“Willing Enthusiasts” and “Lame Ducks”? Capturing the History of Teacher Professional Development in England and Wales, 1920-1975

• In Event: Intersecting the Global and Local: Education and Nation Building

Abstract

This paper reports findings from a funded research project which examined the history of teacher professional development in England and Wales 1920-2000. It examines three dominant characteristics of central government provision: the restricted engagement of teachers relative to the whole teacher population; limited funding; and high levels of central control. These key characteristics helped to shape a particular ideology of professional development which was dependent on a select cadre of elite teachers for the dissemination and modelling of what was regarded as good practice, which we have conceptualised as ‘excellence and salvation’. However, this ideology also exposed critical tensions and contradictions around the purpose and reach of teacher professional development which continues to challenge current policy and provision.

Author

• Wendy Robinson, University of Exeter