Degree assignment wins Amy top award
Callander Primary teacher Amy Buchan has won a national education award.
The Strathclyde University graduate, currently undertaking her induction year at Callander, is the winner of the George D Gray CBE MA Award, presented annually by the General Teaching Council for Scotland (GTCS).
The award is for the most distinguished BEd assignment in Scotland and is judged by an experienced panel of educationalists.
Amy graduated with a BEd (Hons) first class in June.
Her dissertation entitled ‘Implementing cognitively guided instruction (CGI) in the Scottish early years classroom: Exploring changes to knowledge and beliefs as a pre-service teacher working within a small-scale learning community’ investigated changes to her own knowledge and beliefs.
Results from the data gathered suggest that professional development in CGI can have a significant impact on pre-service teachers’ knowledge and beliefs.
Presenting the award, GTCS chief executive Kenneth Muir said: “The panel was impressed by the tremendous enthusiasm and commitment that Amy demonstrated in presenting her dissertation at the meeting before the award panel, during which she displayed an impressive depth of knowledge of the background to her studies and produced a clear and perceptive analysis of her findings.”
Amy said: “I selected this topic for my professional project in order to develop my knowledge of CGI as an approach focused on promoting children’s mathematical understanding.
“Delivering a series of lessons using the CGI frameworks allowed me to question my existing beliefs about effective teaching and learning in mathematics.
“Investigating these shifts through observation of the children’s strategies in the context of the classroom has allowed me to appreciate the value of teacher learning situated in practice.
“This is something I will continue to utilise as I enter the teaching profession.”
The award is the result of a trust fund set up by Ethel Gray, the widow of George Gray, who was the first registrar of the GTCS.