As teacher education is currently going through a turbulent period, the book launch on Wednesday 17 May was the chance for the ECS community and beyond to come together to celebrate and appreciate the role that education research plays in teacher education.

The co-editors of the 6th edition of Becoming a Teacher – Richard Brock, Simon Gibbons, Melissa Glackin, Lizzie Rushton and Emma Towers – proudly shared the book (published by Open University Press/ McGraw Hill on 3 April 2023) with some 20+ chapter authors who work in ECS, alongside fellow King’s colleagues, programme directors and module leaders, alumni, current and prospective students, and supporters of the School and the work it achieves.  

On a panel moderated by Melissa Glackin, Meg Maguire, Professor of Sociology of Education at ECS, reflected on the publication of the 1st edition of the book, which she coordinated alongside Justin Dillon in 1997. At the time, it was important to them to support teachers in their reflective thinking and give them access to trustworthy, informative and useful education research. An aim still the same today for edition 6.

Clare Brooks, Professor of Education at UCL Institute of Education, welcomed the new edition as she pointed out that the book had an important role: educators must be adequately supported if they are to hold on to their professionalism as they face tumultuous times in teacher education.

King’s alumna of the PGCE Chemistry programme (2021) Amiera Darwish, who is also a full-time secondary school teacher in an inner London comprehensive school and currently completing an MA in STEM Education in ECS, brought a personal perspective to the discussion. Before even commencing her training at King’s, she found that Becoming a Teacher had enabled her to understand education and teaching; it has now become her go-to book when she wants to hear trustworthy voices concerning broader educational issues.

The attendees also heard from Simon Gibbons, Senior Lecturer in English Education and Director of Teacher Education at ECS, and a co-editor of the 6th edition, as he gave a short critique of the current education policy landscape in England – a summary of the new chapter he’s co-written with Sarah Steadman.

Becoming a Teacher 6th edition addresses the recent issues that have been at the top of the educational agenda. It includes new chapters on wellbeing and mental health, using data in schools, and decolonising the curricula, and updated chapters on social justice, environmental and climate change education, and safeguarding.

You can buy the book with a 25% discount on the King’s website.

Photo credit: Nathan Clarke Photography.