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This paper reports on a study of teacher educators preparing teachers for the Further Education and Skills sector in England. Thirty-six teacher educators participated in an intervention intended to enhance understanding of subject-specialist pedagogy. Based on a socially-situated conception of pedagogical content knowledge, the intervention included a workshop supplemented by specially-developed learning resources. Data on prior knowledge, initial reception, and longer-term impact was collected by pre-intervention survey and at least one post-intervention interview. The paper explores how the intervention impacted participants' understanding and practice, and proposes a typology for understanding the longer-term sustainability of this impact. • Intervention to develop teacher educators' knowledge of subject-specialist pedagogy. • Impact of the intervention investigated by survey and semi-structured interviews. • Participants initially reported significant potential for impacts on practice. • Variable longer-term impact: reports of improved practice but also of no change. • Structural explanations specific to English further education sector are explored. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study examines work with an academic concept in a multicultural classroom where a microblogging tool was used to facilitate dialogues. The analysis of extracts from classroom talk shows how one teacher prompted students to explain, elaborate and compare their written blog posts. The verbal richness and multiple perspectives evoked through the combination of dialogue and technology allowed the students to engage in active exploration of the concept of power in a social science lesson. This paper contributes to our understanding of dialogic practice as well as how specific features of technology can facilitate productive classroom interactions. • The study investigates how a diverse class explored an academic concept. • The class' work combined talk in groups and whole class with microblogging. • The teacher's dialogic stance promoted shared responsibility for reasoning. • Activity shifts and varied language use supported extensive student participation. • Microblogging combined with dialogic teaching supported coherence across group and class talk. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]