In the light of some of the aspirations for education expressed in the Plowden Report, this short piece considers the experiences of teachers in a "progressive" English independent school. There is a particular focus on what might loosely be termed job satisfaction. It is suggested that, whilst these teachers enjoy their work, they have…

If teachers are to reclaim any sort of agenda--let alone a radical one--they need to be taken seriously as professionals. Why aren't they? Derek Gillard surveys the history of teaching in England and argues that teacher professionalism was a short-lived phenomenon which has been in decline for thirty years. Far from rescuing it from the Tories,…

As part of the Department for Education and Skill's remodeling of the workforce agenda of 2003, the then Teacher Training Agency created a new "super teaching assistant" role that headteachers could integrate into their school organizations. This mirrored other government public service professional reforms, where there has been a…

This article discusses findings from a tri-country study of student teachers' understandings of the purposes of education, their conceptions of sustainable development and the task of Education for Sustainable Development (ESD). At its heart are case studies of 30 student teachers from Initial Teacher Education Programmes in England, Denmark and…

In recent years, policy-makers in England, Australia and other countries have called for measures to increase male recruitment to the teaching profession, particularly to the primary sector. This policy of targeted recruitment is predicated upon a number of unexamined assumptions about the benefits of matching teachers and pupils by gender. For…

The midcareeer learning of 120 professionals in 12 contrasting business, engineering, and health care organizations was examined to identify factors facilitating workplace learning. Individuals were interviewed regarding their current work and ways they acquired the necessary know-how and knowledge for their jobs and improved or extended their…

The Insuring Information Technology Competence project explored ways to improve skills and retrain individuals to exploit information technology (IT) for more effective delivery of financial services. Seven organizations working in the financial services sector in Britain participated. The project was dependent on the organizations' ability to…

Provides an overview of the design, implementation, and evaluation of sociology courses in health-care-professional education in England. Discusses the policy changes that led to the inclusion of these courses into medical, nursing, midwifery, and radiography curricula. Examines pedagogical and logistical issues as well as course content. (MJP)

The last two decades have been witness to the introduction of a series of interlocking government-led initiatives ostensibly designed to establish and raise performance standards in teaching and learning. These include target-setting, assessments, appraisals, performance management systems and performance thresholds. Such measures have often been…

This module on space management is intended to help supervisors or managers make more profitable use of existing areas in their establishment. An imaginary licensed house is used as a case study to show the steps involved. The material is presented in a self-instructional format in five sections. At the beginning of each section is a statement of…

Analyzed attitudes regarding appropriate occupations for deaf youth at schools in Italy and England. Found (1) no significant "rater" or "rater-by-country" effects; (2) significant differences betweeen countries in expressed advice to hearing and deaf persons; but (3) no significant differences in mean advice to the deaf in the…

Explores (drawing on empirical research) ways in which schoolteachers in England reposition themselves in the face of rapid and extensive educational change, some of which they may view with ambivalence or hostility. Identifies and illustrates two distinct forms of pragmatism: (1) principled pragmatism, and (2) contingent pragmatism. (BT)

Reports on a project coordinated by the Association for Science Education (ASE) to define occupational standards and roles for technicians in schools and colleges. Lists mandatory units for each of three levels, focusing on both the explicit and the less obvious roles of technicians. (AIM)

Background: The use of research evidence produced by others is seen as central to the reflective practice of school teachers. There have been many recent UK initiatives aimed at improving access to research evidence, but there are still concerns about the lack of engagement by teachers. Previous research has looked at this issue from different…