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LEAD: Learn – Experiment – Apply – Develop

I am very pleased to welcome you to the latest issue of the new digital Pilgrims Teacher Training Journal.

To access the Teacher Trainer Journal click on the link to the journal below. The first time you open the link you may see a site map. Click on continue and this will disappear and you will continue to the flip book version of the journal.

When you have opened the journal you can scroll back and forward through the journal pages. Any links in the articles or the references can also be accessed. If you are looking for the archive go to the menu on the top right hand side of the page. For the time being, more recent issues of the journal are directly available at the bottom of this page in PDF format.

I am very pleased to welcome you to the latest issue of the digital The Pilgrims Teacher Training Journal.

The new digital The Pilgrims Teacher Training Journal began life just over two years ago in the middle of the COVID pandemic. I’d like to take this opportunity in my editorial this time for readers who may not be aware our history to provide you with information about The Pilgrims Teacher Training Journal.

The Pilgrims Teacher Trainer Journal has been published by Pilgrims since the early 1980s, initiated by Tessa Woodward and supported by Marian Nicholson, and has a high reputation in the world of ELT and teacher education. It was initially a print journal and since 2006 has also been published in digital format. In 2020, Tessa and Marian decided to focus on other professional interests and I was asked to take on the management and editing of the journal. The journal is now digital only and is free to access without subscription and is published four times a year. Tessa ensured the highest professional quality and standards in the publication of the journal for over 40 years. An essential aspect of these standards is that we can all learn from evidence-informed global good practice. Understanding how global good practice is reflected specifically in different local contexts is an important element in understanding the meaning of humanistic teaching and learning. These are standards and an approach I aim to continue and reflect in the journal.

Recently I have been exploring the concepts of empathy and sympathy and while I am sure in certain situations we would want to appear sympathetic, I believe it is empathy and empathetic approaches which are most supportive when we are working as teacher trainers and teacher educators with teachers. I would like to share a short video from Brené Brown which explains the difference – connection with those we are working with or engaging with is everything. https://youtu.be/1Evwgu369Jw

Some latest exciting news is that we have begun a very important cooperation with the British Council Teacher Educator network and in the this issue we are reviewing a range of “How to” booklets that have been produced on teacher education and are available on the British Council Teaching English website https://www.teachingenglish.org. uk/publications/case-studies-insights-and-research. These reviews will be available on the link above as well as published in our journal on the themes of (i) inclusive practices and special educational needs, (ii) research, (iii) teaching and learning online since the pandemic and (iv) motivation/creativity and teacher identity. The first three are published in this issue and the fourth one will be published in our July issue.

We also now have a recent cooperation with Basil Paterson College in Edinburgh. More information on the college can be found in this issue of the journal and in a future edition we intend to have articles from the Basil Paterson team.

As always, in this issue we have strong international representation in our articles and book reviews, and an interview reflecting an important ethos of the journal where we strive to continue learning about good practice from different contexts and share that experience based on evidence from our different realities. In this way, we can share our similar and different global understandings of good practice in teacher education. Our different realities in this edition once again cross a number of countries and regions – Argentina, Iran, Pakistan, France and the UK with contributions from some of our regular reviewers and some new first time contributors. In this edition, we also have an interview in video format exploring concepts of personal and individual CPD. I hope you will find the time to watch the full interview.

We would love to receive contributions – articles, interviews, book and resources reviews from teacher educators globally. A brief description of the guidelines for writers can be found on the website. For more detailed information contact Phil: phil.dexter@pilgrimsttj.com

I am sure you understand that producing a journal like this one involves costs. To continue ensuring we can maintain the journal at its highest professional standard throughout 2023 and beyond and remain committed to the standards, rigour and integrity that you expect, we would appreciate your support. If you would like to contribute and feel you can afford to, please do so using the form below. Thank you – it is most appreciated.

Our teacher trainer journal is very much a public face of Pilgrims in promoting excellence in education. As our Director of Education and Training, Chaz Pugliese says in his piece, this summer we are hosting our summer training at the University of Galway.

We hope you find this very much another content rich edition as we intend every edition to be. The journal continues to be intended to be YOUR VOICE in reflecting and sharing global ideas on teacher education. In doing this, sometimes an article may seem to be a little controversial and though we strive for everything to be evidence-informed, this also means there may be strong personal views on a topic. We believe that The Pilgrims Teacher Trainer Journal should be a space for this. And, of course, we welcome debate and would very much welcome any responses to articles that we publish.

As mentioned above, as always, we welcome contributions for the journal on all aspects of teacher education, and these can be sent to me at phil.dexter@pilgrimsttj.com at any time for future publication. We have a style guide for contributors and it’s best if you can follow this before submitting a contribution. If you are submitting a contribution based on research, it’s important that you have the necessary permissions from anyone who has contributed to any research data. Please contact me for further information and details are also available on the website.

phil.dexter@pilgrimsttj.com