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Council for Subject Associations

The UK based Council for Subject Associations is an umbrella or peak organisation for the major specialist subject associations concerned with school based education in the UK (more than 30 organisations). Complementary associations which represent the interests of those training teachers are the Universities Council for the Education of Teachers (UCET) and the National Association of School-based Teacher Trainers(NASBTT).

As with UCET and NASBTT, the Council for Subject Associations provides a bridge to government policy departments or the media enabling dialogue on professional issues.

Such organisations potentially have a role to play in addressing UNECO and OECD concerns about the professional development of teachers and the training of new teachers. A major way that educators in some countries share, benchmark and improve their practices is through subject associations. Such associations, often run voluntarily are strong in some countries but entirely absent in others. UNESCO and OECD surveys consistently find that teachers' professional development and initial training is insufficient. UNESCO data suggests 69 million new teachers are needed if the Education 2030 goals are to be reached. The OECD has published many reports on the barriers to teacher professional development and their ongoing Teaching and Learning International Surveys (TALIS) highlight the problems about the quality and quantity of initial and continuing training of teachers faced in all countries.

Typically school focused subject associations are non-profit making and exist principally to support high quality teaching in a subject. They usually have links with the industries which provide employment for specialists in their area. They provide a wide range of professional services for teachers to keep them abreast with the latest thinking and practices in their field such as annual conferences, continuing professional development programmes, online knowledge sharing networks, publications with practice-based and research-based advice. They are able to pool expertise and thinking and develop 'next practice' ideas by drawing on the knowledge and experiences of their membership across the country.

Such national subject specific organisations also provide a bridge between teacher practitioners in one country and those in others through international subject specialist organisations. See for example, IFIP which is an international umbrella organisation for those interested in computing and educational technologies or the International Drama/Theatre organisation .

References

Council for Subject Associations home page

Australian Subject Associations

The Role of Professional Subject Associations in Adult Education (across Europe)

Ontario (Canada) College of Teachers on Subject Associations

New Zealand Post Primary Teachers' Association on Subject Associations

UK Chartered College of Teaching on Subject Associations

UK Universities Council for the Education of Teachers on Subject Associations

Example of advice to UK government from UK subject associations: Association of teachers of mathematics