Sheffield Hallam University (SHU) is a public research university and a major hub of education in Northern UK (8th largest in the UK), surrounded by many ‘cold-spots’ such as Doncaster, Oldham & Bradford.
It provides more than 1,000 qualified teachers each year across all age groups, to the local region. Sheffield Institute of Education (SIoE) has received an ‘Outstanding’ rating from Ofsted for early years’ teacher training & primary teacher training and ‘Good’ for secondary training.
The Wipro Teacher Fellows Program (for early-career STEM teachers) and Teacher Mentors Program (for expert/experienced teachers of STEM subjects from local schools who wish to become effective mentors) aims to support in-service teachers to develop their practice in an evidence-based, individualized program of professional learning. The program lasts 18-24 months, during which the Fellows improve their subject and pedagogical knowledge, develop, trial, and evaluate innovative ways of teaching their subject, deepen their understanding of teaching through curriculum development and carry out a long-term inquiry into their practice, with optional accreditation at MA level.
The program was formally launched in early 2019 with the 1st cohort of 24 Teachers & Mentors. A second, larger cohort of 35 Teachers-Mentors was on-boarded in early 2020, based on increased interest in local schools.
Periodic evaluations of the program have shown consistently good ratings from the participants and various stakeholders.