Professional Issues for Teachers and Students Teachers

Citation

Cole, M. (1999), "Professional Issues for Teachers and Students Teachers", International Journal of Educational Management, Vol. 13 No. 6, pp. 301-302. https://doi.org/10.1108/ijem.1999.13.6.301.1

This text sets itself two simple goals: to provide the reader with a sound knowledge of Circular 4/98 (DfEE), and to assist in critical reflection on the issues covered by this circular.

The text is aimed primarily at those undertaking courses of initial teacher training, their lecturers, and teachers. However it may also be of some value to students following social policy courses with the educational studies option, and those following a general course in education. It may well be of some interest to parents, governors, and other people interested in this aspect of teachers’ duties.

At one level, this is a general textbook adhering to the requirement of students and practitioners to understand Circular 4/98 (DfEE). The authors have sensibly left the school‐based requirements outside their remit and focused on those that are essentially required to be met by courses in educational establishments. At this level, the text is reasonable enough, in that the text is well organized and accessible. The seven neat chapters all have an introduction and useful side headings, especially beneficial for the hard‐pressed student. However, the wide‐ranging survey of the legislation concerning Circular 4/98 (DfEE) makes this a rather dry read. Paradoxically, this very dryness seems to make it easier to “dip into” the text.

This is not a book for reading cover to cover. There is a useful conclusion provided by the editor, and indeed, four of the authors have provided the reader with a sound conclusion to their chapters.

I was disappointed to find that while the text more than adequately outlines the legislation around Circular 4/98 (DfEE), it nonetheless fails in its secondary task of providing an adequate analysis, or making any original comments on the ideology behind the change from teacher education to teacher training that Circular 4/98 (DfEE) embodies. To achieve this, the authors would have had to seriously engage with the ideology of the Thatcher years and the New Labour programme in education. If this had been attempted, it would have lifted this work above the level of a general textbook.

Given that the text is a collaborative work, I am hesitant to single out one author. However, the chapter by David Taubman gives cause for concern. It is a poorly argued chapter, claiming that there is a lack of a critical pedagogy in England (apparently Wales is to be ignored). Essentially, the reader is treated to the B. Simon Marxist interpretation, followed by P. Freires’ de‐schooling philosophy. Both educational giants, whose views I greatly respect. Therefore, this shabby regurgitation of their arguments is somewhat annoying. Taubman should refer to the fact (especially as most students on initial training courses are new to this area) that there are educational historians who would take issue with the opinion that England and Wales lack a long critical pedagogy.