Epistemic Insight Digest: Issue 1 [Autumn 2020]

PREFACE: It’s a real delight to be asked to introduce a series of research reports produced by student teachers on the School Direct PGCE course. Working with guidance and direction from their course tutor, Paula Stone, these student teachers were invited to consider and critique my own area of research which in turn has been selected as a priority area here at Canterbury Christ Church. While the term epistemic insight has existed for some time, June 2017 saw the launch of the Epistemic Insight Initiative.
Epistemic insight means knowledge about knowledge, especially, knowledge about disciplines and how they interact. The research is carried out by tutors, researchers and student teachers using an approach designed to promote research informed, research engaged teaching (Stone and Billingsley, 2020). It means that the research is tailored to the circumstances and interests of each student teacher. We envisaged and now see in practice that this is a way that future teachers can learn about and contribute to an area of active international research. I’m thrilled by the outputs that they have produced and am very grateful to Paula and the School Direct student teachers for expanding the body of research relating to epistemic insight. They have added - as you will see here - new descriptions and interpretations of the initiative aims, new strategies and pedagogies designed to overcome the challenges we identified in previous research, new subjects and so knowledge domains, new educational settings, new critical appraisals (positive and negative) and new reasons and opportunities to ask questions and to do further research. It’s a wonderful success.