Re-using co-design in initial teacher education: a scoping study to inform school-university partnerships

Co-design as an effective tool in supporting partnerships is experiencing a renaissance in contemporary Initial Teacher Education (ITE) policy reform. While not a new construct, the current re-use of co-design represents a contemporary shift in collaboration, emphasising inclusivity and adaptability by integrating critical thinking and problem-solving with content and pedagogy. Despite its growing popularity, co-design's potential in supporting diverse partnerships remains largely unexplored. This study delves into the complexities, opportunities, and challenges of co-design as a tool in reshaping ITE. The scoping study follows a five-stage process: identifying the research question, identifying relevant studies, study selection, data charting, and summarising results. The process culminated by highlighting five papers that illustrate co-design's importance, including collaboration, trust, shared values, dialogue, power dynamics, and open communication, in ITE. The discussion highlights key considerations in co-design within ITE. These include the scarcity of literature on co-design, the necessity for terminology consensus, the importance of genuine collaboration, and the learner-focused improvement potential of co-design. This research has implications for partnership policy and proposes that significant changes are needed to accommodate innovations in ITE co-design.