Introduction
Building subject knowledge in media might well be drawing on degree level study but as Andrew Burn (2008) has pointed out the “bagginess” of what constitutes a media curriculum means that graduates could be expert in any number of areas of media: photography, broadcasting, film studies, theory and/or production. English graduates are much more likely to report some shared understanding of critical theory with media graduates. They may well have studied semiotics, structuralism and post-modernism as part of the new critical thinking across areas of the Arts including English and film/media related areas. Equally English graduates might report an area of confidence in the study of specific media, like film or print media analysis. English graduates are unlikely to have had any practical production experience as part of their degree courses.

For media graduates there is equally likely to be variance. Two Graduate Trainees spoken with recently demonstrate that difference: one had a degree in Broadcasting; the other had a degree in media production. One knew a lot about the industrial processes of media, the other was good at making media. One had become very good at photography, the other was struggling to understand the music industry. Their admitted gaps were being managed in a whole array of ways, familiar for trainees in other subject areas too. These include reflective activities; research tasks; formal writing tasks; taught input; and practical experience through teaching.

As in all teacher education courses, it is essential to understand the prior experiences of trainees and the ways in which their learning relates to the curriculum in schools.