Changing Teacher Professionalism

Significant changes in the policy and social context of teaching over the last 30 years have had substantial implications for teacher professionalism. As the influence of central regulation and marketisation has increased, so the scope for professional influence on policy and practice has in many cases diminished. Instead, teachers have had to respond to a range of other demands stemming from broader social changes, including greater public scepticism towards professional authority combined with demands for public services that are more responsive to diverse cultural and social identities.

This collection of work by leading international scholars in the field makes a unique contribution to understanding both how these changes are impacting on teaching and how teachers might change their practice for the better. The central premise of the book is that if research is going to be helpful in improving professional learning and the quality of teachers’ practice, the full potential of three broad approaches to research on teacher professionalism needs to be brought to bear on these issues:

• research on the changing political and social context of professional work and practice
• research on the working lives and lived experiences of teachers, and
• research on how teachers’ professional practices might be enhanced.

In bringing together and drawing out the complementarities of these three approaches, this book represents a ground-breaking collection of work.

Sharon Gewirtz is Professor of Education in the Centre for Public Policy Research at King’s College London, UK. Pat Mahony is Assistant Dean (Research) at Roehampton University. Ian Hextall is Senior Research Fellow at Roehampton University. Alan Cribb is Professor of Bioethics and Education in the Centre for Public Policy Research at King’s College London, UK