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Teacher professionalism: why are we still talking about it?
Abstract
It is now more than 10 years after the publication of the monograph, The Activist Teaching Profession, which, at the time, could be described as a call to action for the teaching profession. I reflect here on how far has the profession progressed in responding to that call to action. The idea of a ‘call to action’ could be seen to born out of industrial rather than professional discourses: 10 years ago different factors were shaping teachers’ professional practice and identity and a call to action was a metaphor and a strategy to mobilize teachers. In this paper, I identify the factors that are still influencing and shaping the teaching profession and argue that different times require different responses and that current thinking and debates around teacher professionalism circulate around professional learning. In this paper, I argue that the time for an industrial approach to the teaching profession has passed. I make the case for systems, schools and teachers to be more research active with teachers’ practices validated and supported through research.
... The confluence of these priorities has helped to create a culture of centralised professional learning valuing uniformity (Kennedy, 2014), serving school improvement goals rather than individual interests (Steadman & Ellis, 2021) and based on ideologically selective forms of evidence geared to generalisation (French et al. 2023). Within this context, HEI-school partnerships for teacher education are increasingly constrained by 'authoritarian interventions' (Ellis, 2023, p.213) through policy, while teachers' work is subject to control and reduced autonomy, challenging teacher professionalism (Sachs, 2016). This paper outlines an alternative, complementary vision of evidence-informed professional learning. ...
... While small-scale, qualitative education research has sometimes been justifiably criticised on the basis of relevance, cumulativeness, rigour and cost effectiveness (Oancea & Pring, 2008), this 'New Science of Education' can also be questioned on a number of grounds. They include the validity of experimental findings for complex school settings (Wrigley, 2018); an underestimation of research translation challenges (Farley-Ripple, 2019); reductive, 'managerial' views of teacher professionalism which ignore rich contextual expertise (Sachs, 2016) and the failure to recognise that knowledge acquisition is just one of education's purposes, alongside personal and social development (Biesta, 2015). ...
... Exploding this polarity, they suggest, would raise the possibility of teacher educators collaborating with teachers on 'practice-developing research that also develops a theory of practice' (p.120). For the teachers involved, this sort of collaboration might contribute to an emphasis on critical, rather than managerial, forms of professionalism (Sachs, 2016;Boylan et al. 2023). With both teacher and teacher educator agency in mind, I now turn to perspectives from teachers on past, ongoing and potential collaborations with one HEI to help explore teacher educators' distinctive knowledge-building contributions through the lens of knowledge brokering. ...
This paper explores the contention that teacher educators are especially well placed to help teachers bridge between practical experience and wider forms of knowledge. In its focus on issues derived from practice, knowledge co-construction and professional judgment, the paper articulates an alternative, but complementary, vision of evidence-informed practice to set alongside prevailing 'What Works' approaches. The paper uses the concept of knowledge brokering to analyse the ways that teachers collaborated with one English school of education's teacher educators in five different projects in the course of a single academic year. Drawing on data from semi-structured interviews, common brokering mechanisms are identified, yielding a set of principles for creating conditions, boundary crossing and reciprocal working which cut across subjects and age phases. Four distinctive attributes of teacher educators are proposed as part of reframing such collaborative relationships. The paper adds to debates about the need to reconfigure university-school partnerships for professional learning in order to identify more clearly the distinctive contribution of the university teacher educator, respond to the role tensions of teacher educators and support teachers' critical professionalism.
... They emphasized the importance of allocating time for reflection and creating space for innovative practice development. In the study by Sachs (2016) professional development is linked to the contemporary era. Sachs argues that the time for an industrial approach to the teaching profession has passed and that systems, schools, and teachers should become more research-active, advocating for validation and support for teachers' practices through research. ...
... When comparing the findings from my analysis with those derived from the studies conducted by Idris and Asfaha (2019) and Sachs (2016), recurrent patterns emerge. These patterns suggest that the results from my study might bear relevance beyond the Norwegian context. ...
... demonstrate the importance of allocating time for reflection and creating space for innovative practice development in school development.Sachs (2016) argues for systems, schools, and ...
This article examines practitioner action research in schools and how action research can enhance practice and generate knowledge through partnerships between academia and the education sector. In 2020, revisions to the Norwegian curriculum for primary and secondary education introduced guidelines for professional work. The changes in the curriculum framework entail teachers’ collaboration in knowledge production - utilizing research and their own experiences in the process. This changed the formal role of teachers from transmitting established knowledge to producing knowledge in professional development and research activities. The new regulations can be related to traditions within practitioner action research. The article explores how action research can be used as a methodological framework in the professional work of schools. The starting point for the article is a thematic analysis of reflections from an action research project named Deeper Learning – How?, in which six schools participate in developing a model for unit planning. Structured interviews were conducted with members of school development groups in the schools every six months over 3.5 years, totaling seven interviews per school. The participants' reflections on their professional work serve as the empirical basis for the article. Results from the thematic analysis demonstrate that participants employed the action research process as a methodological tool to cultivate new insights and enhance practice. These reflections enrich the schools' comprehension of their educational practices and lead to measures for improvements, actions, and change. The results also highlight that proactive leadership, agreed-upon measures, teamwork, and a consistent rhythm in professional work are vital for educational practice development and knowledge production.
... The emphasis on measurable outcomes and compliance mechanisms fosters a sense of mistrust, eroding teachers' authenticity, commitment, and professional judgement (Hardy 2018, Appel 2020. Mockler (2013) and Sachs (2016) argue that promoting organisational professionalism through standards has resulted in diminished teachers' autonomy and professional identity in Australian schools. ...
... This approach is particularly suited to exploring teachers' professional autonomy and agency in their professional learning, as it allows for a deep understanding of the complex factors shaping their experiences and decision-making processes. Utilising a modified theoretical framework inspired by Sachs (2001Sachs ( , 2016) discourses on managerial and democratic professionalism, the study offers an in-depth look at teachers' agency, organisational dynamics, and democratic practices in PL. ...
... Here, we will argue that as supported by the findings of this study-the neglect of teachers' input and influence on school-based PL, the dimension of 'professional' has been overlooked. We believe that in professional learning, professionalism is teachers' agentic qualities that empower them and allow them to construct their knowledge and engage proactively in their in-service education, as underscored by Sachs (2016). Furthermore, our findings reveal that some features of the five key characteristics of successful PLCs -focus, long-term inquiry, collaboration, leadership support, and trust (Vescio et al. 2008, as cited in Brodie 2021Stoll and Louis 2008a;Katz et al. 2009;Vangrieken et al. 2017)appears to counteract the empowerment of teacher agency, as highlighted by the participants in this study. ...
Current research on teachers’ professional learning emphasises the crucial
role of teachers’ agency. Teacher agency is emphasised because it empowers
teachers with decision-making capabilities that foster a sense of ownership in
their professional learning. Based on our research, teachers are frequently
marginalised in designing and implementing professional learning, which in
turn undermines their agency and autonomy. This article presents a portion of
a comprehensive study using qualitative research methods. It draws on interviews
with ten classroom teachers and five school leaders from government
and non-government primary and secondary schools in Adelaide, Australia
that relate to their perceived autonomy and agency in their professional
learning. The results underline the pivotal role of teacher agency and highlight
challenges in perceived professional autonomy and agency. The control
exerted by policymakers and educational leaders can restrict teachers’ agency
in various aspects of their professional learning. Addressing these barriers with
organisational shifts can empower teachers to own their professional learning.
We argue that future research should aim to explore the factors influencing
teachers’ agency that shape their professional learning decisions.
... The course literature in teacher education programs mainly consists of textbooks, a format that, on the one hand, can hinder students from developing critical arguments but, on the other hand, help them explore current research fields and areas through overviews (Wahlström & Alvunger, 2015). Sachs (2016) emphasizes fostering a dialogue that encourages a collaborative and research-oriented teaching profession. She advocates for developing a professional teacher identity that is enriched and shaped by consistent classroom research, a perspective also supported by Cochran-Smith and Lytle (1999). ...
... She advocates for developing a professional teacher identity that is enriched and shaped by consistent classroom research, a perspective also supported by Cochran-Smith and Lytle (1999). Drawing from Evetts' (2011Evetts' ( , 2013 two discourses of professionalism -occupational (democratic) professionalism and organisational professionalism -and between the aim of developing functional competences or attitudinal development, Sachs (2016) distinguishes four types of teacher professionalism. In a modified figure based on Sachs' model and typology (Figure 1), different categories of teacher professionalism are identified, each of which highlights distinct aspects of knowledge related to both teacher professionalism and teacher education: ...
... Reflective-Analogical process professionalism that Sachs (2016) has identified, meaning that it promotes reflective learning through sharing experiences. Reflection, a potent tool for accessing tacit knowledge acquired through socialization, is employed. ...
This paper explores and discusses the role of research in teacher education and teachers’ professional development. It does so by presenting some perspectives on research-based teacher education and conceptual frameworks for teacher professionalism. The relationship between theoretical and practical knowledge is discussed together with central dimensions of teacher professionalism. Three metaphors and figures of thought for the theory–practice relationship are introduced and discussed: research as a mirror, as a compass, and as a stone in the shoe. Against this backdrop, a couple of examples of models for teachers’ professional development through critical engagement and enquiry are presented. Special attention is given to a critical dialogical model for teacher education and professional development that promotes reflective learning through sharing experiences and engaging with theoretical frameworks. This model integrates reflective-analogical, critical-analytical, and interactive self-building processes, enabling teachers and students to transform their knowledge and practices based on new insights.
... However, as a contested site (Sachs 2016), it is essential to question who defines teacher professionalism and how. It depends on a wide array of political, professional, and contextual variables influencing the definition of what teachers should be able to do and know in given educational settings. ...
... Changes in policy impact on teachers' subjectivities and understandings of professionalism (Gewirtz et al. 2009). What is possible to see in policy development in teaching and in teacher education is the tension between organisational and occupational professionalisms (Evetts 2009), and managerial and democratic professionalisms (Sachs 2016). On the one hand, the emphasis is on a logic of control and the use of standardised procedures within hierarchical structures in which teachers are supposed to operate which leaves them with little room to manoeuvre. ...
... On the one hand, the emphasis is on a logic of control and the use of standardised procedures within hierarchical structures in which teachers are supposed to operate which leaves them with little room to manoeuvre. On the other hand, issues of collegial authority, and discretion and occupational control of teachers' work are advocated, pointing to views and practices of professionalisms that are more collaborative and democratic (Sachs 2016). It is, therefore, important to consider teacher agency and how policies and professional working contexts enhance or undermine it. ...
... However, as Zeichner argues, this is not a particularly useful distinction because teacher professionalism itself is conceptualised in various ways. Among these, 'managerial' and 'democratic' versions appear as most influential (Sachs, 2016;Zeichner, 2020). ...
... It aims to build alliances between teachers and other educational stakeholders, supporting critical thinking and the open flow of ideas. It also seeks to build collective capacity for problem solving and evinces concern for a common good and the dignity and rights of those minoritised in education systems (Sachs, 2016). As Sachs notes, however, both these constructs of teacher professionalism are 'ideal types' (p. ...
... The Discourse of professional teacher constructs a 'core' teacher identity (Foreman-Brown et al., 2023) that has not been overtly reshaped by political and institutional responses to Covid or re-imagined because of the pandemic. With its emphasis on interaction and community, this 'globally minded' teacher identity appears to have a legacy in an existing democratic discourse of teacher professionalism (Sachs, 2001(Sachs, , 2016. ...
... In 2022, the central Ministry of Education prohibited literacy teaching in kindergarten classrooms. Along with the ministry has provided a memorandum stipulating guidelines that explicitly define the process quality, Assessment regulations for ECE and health supervision in kindergarten (Magwood et al., 2022) The rules and regulations address the teaching staff, learning environments, and teaching and learning procedures Sachs, 2016). It has been noted that the rules and procedure guidelines support the value of teacher-student connection, home-school community cooperation, and activity-based early childhood education. ...
... It has been observed that when local government takes responsibility for monitoring and evaluations, there is a slight strain between the teacher's supervising and monitoring system (Pan et al., 2010). Teachers may be concerned about meeting the required criteria for a quality monitoring system, leaving behind a crucial teacher's philosophy related to the ECE system (Sachs, 2016). Therefore, the school must provide enough professional support for teachers. ...
The study aims to investigate the evolution of preschool education policy in China, which plays a vital role in early childhood development. It required the government’s intensified focus since 2010 on enhancing both access and quality standards of preschool education, which illuminated through the lens of historical policy shifts and their implementation. This study is grounded in the PRISMA guidelines and involved a thorough literature search, selection based on stringent criteria, and a robust data extraction and coding process. The analysis reveals that the Chinese government increasingly perceives preschool education as a fundamental public service, which has been established in revised policies and targeted endeavors to bridge the urban-rural areas of China. The study concluded that persisting challenges, notably in the equitable distribution of resources, enrollment inequalities, and optimal teacher-to-child ratios, especially in rural areas. Despite these challenges, the significant strides made, and the policy impetus reflect the prioritization of preschool education within China's national agenda. The review encapsulates the complexities of policy evolution, its tangible successes, and the pathways for achieving universal and high-quality preschool education.
... Se o ensino pode ser entendido como uma responsabilidade coletiva das instituições de ensino superior, e não simplesmente como um dom do indivíduo, torna-se fundamental favorecer contextos para a auto e hetero observação, para a prática reflexiva e para o conhecimento sistemático sobre ensino e aprendizagem (Sachs, 2016). A este propósito, defende-se que, no ensino superior, é expectável que os professores desenvolvam as suas práticas e conceções docentes, além de aprofundarem o conhecimento disciplinar específico (Daniels, 2017). ...
Neste artigo, apresenta-se uma pesquisa que explora possíveis efeitos da formação pedagógica de professores do ensino superior, tendo em conta os desafios que marcam hoje a docência neste nível de ensino. Tais desafios decorrem quer da expansão e diversificação da população estudantil quer das mudanças curriculares e pedagógicas – nomeadamente, aquelas associadas ao Processo de Bolonha. Com base na análise de um conjunto de portefólios produzidos por 14 professores portugueses no quadro de um curso de pós-graduação em pedagogia do ensino superior, consideram-se as suas motivações para a formação, a relação que estabelecem com a docência e as reverberações da formação no respetivo exercício da profissão académica, bem como a (re)configuração dos seus entendimentos sobre finalidades e conteúdos da formação académica. Conclui-se evidenciando possíveis contributos da formação pedagógica na valorização do trabalho docente e no reforço da autonomia no exercício da docência, em paralelo com a centralidade das respetivas dimensões coletivas. Estes elementos, no seu conjunto, abrem possibilidades para equacionar os efeitos da formação pedagógica no reequilíbrio da tensão entre investigação e ensino e na afirmação da profissão académica como um bem público.
... És el que autores com Judith Sachs (2001Sachs ( , 2003 Una pràctica docent basada en la reflexió, la cura i l'afecte Si fins ara hem abordat les dues primeres dimensions d'aquesta nova professionalitat docent, cal parlar ara de la tercera. Un dels elements cen trals d'aquest nou professionalisme, seguint la perspectiva d'autors com Perrenoud (2004Perrenoud ( , 2011, és la necessitat de revisar les nostres creences com a docents. ...
Les transicions educatives tenen un rol central per explicar la (re)producció de les desigualtats socials i representen un paper clau en la comprensió de l’Abandonament Escolar Prematur (AEP). La transició entre l’educació obligatòria i la postobligatòria és especialment rellevant per entendre les trajectòries educatives dels i les joves, perquè és en aquest moment quan, per primer cop, s’enfronten a una «tria real» que els porta a haver d’escollir entre Batxillerat o Cicles Formatius de Grau Mitjà (CFGM). L’objectiu d’aquest llibre és analitzar com es configuren aquestes transicions, explorant les múltiples desigualtats de caràcter social, institucional i relacional que les travessen i condicionen. Aquesta anàlisi es fa a partir de les veus dels i les joves que estan estudiant el primer curs de Batxillerat i CFGM. Posar les seves vivències al centre ajuda a entendre la complexitat de les tries educatives i la dimensió intrínsecament emocional, situada i relacional de la pràctica i de l’experiència educativa. En conjunt, el llibre ofereix elements analítics cabdals per desplegar polítiques educatives a escala de sistema, de centre i de professorat orientades a assolir l’horitzó d’escolarització de tot l’alumnat fins als divuit anys.
... This requires extensive teacher autonomy and professionalism and the development of activist identities, so that teachers can address and act on altering many problematic and unjust issues in schooling (Biesta, 2015;Sachs, 2001). Teachers must develop research literacy to critically question, analyze, and deliberate on the taken-forgranted education norms and take collective action toward change (Cochran-Smith & Lytle, 2009;Sachs, 2016). Because transforming education is difficult for individual teachers to achieve, teachers' collaborative inquiry and professional learning led by themselves are critical (Cochran-Smith & Lytle, 2009;Mockler, 2013;Sachs, 2001). ...
Since the COVID-19 pandemic, the South Korean government has initiated education reform in the national curriculum and teacher education. Teacher professionalism is considered crucial to the reform components of developing competencies and agency of students by policy elites at the Ministry of Education. Hence, this study uses the frame analysis method to examine the idea of educational change and teacher professionalism envisioned in the reform. It is found that the reform is framed by the urgent need to prepare for the uncertainties that Korean society may encounter in the post-COVID-19 era by developing capable human capital with strong competencies and agency and reducing societal inequity. To address these problems, policy elites expect teachers to provide student-centered instruction by developing professionalism in technology use to cultivate student competencies and agency. This study demonstrates the irony that while the policy elites call for improving teacher professionalism, it is expected to be attained by diminishing teacher autonomy and agency. Just as schooling is instrumentalized to serve the needs of economic growth and social stability, teachers are instrumentalized in the reform to attain externally determined policy goals, contradicting the original reform emphasis on enhancing teacher professionalism.
... The rapidly evolving landscape of modern education, influenced by quick technological advances and shifting social demands, emphasizes the importance of highquality education [1,2]. At the heart of this pursuit lies teacher professionalism, which involves various duties, such as following the curriculum, coming up with new teaching ideas, and always learning to improve [3]. ...
This study investigates the role of academic supervision by school principals in enhancing teacher professional competence at SMP Negeri 1 Babahrot and SMP Negeri 2 Susoh in Southwest Aceh, Indonesia. Employing a qualitative approach, the research examined the planning, implementation, and follow-up of academic supervision activities conducted by the school principals. The findings indicate that the principals' systematic approach to academic supervision includes comprehensive planning, active implementation, and targeted follow-up actions, all aimed at supporting the continuous professional development of teachers. The study demonstrates that these practices significantly improve teaching quality and student learning outcomes. Challenges such as limited time and the need for experienced supervisors and strategies to address these issues were identified. Overall, the research underscores the vital role of effective academic supervision in fostering teacher professionalism and enhancing educational quality, suggesting that these practices could be adopted in other educational settings to achieve similar benefits.
... Notably, discourses on professionalism frequently delineate two contrasting perspectives, namely, old and new professionalism. Sachs (2003Sachs ( , 2016 characterizes traditional or old professionalism as conservative, self-oriented, externally regulated, reactive and resistant to change. In contrast, new professionalism prioritizes inclusivity, collaboration, activism and adaptability, urging teachers to assert agency in an evolving educational landscape. ...
This study addresses the underexplored role of teacher educators in initial English as a Foreign Language (EFL) education within the Chilean context. It aims to understand how these educators perceive and instill professional responsibility among pre-service teachers. Data was collected from university-based EFL teacher educators through 48 questionnaires and 17 semi-structured interviews. The findings reveal that these educators prioritize pedagogical skill development and the cultivation of social consciousness, preparing pre-service teachers to effectively respond to and proactively manage diverse educational settings. The study highlights the pivotal role of teacher educators as role models, shaping the professional identities of future teachers through the integration of ethical standards and reflective practices into the curriculum. The results highlights the need for teacher education programs to continuously adapt to changing educational demands, emphasizing autonomy and proactive professional development to equip pre-service teachers with the necessary skills and attitudes for their future roles. This research contributes to the understanding of professional responsibility in initial teacher education, offering insights into the specific challenges and strategies within the Chilean EFL context.
... The results are extensive lists of competences that teachers must fulfill to become good practitioners, creating a norm of what good teaching should look like. The risk of a competency-based approach is the erosion of teacher agency, the creation of a disjointed curriculum based on the list of "things" the teacher should be competent in, as well as the creation of individual learning trajectories, centered on the development of the teacher's own competencies, but neglecting the emotional, collective, and relational dimensions of the teacher's work (Biesta, 2015;Ball, 2016;Sachs, 2016). ...
The humanization of education is increasingly invoked as a counterpoint to the overly technical and instrumental view of education that has developed in recent decades. In this article, it is intended to contribute to identify ways toward education humanization through teacher education. As the research on humanization of education at the empirical level remains vague, studies on mindfulness in teacher education are taken as a first means of operationalizing research into the conditions of fostering reflection on the humanization of education in teacher education. As a step along this path a scoping review was conducted to map research on mindfulness in teacher education and its relationship with the humanization of education, guided by questions such as how MBAs have been conceptualized and their role in humanizing teacher education. The scoping review allowed the identification of 21 articles which were charted according to analytical frameworks regarding: the mindfulness conceptualization, chosen research paradigms, and the role given to mindfulness in teacher education. Findings suggest that the way mindfulness is conceptualized in research makes an essential difference in acknowledging its instrumental and/or transformative role in education. Transformative approaches may bring an added educational value, addressing the subjective, reflective, and critical dimensions of teacher education. From this point of view, mindfulness-based education practices could be a promising pathway to inform empirical research on the humanization of education through teacher education.
... Others have had similar insights (Högberg & Lindgren, 2021;Verger et al., 2019). Implementation of accountability measures may lead to a compliant profession, making teachers risk-averse, limiting decision-making, and encouraging a 'teaching to the test' mentality (Sachs, 2016). ...
... Recent research has stressed the role of professional learning as one of the key mechanisms in improving teachers' collaboration and instructional effectiveness, since it facilitates building collaborative partnerships between various stakeholders whose task is to work together, combining their experience, expertise, and resources (Sachs, 2016). There are indications in the literature that teacher learning may mediate the relationship between distributed leadership and collaboration among teachers (Bektaş et al., 2022;Evertson, 2020;Mullen & Hutinger, 2008). ...
The research literature reports that teacher collaboration has great potential to increase various teachers’ competencies; however, less has been said about how leaders can facilitate and support the development of these collaborations. This study examines the relative impact of distributed leadership practices, teacher professional learning, and innovative climate on teacher collaboration. Data are from the Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD) 2018 Teaching and Learning International Survey (TALIS). The sample consists of 2,324 teachers from 159 US lower secondary schools. Results indicate that distributed leadership has a direct and indirect impact on teacher collaboration in that professional learning and innovative climate serve as mediators for the leadership–collaboration relationship. The findings imply a potential benefit to be gained from distributing leadership among various stakeholders throughout the school, as well as expanding access to improve collaborative pedagogical practice among teachers.
... As such, teachers operate within a school framework that is subjected to a largely bureaucratically regulated administration upon which they have little or no influence (Krejsler, 2005). Sachs (2016) explains that there have been several attempts to classify teacher professionalism. These classifications differ between conceptualising professionalism as an occupational value based on trust, competence, occupational identity, and cooperation; as an ideology premised on occupational dominance and monopoly control of work; and as a discourse of occupational change and managerial value (Evetts, 2011). ...
The importance of teacher training, agency and identity in curriculum reform was strongly represented across theme E papers and discussions at the at the ICMI Study 24 conference. In this chapter, the authors address the professional dynamics stemming from the relationship between the stakeholders leading the development or refinement of the official curriculum and stakeholders responsible for translating the official curriculum into the classroom. In these translation and refinement processes, teachers can have different roles, according to their professional identity, and Wenger’s notion of trajectories can be used to understand teachers’ pathways through curriculum reforms. Specifically, teachers can act as co-constructors of the curriculum or as receivers of the curriculum. Possibly, they can transform their professional identities and cause shifts in what the authors call ‘reform ownership’ along a path from outside to inside the school. These dynamics contribute to the degree of agency and intellectual freedom afforded to, and felt by, the teachers responsible for translating curriculum documents into action in classrooms, which in turn has an impact on how effectively an official curriculum is implemented at a local level.
... In Hungary, the most dominant discourse today is the issue of autonomy and control (Chrappán, Kopp, and Pesti 2020;Kopp and Kálmán 2023). Contextual issues, autonomy, and control make the interpretation of the concept, organisational role, and function of middle managers particularly interesting, as several models of professions link autonomy and role interpretation both at the individual (Evetts 2011;MacLennan, Goodson, and Hargreaves 1997) and organizational level (Sachs 2016). ...
... This paper explores how a PSP was established to give teachers a voice in determining research priorities that will have an impact on practice. Such an approach aligns with 'new' approaches to teacher professionalism that assign practitioners a more active role in generating their own research findings and influencing policy and practice (Sachs, 2003(Sachs, , 2016, positioning teachers as agents of change, rather than subjects to change. ...
While research evidence has the potential to improve classroom practice, research–practice gaps continue to persist not least owing to the limited relevance of research findings for practice. A common approach in healthcare to address the research–practice gap is to form research priority setting partnerships (PSPs) in which stakeholders identify questions they would like research to answer. This paper presents the results from such a PSP in education with a focus on cognitive science research, which has received increased attention in the past few years owing to its potential to explain memory and learning processes and inform classroom practice. Over 400 questions from teachers were collected using an online survey. The final 15 research priorities highlight the need for research on a wider range of subjects, settings and phases as well as research designs that take the complexity of classrooms into consideration and aim to answer how different teaching strategies interact with each other as well as student motivation and agency at the micro‐ and macro‐level. The role of teacher expertise vs. fidelity to original research designs should also be investigated further. Overall, this paper highlights the importance of taking teacher voice into account to ensure that new research in the field is both academically rigorous and practically relevant.
... However, CBL provides an opportunity to develop sustainable thinking skills, where teachers gain the critical and creative thinking to flexibly approach new technologies or justice programs. In particular, our experience highlighted the importance of viewing empathy as a necessary skill when addressing sustainability and justice, which is often absent from traditional methods of professional learning that are more oriented towards a technician style [91]. Targeted social justice professional learning experiences can cause reflexive self-awareness, so, when successful, this flexibility of thought could affect a teacher's 'mission'-their chosen purpose and goals for incorporating technologies-to better align with justice practises long term [92,93]. ...
This paper reports from a design-based research project seeking to reduce bullying, and so, contribute to the sustainability goal of improving (understanding of) justice. Goals such as this call for holistic and interdisciplinary ways of thinking that are quite at odds with the linear and reductionist epistemologies available with globally dominant ‘neoliberal’ discourses on education and educational decision making. To achieve goals such as improving justice, sustainable education and educators must explore and champion expansive ways of knowing that acknowledge and celebrate the complexity of everyday learning contexts. Responding to this need, this paper presents a case study of how we, as a group of educational designers and teacher educators, have explored how the arts-based pedagogy known as Creative Body-Based-Learning, when coupled with Engeström’s expansive theory of learning, can provide an alternative structure and methodology for teacher professional knowledge production. The paper will also outline the use of the research methodology of computer-aided phenomenography as a means of evaluating this kind of complex learning where simple testing and self-reporting are typically inadequate.
... Pembelajaran kolaboratif akan efektif jika siswa diberi kesempatan untuk mandiri (otonomi), dipadukan dengan tantangan, terbuka, dan kompleks tugas kelompok. Kegiatan ini menumbuhkan rasa tanggung jawab dan kepemilikan bersama dari proses kolaboratif dan produk akhir dari kerja kelompok [11]. Implementasi multiliterasi dan pedagogi berbasis masalah, merupakan pandangan dan pendekatan guru mengubah praktek kelas. ...
This Community Learning and Empowerment Program (PPM) has the main objective of introducing and implementing the Homogeneity Psycho Cognition (HPC) strategy for teachers and students at Negeri Lama State Elementary School. Prospective partners who act as subjects in this activity are SD Negeri Negeri Lama, Teluk Ambon Baguala District, Ambon City. Partner problems are related to the lack of efforts to train and develop 21st century life skills, namely HOTS skills in learning. So far, Mitra has found it difficult to carry out evaluations related to aspects of character and emotional intelligence. In fact, these two aspects really determine the success of students. Learning is also still teacher centered. Most teachers are not yet familiar with various learning strategies, especially HPC, which have the potential to develop life skills for students. This activity is carried out in the form of assistance for teachers in understanding various learning strategies and thematic approaches in K-13. Other activities include assisting teachers in developing or implementing practical learning for students using HPC strategies, as well as developing 21st century life skills assessment instruments.
... Αυτό είχε ως αποτέλεσμα το αυξανόμενο ενδιαφέρον των κυβερνήσεων για την οριοθέτηση αρμοδιοτήτων και κριτηρίων βάσει των οποίων θα πρέπει να οργανώνεται και να αξιολογείται η εκπαίδευση των εκπαιδευτικών. Μια τέτοια πολιτική ενέχει τον κίνδυνο πισωγυρίσματος στην εκπαίδευση των εκπαιδευτικών, καθώς η ακριβής και αυστηρή περιγραφή αρμοδιοτητών και προσόντων που πρέπει να διαθέτει ένας εκπαιδευτικός οδηγεί σε έναν 'επιτελεστικό επαγγελματισμό' (performative professionalism) (Evans, 2011;Flores, 2016;Mayer, 2021), ο οποίος έρχεται σε αντίθεση με το σύγχρονο αίτημα για αναβάθμιση του επαγγέλματος του εκπαιδευτικού, διεύρυνση της αυτονομίας και της δυνατότητας αυτορρύθμισης, ακτιβισμού, οριοθέτηση των προτύπων από τους ίδιους τους επαγγελματίες εκπαιδευτικούς (Flores & VanNuland, 2013;Sachs, 2012). ...
O εκπαιδευτικός σήμερα καλείται να ασκεί το παιδαγωγικό και διδακτικό του έργο, έτσι ώστε να επιτυγχάνεται υψηλής ποιότητας εκπαίδευση για όλους τους μαθητές. Ως εκ τούτου η άριστη γνώση του αντικειμένου που διδάσκει δεν αρκεί, προκειμένου να ανταπεξέλθει στο σύνθετο ρόλο που αναλαμβάνει, αλλά είναι αναγκαία η επαρκής παιδαγωγική και διδακτική του κατάρτιση. Ωστόσο, η παιδαγωγική και διδακτική κατάρτιση εκπαιδευτικών Δευτεροβάθμιας εκπαίδευσης, αποτελεί ακόμη ζητούμενο, και όχι μόνο για την ελληνική πραγματικότητα. Σε ό,τι αφορά την ελληνική πραγματικότητα η παιδαγωγική και διδακτική κατάρτιση των εκπαιδευτικών Δευτεροβάθμιας εκπαίδευσης-παρά την 25ετή προσπάθεια διασφάλισης και εδραίωσής της- παρουσιάζει ακόμη πολλές ελλείψεις, αντιφάσεις και εγείρει ερωτήματα και συγκρούσεις. Σκοπός του άρθρου αυτού είναι να σκιαγραφηθούν οι πρακτικές και οι πολιτικές αναφορικά με τη διασφάλιση της παιδαγωγικής και διδακτικής επάρκειας των εκπαιδευτικών Δευτεροβάθμιας εκπαίδευσης μέσα από τη μελέτη αφενός του σχετικού θεσμικού πλαισίου και αφετέρου μέσα από τη μελέτη των προγραμμάτων σπουδών των Τμημάτων των οποίων οι απόφοιτοι έχουν το δικαίωμα να εργαστούν σε σχολεία Δευτεροβάθμιας εκπαίδευσης.
... Ayrıca günümüzde eğitim anlayışı, performansa dayalı bir rekabet düzeni ve toplumun ekonomik açıdan ihtiyaç duyduğu nitelikli iş gücünü karşılama temelinde bireylere bir takım spesifik bilgi ve beceriler kazandırma işlemini doğrudan öğretmenlik mesleği vasıtasıyla sürdürme gayretindedir. Bu bağlamda, yaşadığımız dijital çağın getirdiği yeni bilişim ve iletişim araçları ve neo-liberal politikaların gerektirdiği profesyonellik, verimlilik, rekabetçilik, esneklik, sorumluluk alma, problem çözme ve liderlik becerileri gibi anlayış ve beklentiler öğretmenlik mesleğinin bazı farklı nitelikleri bünyesine katmasını zorunlu kılmakta ve öğretmenlik mesleğine yönelik yeni rol ve sorumluluklar atfetmektedir (Divaharan & Ping, 2010;Sachs, 2016;Sahlberg, 2007). Öğretmenlik mesleğine yönelik farklılaşan beklentilerin ve artan görev ve sorumlulukların karşılığında, öğretmenlerin mesleki faaliyetlerini gerçekleştirme ve sürdürme noktasında özerk hareket edebilme alanlarının da aynı ölçüde genişlemesi beklenmektedir (Öztürk, 2011). ...
Bu çalışma, öğretim süreçlerine ilişkin temel bir dinamik ve iş kaynağı olan öğretmen özerkliğine yönelik öğretmenlerin görüş ve deneyimlerini incelemeyi amaçlamıştır. Nitel araştırma yöntemlerinden fenomenoloji deseninde gerçekleştirilen bu araştırmanın çalışma grubu, Fırat Üniversitesi'nde yüksek lisans ve doktora öğrenimini tamamlamış ya da sürdürmekte olan ve devlet okullarında görev yapan 12 öğretmenden oluşmaktadır. Katılımcıların belirlenebilmesi için olasılıklı olmayan örnekleme yöntemlerinden amaçlı örnekleme ve kolay ulaşılabilir durum örneklemesi kullanılmıştır. Araştırmada verilerin toplanabilmesi için literatür taraması neticesinde ve eğitim yönetimi alanı uzmanlarının görüşleri çerçevesinde oluşturulan yarı yapılandırılmış görüşme formu kullanılmıştır. Katılımcıların öğretmen özerkliğini nasıl anladıkları ve kavramsallaştırdıklarına ilişkin görüşlerinin; (a) mesleki açıdan karar alma ve uygulamada özgürlük, (b) eğitim-öğretimi öğrencilerin ihtiyaçları ve farklılıkları çerçevesinde yeniden yapılandırabilme, (c) mesleki ve kişisel yetkinlik, (d) pedagojik ve etik sınırlar içinde profesyonel hareket etme ve (e) kendini gerçekleştirme arayışı şeklinde kavramsallaştırılan beş temadan oluştuğu anlaşılmıştır. Öğretmenlerin mesleki özerkliklerini hangi boyut ve bağlamlarda deneyimlediklerine yönelik olarak (a) mesleki özgürlük alanları teması altında öğretimsel süreçler, yönetimsel süreçler, iletişimsel süreçler ve mesleki gelişim süreçleri alt temalarına; (b) mesleki kısıtlanma alanları teması altında ise öğretimsel süreçler, yönetimsel süreçler, iletişimsel süreçler, mesleki gleişim süreçleri ve sendikal faaliyetler alt temalarına ulaşılmıştır. Araştırmanın bulgularından hareketle öğretmenlerin özerkliği çok boyutlu ve ilişkisel bir mesleki dinamik olarak algıladığı ve mesleki açıdan kendilerini ne tamamen özgür ne de tamamen kısıtlanmış hissettikleri çıkarımı yapılabilir. Katılımcıların ifadeleri, öğretmen özerkliğinin her bir boyutunun birbiriyle ilişkili ancak farklı birçok bağlamdan ve unsurdan oluştuğunu, ayrıca öğretmenlerin aynı boyut içerisinde belirli hususlarda özgürken belirli hususlarda kısıtlanmış olabileceklerini göstermektedir. Araştırma kapsamında ulaşılan sonuçlara dayanarak, öğretmen özerkliğinin nasıl kavramsallaştırılabileceği ve öğretmenlerin kendilerini hangi bağlamlarda özgür hangi bağlamlarda kısıtlanmış olarak algıladıkları tartışılmış; okul yöneticilerine, politika yapıcılara ve araştırmacılara yönelik çeşitli önerilerde bulunulmuştur.
Background This study delves into the cultural portrayal of teachers in Vietnam, a subject critical to understanding the broader role of educators in shaping societal and educational values. Through an analysis of song lyrics, the research aims to uncover how the professional identity of teachers is reflected and shaped within the unique cultural context of Vietnam. Methods A qualitative approach underpins this study, utilizing theoretical frameworks such as Constructivist Grounded Theory, Sociocultural Theory, Symbolic Interactionism, and Hermeneutic Phenomenology. Twelve Vietnamese songs specifically about teachers were selected for analysis. These songs were carefully chosen to provide a diverse and representative sample of the cultural portrayal of teachers in Vietnam. The project spanned from January 1 st until February 21 st , 2024. Results The analysis revealed several key themes that collectively characterize the professional identity of Vietnamese teachers. These include ‘Sacrifice and Dedication,’ highlighting the commitment and perseverance of teachers; ‘Respect and Reverence,’ reflecting the deep societal respect for the teaching profession; ‘Nurturing and Inspiration,’ depicting teachers as cultivators of dreams and moral values; ‘Enduring Impact and Memory,’ emphasizing the long-lasting influence of teachers on their students; ‘Teacher as a Guiding Figure,’ portraying the role of teachers as key moral and cultural guides; and ‘Emotional Connection and Affection,’ underlining the deep emotional bonds between teachers and students. Conclusions The study’s findings underscore the significant role of cultural and emotional factors in shaping the professional identity of teachers in Vietnam. These themes highlight the multifaceted role of teachers that transcends academic teaching, involving personal development, cultural transmission, and emotional nurturing. The implications of these findings are far-reaching, suggesting that educational policies and teacher education programs need to consider these cultural and emotional dimensions. Additionally, the study highlights the power of cultural artifacts, like music, in reflecting and shaping societal values and professional identities.
Teacher identity can serve as an important lens to examine the way teachers traverse the various demands made of them by policymakers and stakeholders in the school system, with their own perspectives of self and their work. Official narratives and curriculum documents lead to the construction of a public identity and what it means to be a ‘good teacher’ in a broad and generic sense. However, much less attention is paid to teachers’ biographical accounts of their professional identity, from a stance as practitioners of a specific subject, and their lived experiences, thereof. This article reports on a qualitative study undertaken as a pilot project for a doctoral dissertation, where six social science teachers from Mumbai and Bangalore, participated in three online focus group discussions. The framework used to analyse the data is Goffman’s dramaturgical theory of impression management. Findings reveal that social science teachers present their professional identity using reified expressions of competence, idealise social science as a subject, and seek validation of their status as teachers of a nonutility subject. These are discussed in the context of recently proposed educational reforms in India, with the recommendation that policymakers must take cognizance of this fragile sense of subject identity and an acute sense of disempowerment facing social science teachers, who are not averse to accountability measures per se, to enhance their standing.
In times of uncertainty, school leaders may need to review and adapt their leadership to meet the challenges imposed. Developing and fostering trusting relations in schools could provide solutions for coping with hectic and demanding conditions. Previous research has documented that trust ensures (among others) higher learning outcomes, positive and supportive school climate, increased teacher responsibility and professionalism, organizational citizenship behaviours, unhindered communication, cooperation, continuous professional learning and enhanced teachers' collective efficacy. The paper aims to provide evidence on how trust facilitates school leaders and teachers to meet and overcome difficulties, especially in times of uncertainty (e.g., the Covid-19 period). It also suggests that where trusting relations bloom, the chance schools perform adequately under any circumstances is exceptionally high.
Teacher research (TR) has become popular as a transformative continuing professional development (CPD) activity for in-service teachers. In Vietnam, English as a foreign language teachers carry out TR through a top-down national scheme called ‘ Sang kien kinh nghiem’ (‘initiatives–experiences’ (I-E)) to explore and attempt to resolve classroom issues through the application of ‘innovative solutions.’ This paper reports a part of a larger study which examines I-E scheme implementation. It focuses on the narratives of two teachers who engaged with the I-E scheme. The narratives, constructed through narrative analysis from narrative frames, semi-structured interviews, and the teachers’ I-E reports, reveal the affordances and hindrances in the experience of the teachers when engaging with the I-E scheme. The paper offers insights into TR for teachers’ CPD in Vietnam and has implications for effective implementation of TR for teachers’ CPD elsewhere.
Tensions exist between providing inclusive education in mainstream classrooms and market-driven neoliberal values such as academic success and school ranking. These values impinge on teachers’ responsibilities to teach students with disabilities. Schools are ranked based on students’ performance in national examinations and schools sometimes use unscrupulous methods to achieve good results. In a culture that ranks schools based on test results, the schools themselves find it hard to embrace the idea of inclusion and some will use a variety of means to exclude students with disabilities to maintain their high rating. In this article we explore how some key tenets of neoliberalism in inclusive education, such as testing mechanisms to leverage accountability and improvement, inter-school competition, marketisation of education and parental choice, among others, affect the provision of education to students with disabilities in Kenya. We highlight how neoliberalism has affected inclusive education in Kenya and explain how hegemonic neoliberal culture has changed the way schools operate and how teachers teach. We also show how neoliberal culture in schools helps exclude students who are different from the norm.
This scoping review examines previously published research on newly graduated physical education (PE) teachers in an effort to describe the scope and types of the empirical studies, perspectives and understandings concerning this population’s experiences of and readiness for the performative and organisational aspects of professional practice. Following an initial review of 71 studies, a total of 16 published studies were found to be eligible for inclusion in the review. A five-step qualitative content analysis then identified the important features of the data related to the stated aim of the review. Prior studies determined newly graduated PE teachers to be qualified in their field, although their professional practice depends on other people’s participation and cooperation within the school environment. A problem-oriented trend was observed in the research data when newly graduated PE teachers were asked to elaborate on their experiences. Moreover, a knowledge gapwas identified in terms of newly graduated PE teachers and their varied experiences of the inductionphase of their professional practice.
This scholarly investigation, titled "Assessing the Pedagogical Efficacy of Task-OrientedLanguage Didactics: A Comparative Inquiry into English Proficiency Augmentation Among BangladeshiLearners," dissects the multi-layered implications and efficacies of task-based language teaching (TBLT)in contrast to traditional pedagogical modalities within the Bangladeshi educational context. Employing a meticulous secondary source analysis, this research scrutinizes the pedagogical pluralism in TBLT and evaluates its quantitative and qualitative effectiveness, particularly focusing on English proficiency amongBangladeshi students. The study employs a rigorous methodological framework, incorporating criteria for source selection and methods for comparative analysis. The research explicates the synthesis of analyse sand extrapolates both theoretical and practical implications. The task-type effectiveness in TBLT is thoroughly interrogated, providing nuanced insights into the types of tasks that significantly contribute tolanguage acquisition. Additionally, the paper offers an in-depth contextual analysis to elucidate the cultural and educational factors that may influence the efficacy of TBLT in Bangladesh. The conclusion aggregates the key findings, delineates limitations, and furnishes recommendations for future empirical endeavors in this realm. This paper serves as a seminal work for educators, policymakers, and researchers aiming to comprehend the complexities and efficacies of TBLT in fostering English language proficiency in non-native speakers, particularly in a Bangladeshi milieu.
This chapter details research the author conducted as an academic partner in three school-university partnerships with 14 schools in New South Wales, Australia, each instigated and funded by groups of school principals from diverse educational settings. Central to these principals’ invitations was a desire to gain insights into initial teacher education and to seek pedagogical expertise in teaching and learning. Noticing the decline in wider bureaucratic involvement in school-university partnerships in research, the principals were keen to ignite, and construct, sustained professional relationships for experienced teachers and middle leaders within their own school settings. Over 4 years, 59 teachers engaged in inquiry-based learning sequences to build their confidence and capacity to integrate the Science, Technology, Engineering, Mathematics (STEM) disciplines with the Arts/Humanities. The author used consistent methods of data collection, resource sharing, and bespoke workshops that focused on enhancing teachers’ subject matter expertise in STEM. In 2019 the Australian Research Council awarded this research “high impact” status for its Engagement and Impact Assessment. Findings from the research have culminated in a blueprint for Australian STEM schools. This chapter examines one of the guidelines in this proposal, the role of school-university partnerships involving participatory action research and practitioner inquiry.
Research is one of the trifocal functions of higher education in the Philippines. It is further cascaded to undergraduate research to ensure that undergraduates in collaboration with their mentor contribute intellectual discoveries or creative output relative to their discipline through research. This phenomenological research was undertaken to highlight the lived experiences of preservice teachers on their research course. To achieve this purpose, twenty-four preservice teachers enrolled in the course Research in Elementary Education A.Y. 2020-2021 were interviewed through online video conferencing. Based on the accounts of the participants, partnership, interaction, guidance, and fulfillment were among the four significant experiences in the course. It was further highlighted that challenges encompassed internet connection, writing the literature review, gathering data, and time constraints. Resources, hardware, support system, and time management were found to be the best practices of the participants in terms of addressing the identified challenges in the course. In terms of the necessary skills and attitude to be successful in the course, participants emphasized the need for communication, teaming and collaboration, information, media, and technology literacy, flexibility and adaptability, critical thinking, and time management skills. Also, motivation and perseverance were among the significant attitudes to be developed in taking the course.
Σχολικοί ηγέτες και εκπαιδευτικοί, συνεχώς, χρειάζεται να αναθεωρούν και να προσαρμόζουν τον τρόπο εργασίας τους για να ανταπεξέλθουν με επιτυχία στις προκλήσεις που επιβάλλονται από το εξωτερικό περιβάλλον. Η καθιέρωση και η ενδυνάμωση σχέσεων εμπιστοσύνης μεταξύ του σχολικού ηγέτη και των εκπαιδευτικών σε μια σχολική μονάδα, θα μπορούσε να συνεισφέρει αποτελεσματικά στην αντιμετώπιση τόσο των προβλημάτων της καθημερινότητας όσο και στην περίπτωση απαιτητικών και πρωτόγνωρων συνθηκών (π.χ. οικονομικές κρίσεις, περιπτώσεις πανδημίας κτλ.). Η έρευνα έχει καταδείξει ότι η ανάπτυξη σχέσεων εμπιστοσύνης σε σχολικά συγκείμενα διασφαλίζει, μεταξύ άλλων, υψηλά μαθησιακά αποτελέσματα, την παρουσία Οργανωσιακών Συμπεριφορών, την αλλαγή και την προσαρμογή, τη συνεργασία, το θετικό και υποστηρικτικό σχολικό κλίμα, την ενισχυμένη συλλογική επάρκεια, τη συνεχή επαγγελματική μάθηση, την ανεμπόδιστη οριζόντια και κάθετη επικοινωνία και την αυξημένη υπευθυνότητα και επαγγελματισμό από μέρους των εκπαιδευτικών. Το παρόν άρθρο στοχεύει, μέσα από την αποδελτίωση της βιβλιογραφίας, να αναδείξει πώς η εμπιστοσύνη διευκολύνει τους σχολικούς ηγέτες και τους εκπαιδευτικούς να αντιμετωπίσουν με επιτυχία τις προκλήσεις που αναδύονται τόσο σε καθημερινή βάση, αλλά και σε περιόδους αβεβαιότητας και αστάθειας (π.χ. περίοδος Covid-19).
Λέξεις κλειδιά: Εμπιστοσύνη, Σχολικός Ηγέτης, Εκπαιδευτικοί, Αβεβαιότητα, COVID-19
School leaders and teachers constantly, need to review and adapt their way of working in order to successfully cope with the challenges imposed by the external environment. Establishing and strengthening relationships of trust between the school leader and the teachers in a school unit could effectively contribute to dealing with both, everyday problems and especially in the case of demanding and unprecedented conditions (e.g. financial crises, pandemic cases, etc.). Research has demonstrated that the development of trusting relationships in school contexts ensures, among others, high learning outcomes, the presence of Organizational Behaviors, change and adaptation, collaboration, a positive and supportive school climate, enhanced collective efficacy, continuous professional learning, unhindered horizontal and vertical communication and increased responsibility and professionalism on the part of teachers. This article aims, through a literature review, to highlight how trust facilitates school leaders and teachers to successfully face the challenges that arise both on a daily basis, but also in periods of uncertainty and instability (e.g. period Covid-19).
Key words: Trust, School Leader, Teachers, Uncertainty, COVID-19
Professionalism is a contested concept as it responds to various socio-political agendas, shifting perspectives, competing ideologies, and power issues not revealed in common understandings of the term. This chapter interrogates the assumptions that underpin professionalism in music education in order to propose an ecopolitical professionalism that drives systems transformation when addressing “wicked problems.” The chapter critiques the “technical rationality” that has shaped much music education theory and practice through an uncritical emphasis on maintaining musical traditions and established methods, and presents a view of music educators as transformative systems thinkers and practitioners in the moral ecologies of the field. Ecopolitical professionalism requires the use of “moral imagination” to generate social and societal transformation through public pedagogy.
This article draws on data from a broader research study focusing on Portuguese teachers’ perceptions and experiences of remote teaching during the COVID-19 pandemic. In total, 2638 teachers participated in the study. Data were collected through an online survey which included both closed- and open-ended questions. Findings suggest that, overall, teachers experienced a positive adaptation process and were able to teach according to what they had planned. However, difficulties were also found. These relate to reconciling work with family life and extra workload in the context of remote teaching. In addition, findings show that pupils from lower socioeconomic backgrounds presented a lower level of participation in learning tasks. Differences as a function of gender and age were identified. Implications of the findings are discussed.
This discussion reconsiders issues of educational accountability. To do so, I report on a qualitative case study of a public elementary school that identified how a model of educational accountability threatened to punish educators through a sophisticated network of surveillance. Data indicated that district personnel used standardized tests to monitor teachers in attempts to coerce them into accepting normalizing judgments of their practice. The study also described the surveillance within the school, including strategies by curriculum developers, reading facilitators, parents, and the principal to monitor teachers’ work. The analysis examined the effects surveillance had on participants and described the ways teachers amplified the effects of surveillance in the school. The analysis rethinks such punitive accountability practices and suggests replacing them with opportunities for teacher education and teacher learning.
The past two decades have witnessed numerous efforts to enhance educational professionalism, such as more stringent requirements for entry, increased autonomy, and higher pay. Yet, these types of initiatives typically target aspects of the profession external to the work of teaching. In this article, I expand the view of professionalism implicit in these reform efforts by showing how practice can also be seen as an explanatory variable that acts on professionalism. I propose a theoretical frame for understanding the complex relationships between instructional practice and professionalism, illustrating the way in which practice both shapes and is shaped by public perception of the profession and how this bears on education's professional strength. The framework highlights key levers for improvement, less emphasized in past research, and in particular, draws attention to the way in which most professions control practice and the viability of these mechanisms in education.
This article focuses upon the development of transformative teacher professionalism. It explores issues of teacher professional identity and the ways in which this is contributed to by teacher responsiveness to the changing and demanding educational environments in which they find themselves. It includes a review of significant literature within the field and suggests ways in which professional learning can support the development of a transformative teaching profession. Finally, it points to a number of conditions under which such a profession might emerge.
This paper is the latest in a short series on the origins, processes and effects of performativity in the public sector. Performativity, it is argued, is a new mode of state regulation which makes it possible to govern in an ‘advanced liberal’ way. It requires individual practitioners to organize themselves as a response to targets, indicators and evaluations. To set aside personal beliefs and commitments and live an existence of calculation. The new performative worker is a promiscuous self, an enterprising self, with a passion for excellence. For some, this is an opportunity to make a success of themselves, for others it portends inner conflicts, inauthenticity and resistance. It is also suggested that performativity produces opacity rather than transparency as individuals and organizations take ever greater care in the construction and maintenance of fabrications.
In recent years, there has been a drive to strengthen existing public accountability arrangements and to design new ones. This prompts the question whether accountability arrangements actually work. In the existing literature, both accountability ‘deficits’ and ‘overloads’ are alleged to exist. However, owing to the lack of a cogent yardstick, the debate tends to be impressionistic and event-driven. In this article we develop an instrument for systematically assessing public accountability arrangements, drawing on three different normative perspectives. In the democratic perspective, accountability arrangements should effectively link government actions to the ‘democratic chain of delegation’. In the constitutional perspective, it is essential that accountability arrangements prevent or uncover abuses of public authority. In the learning perspective, accountability is a tool to make governments effective in delivering on their promises. We demonstrate the use of our multicriteria assessment tool in an analysis of a new accountability arrangement: the boards of oversight of agencies.
What purpose is served by renovation or redesign of professionalism, and how successful a process is it likely to be? This article addresses these questions by examining the effectiveness as a professional development mechanism of the imposition of changes to policy and/or practice that require modification or renovation of professionalism. The ‘new’ professionalisms purported to have been fashioned over the last two or three decades across the spectrum of UK education sectors and contexts have been the subject of extensive analysis, and this article avoids going over old ground and revisiting issues that have already been much debated. Nevertheless, the example of UK government education policy during this period is used as a basis for considering the pitfalls associated with mechanisms for modifying professionalism through a reform and standards agenda. The article’s analysis incorporates redefinition and examination of the concept and substance of professionalism and offers new perspectives in the form of three distinct conceptions: demanded, prescribed and enacted professionalism. Exploring the existentialist status of ‘new’ or ‘modified’ professionalisms and the relationship between professionality, professional culture and professionalism, it examines how professionalism may be interpreted and utilized for the development of education professionals.
This article focuses upon the development of transformative teacher professionalism. It explores issues of teacher professional identity and the ways in which this is contributed to by teacher responsiveness to the changing and demanding educational environments in which they find themselves. It includes a review of significant literature within the field and suggests ways in which professional learning can support the development of a transformative teaching profession. Finally, it points to a number of conditions under which such a profession might emerge.
The chapters presented in this book are testament to the contribution Susan Groundwater-Smith has made to the practice, scholarship and understanding of practice in schools and other educational institutions in Australia, the United Kingdom and the Netherlands. The contributions by scholars and practitioners alike demonstrate how her commitment to education has had significant impact on the “work” of many. In each of the chapters we have seen how Susan’s work has provided a strong framework to understand and respond to fundamental questions such as “why are we doing what we are doing?” and “how can we improve what we do?” Her work has provided all of the authors with a touchstone for their common commitment to improving the quality of teaching and enhancing student learning outcomes. Each of the authors amply demonstrates the respect they have for her as a scholar but also the way they delight in Susan the person. All of us have Susan stories!
Sociologists interested in professional work and occupations have differentiated professionalism as a distinctive and special way of controlling and organizing work and workers, with real advantages for both practitioners and clients. In this interpretation the analysis of professionalism is as an ‘occupational value’. But professionalism is changing and being changed as professionals now increasingly work in large-scale organizational workplaces and sometimes in international firms. This article explains professionalism as an occupational value and indicates both the changes to and continuities in professionalism in these organizational contexts. Then some of the possible consequences of the redefinition of professionalism are examined for practitioner-workers and their clients in public sector service work such as health, welfare and education. These consequences include changes in the work itself, in practitioner—employer and practitioner—client relations, and in the control of work priorities and processes. The final section considers if there might also be some advantages in the combination of professional and organizational logics for controlling work and workers and whether there are opportunities associated with these changes which might improve both the conduct and practice of professional service work, while being of benefit to practitioners and clients.
This paper conceptualizes the development of teacher professionalism as passing through four historical phases in many countries: the pre-professional age, the age of the autonomous professional, the age of the collegial professional and the fourth age-post-professional or postmodern. Current experiences and perceptions of teacher professionalism and professionalization, it is argued, draw on all these ages. Conclusions are drawn regarding new directions in teacher professionalism, and the linking of professional projects to wider social movements for public education and its transformation.
It is important to dispel myths that pervade current professional-development planning and establish and follow specific guidelines for effectively using additional professional-development time. The paper dispels three major myths that diminish the effectiveness of professional-development planning and offers four guidelines for ensuring wise use of additional professional-development time. (SM)
Argues that Australian inservice education policies have unintentionally controlled and deskilled teachers. Focuses on Queensland, Australia, from 1973 to 1986. Claims teacher managerial skills are emphasized over curricular and instructional skills. Contends that teachers' professional development consequently suffers. Premises arguments on governmental need to preserve status quo. (CH)
When learning is at the centre of the teaching enterprise, we would assume that the continuing professional development of
teachers would be a priority of both education systems and teachers alike. Teachers like other professionals need to update
their skill and knowledge base—in the case of teachers their pedagogical skills and content knowledge. In this chapter, I
use three metaphors to describe current approaches to the continuing professional development of teachers: retooling, remodelling
and revitalising. I add a fourth one—reimagining—to indicate the need for teachers themselves to have some agency in identifying
priorities and needs for their own professional learning. My argument is that continuing professional development needs to
incorporate all four of the elements of retooling, remodelling, revitalising and reimagining to have two interrelated effects:
first to ensure that the goal of improving student learning is achieved and second that a strong and autonomous teaching profession
is supported.
The idea of standards for the teaching profession has been circulating in education policy discourses and public debates in
Australia, the UK, the USA since the mid 1990s. The rise of education policies in support of professional teaching standards
needs to be seen in the light of broader public sector reforms which have sought to contribute to increased efficiency and
effectiveness of bureaucracies through systems of performance management of staff, increased demands for public accountability,
and increased regulation by central government. Such policy processes need to be seen in the light of government priorities
which, as Mahony and Hextall observe, have been preoccupied with debates about standards which have centred on, “how these
terms are defined, second, by whom, and third, on how improvement of effectiveness is to be achieved” (2000, p. 8). This chapter
is organized around three questions: i. what discourses inform the standards debate and the development of teacher professional
standards? ii. What are some emerging issues relating to teacher professional standards? and iii. What alternative strategies
could the teaching profession itself use to seize the agenda towards a profession led strategy?
Accountability of teachers: Literature review, prepared for the General Teaching Council England Rand Europe. Retrieved from: http://www
- R Levitt
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- J Evetts
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- M Ben-Peretz
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- J Elliott
Accountability and values
- M Halstead
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- D Ravitch
The activist teaching profession
- J Sachs
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- A Hargreaves