Teacher's Work, Identity And Education Policy

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Teacher’s Work, Identity and Education Policy Introduction The description of teacher’s work and identity is something that directly impacts the way in which a teacher will teach. Policy documents such as the Norms and Standards policy texts, therefore have a great influence over how teachers perceive themselves, how they are seen by others and how and what they practice in the classroom. They influence ideas of teacher professionalism and to a certain extent dictate the extent to which teachers can be seen as autonomous, accountable professionals in the field of teaching. Policy documents also create an ideal notion of the teacher to which the teacher is expected to work towards, and yet, as we will discuss, these ideals are possibly unattainable and contribute to the de-professionalism of teachers today. This essay will compare and discuss the approaches towards the description of teacher’s work in the existing and proposed Norms and Standards policy texts and see how they relate to the ideas of professionalism, teacher identity and teaching practice. Teacher Professionalism and Identity The notion of professionalism is key when looking at teacher identity and the description of teacher’s work in policy texts. As reforms and policies are continually changing, so are the notions of teacher professionalism and identity, and as a result, teaching practise. There is a long standing debate about whether or not teachers even fall under the label professional, or if they are merely workers. The fact that they are workers of the state instead of independent workers, and that they are often governed and protected by unions, have all been factors that have contributed to the de-professionalization of teachers. But what does it mean to be a professional? The meaning of professionalism is something that is always contextualised, and while it is difficult to pin point a
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