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schools, to particular subject departments and with students able
to
plan their
in Institute courses in relation to their
developing concerns the major limitation is time. The research sug
gested
that time was a vital
factor particularly the nature
and
balance
of time in school and
in the Institute.
When the
balance is tipped by immersion in block teaching practice then the
tension which Lacey (1977) sees as inherent in professional socialis-
ation may be resolved for the students by rejection of the training
institution. That such rejection is a common feature of PGCE courses
should lead to fundamental questions about the efficacy of different
Ґ
forms of practice.
Horizontal patterns of course organisation which
the Leicester
Research
showed as prevalent
are associated with the location and
duration of courses
that make up the PGCE.
In some cases it may
only be
the
subject
method
group
that persists throughout the PGCE
year
and where the teaching practice period is five days a week even
this is not the case. In the Alternative Course the school group
persists, meeting weekly in school throughout the year. This gives
continuity and makes possible a developmental and future orientated
aspect of the work which is important.
The role of the university tutor
The school group tutor has the responsibility for integrating the
school and training institution and
for enabling the group to
to terms with the PGCE as a whole.
This does not simply mean that
one
tutor
becomes
responsible
for
the students learning in every
area of the course - subject method, education
foundation and curri-