Signing Off the Standards, Making the Disciplines Mandatory

  • Maxine Stephenson University of Auckland
  • Nane Rio University of Auckland

Abstract

The place of the foundational disciplines in teacher education has long been an issue of on-going debate amongst programme developers, teacher educators and students. In 1951 a departmental report on the recruitment, education and training of teachers acknowledged that the work of practising teachers, academics and research students in a number of disciplinary areas had resulted in ‘an immense growth of knowledge relevant to the business of education’ (Campbell, 1951, p.2). Concerned educators, who have been aware of the limitations of our educational system in providing equitable outcomes for all students, have seized the opportunities such knowledges have provided to inform their practice. Others have remained sceptical and chosen to ignore the possibilities that attention to such insights may offer. However, with the introduction of the Graduating Teacher Standards (New Zealand Teachers Council [NZTC], 2008) and the imperative for students to demonstrate critical engagement with contextual factors, courses drawing on disciplinary perspectives have become mandatory. It is no longer possible for graduating teachers to accept the advice of less critical and more sceptical colleagues to forget the theory of education since they are about to go into the real world.

Downloads

Download data is not yet available.

References

Alcorn, N. (1999). Reviews of teacher education in New Zealand 1950-1998: Continuity, contexts and change. Waikato Journal of Education, 5, 63-76.

Alton-Lee, A. (2003) Quality teaching for diverse students in schooling: Best evidence synthesis. Wellington: Ministry of Education. Accessed 6 July 2008fromwww.educationcounts.govt.nz/data/assets/word_doc/0018/7704/bes-qualityteaching-diverse.doc

Appendices to the Journals of the House of Representatives (1880). Report of Inspector H. Hill; E-1, p.4.

Arnot, M., & Barton, L. (1992). Introduction. In M. Arnot & L. Barton (Eds.),Voicing concerns: Sociological perspectives on contemporary education reforms (pp.vii-xvi). Wallingford, United Kingdom: Triangle Books.

Ball, S. (1996). Intellectuals or technicians? The urgent role of theory in educational studies. British Journal of Educational Studies, 43, 3, 255-271.

Campbell, A. (1951). Recruitment, education and training of teachers. Report of the Consultative Committee set up by the Minister of Education in November 1948. Wellington: Department of Education.

Cremin, L. (1956). Educational leadership for a free world: Public school and public philosophy. Teachers College Record, 57, 6, 354-359. Accessed 12 April 2006 from www.tcrecord.org ID Number: 4598.

Dale, R. (1992). Recovering from a pyrrhic victory? Quality, relevance and impact in the sociology of education. In M. Arnot & L. Barton (Eds.), Voicing concerns: Sociological perspectives on contemporary education reforms (pp.201-217). Wallingford, United Kingdom: Triangle Books.

Dale, R. (2008). Globalisation and education in Aotearoa/New Zealand. In V. Carpenter, J. Jesson, P. Roberts, & M. Stephenson (Eds.), Nga kaupapahere: Connections and contradictions in education (pp.25-35). Cengage: South Melbourne.

Diem, J. (2008). ‘But that’s in the past, right?’: Using theories of whiteness to challenge meritocracy and disrupt the narrative of racism. In J. Diem & R.Helfenbein (Eds.), Unsettling beliefs: Teaching theories to teachers (pp.109-136). Charlotte, N.C: Information Age Publishing.

Diem, J., & Helfenbein, R. (2008). Unsettling beliefs: Teaching theories to teachers. Charlotte, N.C: Information Age Publishing.

Dixon, H., Williams, R., & Snook, I. (2001). Conflicting perceptions. Teachers: technicians or professionals. ACE Papers, 8, 8-27.

Hammerness, K. (2006). From coherence in theory to coherence in practice. Teachers College Record, 108, 7, 1241-1265. Accessed 8 December 2008 from www.tcrecord.org ID Number: 12555.

Henry, M., Knight, J., Lingard, R., & Taylor, S. (1988). Understanding schooling: An introductory sociology of Australian education. London & Sydney:Routledge.

Hytten, K. (2008). Critical thinking, social justice, and the role of philosophy. In J.Diem & R. Helfenbein (Eds.), Unsettling beliefs: Teaching theories to teachers (pp.185-200). Charlotte, N.C: Information Age Publishing.

Mills, C. Wright (1959). The sociological imagination. New York: Oxford University Press.

New Zealand Gazette (1878). Vol. 2, 26 September, 1306-13.

New Zealand Parliamentary Debates (1871). Vol. 10.

New Zealand Teachers Council (2008). Graduating Teacher Standards. Accessed 20 September 2008 from http://www.teacherscouncil.govt.nz/education/gts/index.stm

Openshaw, R., & Ball, T. (2005). Shifting conceptions of teachers and teacher education. In P. Adams, K. Vossler & C. Scrivens (Eds.), Teachers’ work in Aotearoa New Zealand (pp.88-102). Palmerston North: Dunmore Press.

Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development (2001). Knowledge and skills for life: First results from PISA 2001. Paris: OECD.

Parker, S. (2007). Diversity as praxis for institutional transformation in higher education. Unpublished PhD thesis, The University of Auckland.

Segall, A. (2008). Why teaching critical social theory as ‘theory’ might not be enough. In J. Diem & R. Helfenbein (Eds.), Unsettling beliefs: Teaching theories to teachers (pp.15-30). Charlotte, N.C: Information Age Publishing

Snook, I. (1998). Teacher education: Preparation for a learned profession? Delta,50, 2, 135-148.Snook, I. (2000). Teacher education –preparation for a learned profession? In A.Scott & J. Freeman-Moir (Eds.), Tomorrow’s teachers: International and critical perspectives on teacher education (pp.143-152). Christchurch:Canterbury Press.

Whitty, G. (1994). Deprofessionalising teaching? Recent developments in teacher education in England. Deakin, A.C.T: Australian College of Education.

Published
2023-06-30
How to Cite
Stephenson, M., & Rio, N. (2023). Signing Off the Standards, Making the Disciplines Mandatory. Teachers’ Work, 20(1), 139-150. https://doi.org/10.24135/teacherswork.v20i1.443
Section
Editors' Choice