Mapping Consensus in Evidence-Informed Initial Teacher Education Core Curricula

Abstract

A robust, evidence-informed knowledge base for initial teacher education (ITE) is essential for preparing prospective teachers. Although a growing body of research addresses the content of ITE curricula, there is little consensus on what constitutes the minimal agreed knowledge for ‘learning how to teach’. This study reports a comparative analysis of two published, evidence-informed core ITE curricula. Items appearing in both were compiled into the Minimal Agreed Knowledge Set (MAKS) and corroborated against two research literature: teacher-effectiveness research and cognitive/educational psychology. The MAKS comprises 52 knowledge elements, organised under eight instructional principles and one category of general statements on teaching and learning, and represents areas of convergence between two frameworks from a shared, evidence-informed policy tradition. It is intended as a tool for ITE providers to review and refine their own curricula, rather than as a prescriptive programme. Implications for curriculum development and directions for future research on MAKS are discussed.