What forms of evidence do novice teachers need?

The Teacher Training Resource Bank (TTRB) is a project, funded by the English Teacher Development Agency for Schools (TDA). It aims to articulate, represent and enhance the professional knowledge bases that underpin teacher education through the development of a knowledge portal. The TTRB seeks to link theory, debate and practice and raise the profile of teacher training research and knowledge creation.<br />Records of TTRB usage since its inception in 2006 demonstrate widespread use of the resource within English initial teacher education (ITE) and in schools. An independent evaluation (Chambers et al, 2009) indicated a positive impact on trainee teachers by making a large range of recent research resource material easily available. Trainee teachers were further enabled to make connections between theory and research, and the quality of their academic work was seen to be improved.<br />The paper draws on a spiral model of knowledge management developed by Nonaka, I & Konno, N. (1998) to discuss the ways in which the TTRB can support and democratise the construction of professional knowledge in ITE from the perspectives of novice teachers and their mentors and tutors. <br />This study has findings that illustrate successful mechanisms that bridge the perceived divide between theory and practice that can be seen to have potential across Europe.