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disparate strands of their own thinking and practice in a way that
made sense to them» Examples of this are discussed in the research
but it should be noted that they come from periods in the course
when the present pattern of assessment was being developed, when
it existed within and had to accommodate to that undertaken by the
majority of PGCE students in the Institute. Since 1983 the form
of
the assessment has become quite distinct and work submitted sug-
gests its potential value in enabling examination of its related
modes of working. It contains and represents student theorising
over a wide range of aspects of the process of becoming a teacher.
Hirst points to the value of studying the process when he writes
In education, as in ary other area of activity
we
come to understand the activity,
its problems
and
their answers from engagement in the activity itself.
We have to penetrate the idiom of the activity by
practising it. Then, gradually, by a variety of
means, we can improve and extend our knowledge of
how to pursue it, analysis of the activity and
reflection on its rules and principles having their
part to play in that process. (1983)
Once the process of theorising is accepted and a reflective practice
is an acceptable goal then the structure of teaching and learning
relationships within which the PGCE operates is open to change.
Patterns of assessment
Changing assessment patterns
loomed large in the
life of the Alter-
native
Course
especially when
conflicting
forms
of pedagogy
and
assessment co-existed uncomfortably.
Frequently in the discussion
of the research the appropriateness
of the mode of primarily written
assessment for the various forms of course work that have developed
were questioned. Formalised and definitive course requirements may
stand in the way of what students, tutors or teachers see as most
appropriate for individuals and even the most flexible forms of course