Chris Wilkins

Professionalism and the post-performative teacher : New teachers reflect on autonomy and accountability in the English school system

This paper explores the impact of the increasingly performative nature of the assessment of teachers’ performance in England leading to the introduction of Professional Standards for Teachers in 2007. It reports the findings of a small‐scale study of newly‐qualified primary school teachers in the context of literature on teacher identity, performativity and professional development. It suggests the possible emergence of a ‘post‐performative’ identity; a generation of teachers whose experience as pupils has been of an increasingly performative schooling system. These post‐performative teachers cannot be categorised as either ‘compliant’ or ‘resistant’ to the demands of performative management systems and government initiatives. They are still largely motivated by affective rewards, but have clear career ambitions; they are aware of the potential conflicts between the demands of accountability and the desire for autonomy, but are generally comfortable with the balance they feel able to strike between these. This paper reflects on the views of these teachers in the light of further developments in master’s‐level qualifications and their possible impact on the shape of professionalism and professional development.

Crossing borders: new teachers co-constructing professional identity in performative times

This paper draws on a range of theoretical perspectives on the construction of new teachers’ professional identity. It focuses particularly on the impact of the development in many national education systems of a performative culture of the management and regulation of teachers’ work. Whilst the role of interactions with professional colleagues and school managers in the performative school has been extensively researched, less attention has been paid to new teachers’ interactions with students. This paper highlights the need for further research focusing on the process of identity co-construction with students. A key theoretical concept employed is that of liminality, the space within which identities are in transition as teachers adjust to the culture of a new professional workplace, and the nature of the engagement of new teachers, or teachers who change schools, with students. The authors argue that an investigation into the processes of this co-construction of identity offers scope for new insights into the extent to which teachers might construct either a teacher identity at odds with their personal and professional values, or a more ‘authentic’ identity that counters performative discourses. These insights will in turn add to our understanding of the complex range of factors impacting on teacher resilience and motivation.

‘You’ve got to be tough and I’m trying’: Black and minority ethnic student teachers’ experiences of initial teacher education

Whilst Black and minority ethnic (BME) recruitment to initial teacher education (ITE) in the UK is increasing, completion rates are lower than for White students, and this study reports the experiences of BME student teachers on a primary postgraduate programme that had been particularly successful in increasing recruitment of BME students. Amongst some positive experiences, they report concerns about social isolation, stereotypical attitudes amongst White peers and instances of overt racism, particularly in school placements. Whilst conscious of the distinctive contribution they are able to make to schools, the student teachers are aware of the dangers of marginalization where their contribution is solely defined by their ethnicity. This paper draws attention to the parallels between these experiences and those revealed in similar studies undertaken up to two decades ago. It explores possible factors behind the persistence of these experiences and questions the effectiveness of the 2000 Race Relations (Amendment) Act in promoting race equality. The findings are discussed in the light of literature exploring the concepts of structural racism and ‘racialized’ discourse.

Initial Teacher Education in the Panopticon.

The schools’ inspection regime in England has shifted in recent decades from a focus on external assessment of practice to a scrutiny of external data and schools’ self‐evaluation, culminating in a normative system based on self‐surveillance by school senior managers. This model of inspection (characteristic of the performative approach to public sector accountability) is now being extended to providers of initial teacher education, with providers using a standardised self‐evaluation template. A qualitative analysis of this template demonstrates its attempt to normalise and manage the development of initial teacher education programmes in order that they reflect political priorities rather than being based primarily on the professional knowledge and judgements. Further, the potential for a conflict of interests between the government agencies responsible for delivery and inspection is considered.

Teachers and Young Citizens: teachers talk about their role as social educators

Abstract This article explores the responses of a small group of primary and secondary teachers in England concerning the changing status of citizenship education, as a result of the introduction of non‐statutory guidance for the primary (5‐11) phase in 2000 and the planned introduction of statutory requirements for the teaching of citizenship in the secondary (11‐16) phase for September 2002. The sample is drawn from a larger study of trainee teachers in the mid‐1990s exploring notions of citizenship and the role of education in fostering citizenship for future generations. This follow‐up study revisited some of the original research questions and explored the ways in which, as relatively experienced teachers, the interviewees had shifted in their understanding of citizenship and their confidence in teaching citizenship related issues. Although the teachers generally were still positive about the potential role for schools in fostering good citizenship, they still lacked confidence in articulating how they specifically could best do this. They continued to be concerned about the factors, which negatively impacted on the ability and willingness of teachers to engage in citizenship issues; the pressures of workload, a prescriptive curriculum and a culture dominated by standardised testing and examination. A number of positive developments, particularly with regard to government guidance and support for teachers, are reported, but their impact will only become clear in the future. This small‐scale research supports the findings of the earlier work which argue that one of the key areas for educational policy‐makers is the effective support for addressing citizenship education during the training (both initial and in‐service) of teachers.

Inspecting the inspectors: race equality and quality in initial teacher education

Equalities legislation in Britain has in recent years shifted towards requiring public bodies to proactively promote equality rather than simply prevent discrimination. This paper reports on a study of how this requirement, with specific reference to race equality, is enacted in the regulation and inspection of initial teacher education (ITE) in England. The study included a review of statutory guidance and inspection frameworks and quantitative analysis of how overall inspection outcomes reflect the quality of ITE providers’ engagement with race equality issues. The study also included case studies of ITE programmes judged by their students to be either particularly good or particularly weak at preparing them to address race equality issues in their teaching. The study concludes that there is a significant gap between government rhetoric on race equality and the policy enactment of agencies involved in ITE. It argues that in the context of the high stakes accountability systems in place throughout all aspects of educational provision, this means that race equality issues are marginalised within institutional policies that focus on procedural compliance rather than substantive challenge to practices that normalise and so perpetuate structural inequality.

School autonomy reform in Queensland: governance, freedom and the entrepreneurial leader

ABSTRACT This paper examines conceptions of governance and freedom embedded within a new school autonomy policy in Queensland (Australia). Drawing on interview data from case study research, it foregrounds the practices of two school leaders from a secondary school in regional Queensland. It considers how such conceptions foster an entrepreneurial leadership of competition and compliance but also how they create space for something other than these dominant performative priorities. The paper’s theoretical contribution responds to calls for more nuanced accounts of entrepreneurial leadership to better understand how current performative demands are impacting on school leaders amid increasingly autonomised education systems.

Pedagogy, empowerment and discipline: comparative perspectives of novice teachers in England and Turkey reflecting on ‘the other’

This article discusses the views of Turkish and British novice teachers on pedagogy and pedagogical relationships with school students when confronted with the pedagogical practices of the ‘Other’ in particular policy contexts. Experiences of those practices were gained by novice teachers during an exchange visit for British and Turkish university students in the period 2008–2009. Data was collected through questionnaires and focus group interviews. Findings suggest that Turkish and British novice teachers initially constructed the ‘Other’ as very different from themselves. The views of members of both groups were heavily influenced by the cultural contexts in which they trained and worked. British novice teachers tended to take as axiomatic constructivist and inclusive approaches to pedagogy and the relevance to successful pedagogy of listening to students’ voices. Turkish novice teachers questioned both, many seeing control and dissemination of knowledge as central to pedagogy and student teacher relationships.

Vocational Education and Training in England: Opportunities and challenges in a fragmented neoliberal system

This chapter explores the challenges faced by those working in vocational education and training (VET) in England, focusing particularly on implications of the growth of neoliberal reforms and consequences of the lack of stability in government policy over recent decades. This discussion is situated in the context of the complexity of education for work provision across the United Kingdom (UK), highlighting to the differences between policy and practice across the UK’s four nation states (England, Northern Ireland, Scotland and Wales). In particular, it reflects on the contradiction inherent in the way in which neoliberal education reforms in England over recent decades have on the one hand exacerbated the lack of coherence between ‘vocational’ education and ‘academic’ schooling (Coffield 2007), and on the other led to an increased focus on closing the achievement gap for students from ‘disadvantaged communities’ (Hills/Stewart 2005; Wilkins 2015).

Elite Career-Changers and Their Experience of Initial Teacher Education.

Abstract This study explores the motivation of ‘high-status’ professionals to change career and enter teaching, and their experience of undertaking initial teacher education (ITE) programmes in England. The study builds on previous research which found that career-changers are disproportionately more likely to fail to complete their ITE studies, and that those who do complete the transition into teaching frequently experience frustration with some aspects of induction and often feel undervalued by their new colleagues. The participants in this study were largely positive about most aspects of their ITE experience, and felt their professional background enabled them to be resilient when faced with the challenges of transitioning from being an expert in one domain to novice in another. However, they report variable experiences of mentoring, and for some, a sense of their previous experience being under-appreciated by ITE tutors and schools. The study also finds little evidence of personalisation built into ITE programmes to take account of the distinctive needs of career-changers. This paper concludes that the current policy focus adopted in England and in many other countries on entry quality may detract from the more fundamental issue of ensuring ITE programmes provide the flexible and personalised professional learning environments that enable a diverse range of entrants to flourish.