The global search for better teaching: how should teachers think for themselves?

Abstract

Internationally, forms for teacher education (initial and continuing) are under the spotlight for change. This article briefly considers what is at issue and what opportunities might be available for moving towards ‘professionalisation’ in the provision of outstanding teachers. In particular, it suggests how we should characterise the thinking that becomes necessary if teachers gain increased autonomy. A brief examination of the concept of practical judgement, embedded in the Aristotelian idea of ‘phronesis’, is considered as one way to provide a rich articulation of the complexity of teaching and therefore shed light on how teachers might think for themselves to improve practice.

Keywords:

• teachers
• practical judgement
• professionalisation
• autonomy
• phronesis

Notes

The problem of attrition is very high in the teaching profession: in the United States, one-third of all teachers who enter the profession leave, half within the first 5 years (Musset 2010, 46).