The professionals
Contemporary educational reform has resulted in a period of significant change for teachers. Consequently, we need to reflect on existing notions of teacher professionalism, writes Geoff Whitty, Director of the Institute of Education, University of London. Based on his paper – presented at the GTC in Northern Ireland's annual lecture earlier this year – Professor Whitty, who is also a member of the GTC, sets out his thoughts.
Policy developments over the last 20 years have posed significant challenges to 'traditional' notions of teacher professionalism.
In England, a key strand of policy has been to reposition public sector schools as competitors in the marketplace, encouraging them to behave more like those in the private sector.
Parents have been offered greater choice over the school that their children attend, while budgets and managerial power are handed down to schools in the expectation that they can then respond more effectively to the preferences of parents as consumers.
The potential influence of parents has been reinforced by a range of more recent policy developments. For example, Ofsted will now be able to respond to concerns raised by parents themselves about their children's schools. Legislation currently going through parliament, based on the 2005 White Paper Higher standards, better schools for all, proposes the introduction of 'parent councils', which would give parents the opportunity to input into school decision making directly.
At the same time, businesses and other organisations have been increasingly encouraged to become involved in the education sector by part-funding and running anything from a local initiative to national programmes and individual schools.
There is also the school workforce remodelling agenda, including the dramatic rise in the numbers of teaching assistants and the marked changes in the nature of their responsibilities. Linked to this is Every Child Matters, which seeks to ensure multi-agency work in the interests of children.
How do such developments position the GTC in relation to teacher professionalism? The establishment of the GTC in England – and other councils in Wales and Northern Ireland – was seen by some as the turning point at which teaching had become a bone fide profession, particularly when they developed codes of professional conduct.
Having achieved the century-long occupational project of making teaching a profession in the traditional sense, it hardly seems fair to suggest that further change may be necessary. But we do need to consider whether, if the respective Councils are to maximise the positive influence of teachers, this is the model that serves them best.
The dilemma is already evident. Take, for example, the reflections of the GTC's Chief Executive, Carol Adams, on the children's agenda. She asks: could pupils, parents and the wider community become confused about the unique role and contribution of the teacher? Could a child's right to learn be threatened by the new multi-disciplinary agenda? While Carol herself welcomes many aspects of the children's agenda, she argues that we need 'to hold fast to the simple premise that a school is a centre of learning' and thereby be clear about the role of the teacher.
Key question
But this does not necessarily require a defensive, exclusionary and inward looking stance on the part of teachers. Indeed, if the key question is: how can teachers maximise children's opportunities to learn, that can only be achieved by working ever more closely with other stakeholders.
To that end, in my view, our aim should be to move towards a 'democratic professionalism'. This would seek to demystify professional work and build alliances between teachers and other members of the school workforce – such as teaching assistants – and external stakeholders, including students, parents and members of the wider community.
Democratic professionalism encourages the development of collaborative cultures in the broadest sense, rather than exclusive ones. It certainly suggests that the teacher has a responsibility that extends beyond the single classroom – including contributing to the school, other students and the wider educational system, as well as to the collective responsibilities of teachers themselves to a broader social agenda. Ultimately, what we must achieve is surely a balance between defining the teacher's proper role and staking out the territory too rigidly.
