Teacher professionalism and the changing discourse of the humanities curriculum

Abstract

In this article I give a critical account of a humanities department in a mixed comprehensive school in the early 1970s and in the mid-1990s to demonstrate the changes which have taken place in the professional role of teachers. The article explores the relationship between the wider structural scene and the curriculum and the responses of teachers to change. Following a discussion of the theoretical approach to professionalism I give a short description of the culture and situation of the school in the mid-1990s compared with the early 1970s. I describe and analyse the changing roles of humanities teachers in two sections. In the first section, called ‘The craft of the teacher’, I illustrate the way in which humanities teachers have experienced a decline in decision-making power in whole school matters along with a reduction in commitment to politically radical curriculum development. In the second section I focus on assessment to explore changing teacher autonomy. This is followed by a discussion section where I make a brief reference to theoretical points before concluding with some thoughts about the implications of this changing professionalism for teachers and students.