Teacher Training Resource Bank

The Teacher Training Resource Bank (TTRB)website aims to support the Initial Teacher Training community in its use of evidence to inform practice. It provides access to thousands of resources, such as research reports, video materials and practical - evidence informed - materials. Funded by the Training and Development Agency for Schools,based in England, (formerly the Teacher Training Agency) the project was launched in March 2006 with the following aims:

*To articulate and represent the professional knowledge bases that underpin teacher education
*To increase the range and quality of resources available with ITE especially video based resources.
*To raise the profile of teacher training research and knowledge creation
*Promote change by linking theory, debate and practice
*To provide a personalised support service for teacher educators

The TTRB team manages a selection process to ensure that resources meet published inclusion criteria, are of high quality and reflect educational debates. The service provides a clear picture of the current education policy agenda and key debates are reflected and presented alongside key research evidence.

A unique feature of the TTRB is the personalised support available to users who register with the site through an e-librarian service. The e-librarian comprehensively answers individual questions from teacher trainers and trainees providing references to other online resources to help users research and inform their professional judgement.

The TTRB website consists of peer moderated reviews and summaries of a wide range of materials that have been classified using the British Education Thesaurus of over 8,400 words and other schemas including Qualified Teacher Status standards to aid accessibility.

A dedicated [http://www.sen.ttrb.ac.uk special educational needs (SEN) portal] now forms part of the TTRB. The site complements an SEN leaflet, produced by a team of experts, which was sent to all ITT trainers and trainees. This includes an online version of the 1978 Warnock Report.

A [http://partnerships.ttrb.ac.uk Partnership micro-site] has also been set up to house over 120 resources aimed at improving the quality of school placements within Initial Teacher Education.

Contributing to the TTRB:

Over 100 reviewers have already contributed to the TTRB and enquiries from potential reviewers are always welcomed. Contact [e-mail] with resources or subject areas you think should be included in the TTRB. More information on contributing is available from the TTRB.

The success and continued development of the TTRB relies on the engagement of ITT colleagues from across the sector to:

*suggest resources for inclusion on the site
*review research for publication on the TTRB (this is a paid role)
*provide feedback on the site
*champion the use of the site to colleagues and trainees

For more information about how to become involved in this initiative please visit the site at www.ttrb.ac.uk or to become involved in its ongoing development the project team can be contacted via email at [e-mail]

The TTRB is managed and run by a consortium of 4 partners from the education and ICT sectors:

3T Productions

http://www.3t.co.uk/

Canterbury Christ Church University

http://www.canterbury.ac.uk/

The Institute of Education

http://ioewebserver.ioe.ac.uk/

The British Education Index, University of Leeds

http://www.leeds.ac.uk/bei/

The consortium is supported by the Training and Development Agency for Schools.

http://www.tda.gov.uk/

The E-librarian service has been generously supported by the Microsoft Partners in Learning initiative.

http://www.microsoft.com/education/partnersinlearning.mspx

External links

* [http://www.ttrb.ac.uk/ Website]
* [http://www.tda.gov.uk/partners/quality/practiceresearch/ttrb.aspx]
* [http://www.teachingexpertise.com/articles/teacher-training-resource-bank-ttrb-641]
* [http://escalate.ac.uk/index.cfm?action=links.link&ID=2548&categoryID=2547]