Shifting identity: new conditions and the transformation of practice – teaching within post-compulsory education

Abstract

The article explores the social and economic context of teaching within further education in England. It examines the lived experiences of lecturers working in the sector. It suggests that the attempt to explain these in terms of proletarianisation or re-professionalism is limited, and argues instead that we are witnessing a transformation of teaching and learning. This transformation is informed by an understanding of the economic context in which the sector is placed together with an interpretation of the needs of learners within these new conditions. It is suggested that a social bloc has been formed of constituencies that share this understanding. The transformation of teaching and learning in the sector opens up new forms of practice and identities for lecturers. The challenge is to work on the good sense of these changes.