The college initially awarded qualifications for secondary school teachers and pupils. Today the college provides qualifications for teachers or trainers and professionals working in education including teaching assistants, governors and anyone else who is operating in a support capacity to teachers or trainers.[1]
Contents
History
The college was founded by a group of private schoolmasters from Brighton who were concerned about standards within their profession. The college created a system for the formal examination and qualification of secondary school teachers. It was also one of the first bodies to examine and provide certificates for secondary school pupils of both sexes, from all over England and Wales, in a wide variety of subjects.[2]
During the 1870s, the college helped to establish education as a subject worthy of study at university level, resulting in the appointment of Joseph Payne as the first Professor of Education. Frances Buss (1827–1894) and Sir John Adams (1857–1934) were also connected to the college. During the 1950s the college pioneered management training schemes for teachers (at the time these were known as school administration courses).
Membership designations
The college has over the years had various [1] membership designations or post-nominals. These have included:
Membership and subscription-based post-nominals before 1999;
- MCollP - Member of the College of Preceptors
- LCollP - Licentiate of the College of Preceptors
- FCollP - Fellow of the College of Preceptors
In 1999, this membership structure changed to the following post-nominals:
- AMCollT - Associate Member of The College of Teachers
- MCollT - Member of The College of Teachers
- FCollT - Fellowship of The College of Teachers
Fellows were allowed to retain their more historical FCollP designation or change to the newer post-nominal.
Qualifications and accreditation
The college has also been instrumental in the recognition of many noted national and international educators. These people have been inducted into the school's Honorary Fellow Charter (Hon FCP). There are over 150 charter fellows including: G.H. Read, William G. Carr, John M. Rhoads, The Baroness Platt of Writtle, Sir Brynmor Jones and Zoya Malkova, Ulrich-Johannes Kledzik, Prof. Antony Miller, John Simpson, Christine Gilbert, Robin Alexander and George Browne Rego (Lindgren, 1993).
At present, as in the past, the college has provided both an examining facility as well as an educational membership society. According to its original charter of 1849, the College of Preceptors (now the College of Teachers) is empowered to award qualifications in various areas of teacher training. The college's qualifications [2] include the associateship (ACP), degree level licentiateship (LCP) and the fellowship (FCP). (Lindgren, 1991). The fellowship is awarded for a 25.000-50,000 word dissertation.
In 1999, the college renamed many of its diploma post-nominals, redesigning the award system as follows:
- ACoT - Associateship of the College of Teachers
- LCoT - Licenciate of the College of Teachers (not currently awarded)
- FCoT - Fellowship of the College of Teachers
The FCoT, like the earlier FCP (research equivalent to a MPhil in education), is awarded for original research. The new qualification is also awarded for a series of published articles or an original work in the field of educational studies.
Two foundation qualifications also exist which carry no post-nominal designations:
- COES - Certificate of Educational Studies
- DOES - Diploma of Educational Studies
The college also offers qualifications in TESOL at the following levels:
- Preliminary Level - Certificate of Educational Studies in TESOL
- Level 1 - Associateship in TESOL (does not include a practicum)
- Level 1 - Advanced Certificate in TESOL (includes a practicum)
- Level 2 - Diploma in TESOL (does not include a practicum)
- Level 2 - Advanced Diploma in TESOL (includes a practicum)
TESOL courses are offered through centres [3] for which they have gained accreditation from the college.
The fellowship in TESOL is also available through centres.
Lady Plowden Memorial Medal
In 2009 the College of Teachers created a medal which may be awarded to key figures within education. It was named after Bridget Plowden, who was a previous President of the College of Preceptors. Plowden was the first female president of the college. She was proposed for the dedication and her contribution to primary education through the Plowden report of 1967.
Publications
Journals
- The Educational Times published 1847-[1923]
- Education Today published from 1950.
Books
- College of Preceptors. Metropolitan Executive. (1977). Children under stress. London: College of Preceptors.
- College of Preceptors ([1967]). The movement for registration in the teaching profession 1861-1966. London: College of Preceptors.
- College of Preceptors ([1896]). Fifty years of progress in education : a review of the work of the College of Preceptors from its foundation in 1846 to its jubilee in 1896. London: College of Preceptors.
Primary sources
The archives of the College of Preceptors/College of Teachers are held in the archives of the Institute of Education, University of London and the full catalogue can be found online here.
Other sources
- American Association for the Advancement of Science. 1887. The London College of Preceptors. Moses King, v.9:471.
- Balfour, Graham. 1903. The Educational Systems of Great Britain and Ireland. Clarendon Press, 185.
- Eve. H.W. 1899. Secondary Education and the Primary Examinations. British Medical Journal. Published by British Medical Association. vol.1:123.
- Chapman, J. Vincent. 1985, Professional Roots: The College of Preceptors in British Society. Theydon Bois Epping.
- College of Preceptors. 1847. The Mechanics' Magazine. Original from Oxford University, 443-46, 485-90.
- College of Preceptors. 1908. Journal of the Royal Society of Arts. Royal Society of Arts (Great Britain), published for the Society by George Bell, v.57 1908-09, 432.
- College of Preceptors. 1895. Report of the Commissioners ... Great Britain Royal Commission on Secondary Education. Great Britain:H.M. Stationery Off., by Eyre and Spottiswoode, 58.
- College of Teachers. 2003. British Qualifications: A Complete Guide to Educational, Technical, Professional and Academic Qualifications in Britain. Kogan Page Ltd, 878.
- Lindgren, Carl Edwin. (March, 1990), A Haven for the Professional Educator, Vol. XCVI, No. 3, 53-55
- Lindgren, Carl Edwin (Winter, 1991), Academic Awards for Educators, Record (Kappa Delta Pi), Vol. 27, No. 1, 57
- Lindgren, Carl Edwin & Emerson, Peggy (September/October, 1993), British In-service for American Educators, The Clearing House, 48-50
- Lindgren, Carl Edwin (Spring 1993) A Vignette, An International College of Teacher Training, International Education, Vol. 22, No. 2:40-45.
- Montgomery, Robert John. 1967. College of Preceptors. Examinations: An Account of Their Evolution as Administrative Devices in England. University of Pittsburgh Press, 303.
- Monroe, Paul. 1913. Preceptors, The College of. A Cyclopedia of Education. Gale Research Co., v.5:26.
- The Teacher's Registration Bill. 1891. Hansard's Parliamentary Debates. Great Britain Parliament, Thomas Curson Hansard. v.350 1891 Feb-Mar, 1003.
- Winnipeg Science Fiction Society, Royal Society of Arts (Great Britain). 1873. The College of Preceptors. Winnipeg, v. 21:893.
References
- ^ College of Teachers (2007). "Overview of Qualifications". Archived from the original on 2008-03-10. http://web.archive.org/web/20080310205802/http://www.collegeofteachers.ac.uk/cpd/index.htm. Retrieved 2008-03-27
- ^ "Institute of Education Archives: DC/COP Records of the College of Preceptors.". Institute of Education. http://www.ioe.ac.uk/services/957.html. Retrieved 2009-04-01.
External links
Categories:- Education-related professional associations
- Qualification awarding bodies in the United Kingdom
- 1846 establishments in the United Kingdom
- Educational institutions established in 1846
Wikimedia Foundation. 2010.
