Doug Specht awarded Advanced Teacher Status and recognised as a Chartered Teacher

Doug Specht, senior lecturer, and director of teaching and learning for the School of Media and Communication, has been awarded Advanced Teacher Status by the Society for Education and Training. In recognition of this achievement he will also be appointed as a Chartered Teacher by the Chartered College of Teaching.

Advanced Teacher Status (ATS) is the badge of advanced professionalism and mastery in further and higher education and training. Advanced Teacher Status is underpinned by 20 Professional Standards, across areas such as pedagogical practice, research, mentoring and classroom practice.  The programme is open to those with qualified teacher status, and who have shown to be working at advanced practitioner level for at least five years. The programme requires candidates to undertake a year-long portfolio of work showing excellence in all 20 standards. Doug Specht submitted an extensive portfolio related to the preparation and development of online teaching in the wake of COVID-19, and also presented this work as part of a viva before being recognised as an Advanced Teacher.

On hearing that he had been awarded Advanced Teacher Status, Specht said “I am really pleased to have been awarded Advanced Teacher Status by the society, and to also be recognised by the Chartered College of Teaching. It was a long process of reflecting upon and analysing my practice, and I would like to thank those who supported me in this work, through observing my teaching, experimenting with me in new teaching methods, and providing references and letters of support. I would especially like to thank Gunter Saunders who acted as my mentor during the programme”.

The award is conferred through the Society for Education and Training (SET), who have worked in partnership with the Chartered College of Teaching to ensure holders of ATS are automatically be given Chartered Teacher Status, cementing the parity of professional status between those teaching and training across all educational contexts.

Image: Doug Specht