Abstract
This paper explores the ecology of a teacher education partnership in England, in light of changes to the regulatory and curriculum requirements of central government in recent years. These include the Core Content Framework (DfE, 2019), defining essential content and teaching and learning approaches for programmes leading to Qualified Teacher Status, and the more recent Initial Teacher Training (ITT) Market Review and Accreditation processes which have been used to ensure compliance with the newly updated ITTECF (DfE, 2023). Through a collaborative retrospective approach, our study engages with empirical research concerning student teacher wellbeing, teacher identity, and the role of the university in shaping curriculum, social, and temporal contexts within teacher education.
We present findings from interviews, focus groups, and surveys conducted with student teachers, early career teachers, and veteran teachers, reflecting their lived experiences of teacher education. Our analysis suggests that enacted teacher education curricula transcend the confines of the ITTECF, unveiling opportunities to adopt a transformational approach that underpins sustainability of the teaching workforce. But we also highlight implications of radical reforms initiated by the ITT Market Review and subsequent centralised curriculum practices, which have significant ramifications for teacher recruitment, retention, and the broader perception of the teaching profession.
Central to our discussion are critical concerns regarding teachers’ professional identity, autonomy and knowledge. Within the context of, and despite the simplistic approach taken by recent reforms, we argue that these issues are increasingly complex and problematic for both initial and ongoing teacher education curricula. Following the call by Aronowitz and Giroux (1993) to blend critique with possibility, we interrogate the ideological dimensions of these reforms, aiming to address power imbalances that have persisted within teacher education frameworks. Our study is contextualised by global initiatives to enhance the supply and retention of qualified teachers, integral to meeting UNESCO’s Sustainable Development Goal 4 (SDG 4) by 2030. The ambitious goals of SDG 4 encounter significant challenges across all levels of curriculum, and we draw from Priestley’s (2021) multi-level framework of curriculum to navigate some of the influences of global policy borrowing and competition.
Our findings underscore the complexities of defining and legitimizing knowledge and evidence bases within teacher education curricula, which in turn has serious implications for recruitment, retention and the standing of the teaching profession. We advocate for policy and practices that reimagine of universities as centres for curriculum innovation, as ontological spaces vital to transforming both individual and collective educational experiences. Ultimately, we seek to offer hope for the future, located in resilience and collaborative action which enhances professional agency and autonomy amidst the challenges posed by regulatory reforms.
We present findings from interviews, focus groups, and surveys conducted with student teachers, early career teachers, and veteran teachers, reflecting their lived experiences of teacher education. Our analysis suggests that enacted teacher education curricula transcend the confines of the ITTECF, unveiling opportunities to adopt a transformational approach that underpins sustainability of the teaching workforce. But we also highlight implications of radical reforms initiated by the ITT Market Review and subsequent centralised curriculum practices, which have significant ramifications for teacher recruitment, retention, and the broader perception of the teaching profession.
Central to our discussion are critical concerns regarding teachers’ professional identity, autonomy and knowledge. Within the context of, and despite the simplistic approach taken by recent reforms, we argue that these issues are increasingly complex and problematic for both initial and ongoing teacher education curricula. Following the call by Aronowitz and Giroux (1993) to blend critique with possibility, we interrogate the ideological dimensions of these reforms, aiming to address power imbalances that have persisted within teacher education frameworks. Our study is contextualised by global initiatives to enhance the supply and retention of qualified teachers, integral to meeting UNESCO’s Sustainable Development Goal 4 (SDG 4) by 2030. The ambitious goals of SDG 4 encounter significant challenges across all levels of curriculum, and we draw from Priestley’s (2021) multi-level framework of curriculum to navigate some of the influences of global policy borrowing and competition.
Our findings underscore the complexities of defining and legitimizing knowledge and evidence bases within teacher education curricula, which in turn has serious implications for recruitment, retention and the standing of the teaching profession. We advocate for policy and practices that reimagine of universities as centres for curriculum innovation, as ontological spaces vital to transforming both individual and collective educational experiences. Ultimately, we seek to offer hope for the future, located in resilience and collaborative action which enhances professional agency and autonomy amidst the challenges posed by regulatory reforms.
| Original language | English |
|---|---|
| Journal | Making teaching an attractive profession: challenges and opportunities |
| Publication status | In preparation - May 2025 |