A reflection on the teacher education curriculum and the decolonising agenda

Journal article


Byrd, J. and Stothard, J. 2023. A reflection on the teacher education curriculum and the decolonising agenda. Journal of Philosophy of Education. https://doi.org/10.1093/jopedu/qhad080
AuthorsByrd, J. and Stothard, J.
Abstract

This paper is a reflective piece on the thought processes individuals and teams have when engaging in decoloniality work in Teacher Training/Education.  We argue that until the self is decolonised, the process of decolonialisation becomes rhetoric, or as stated by Doharty et al. (2021), ‘lousy diversity double-speak’.  We also question how much we can decolonise whilst working in the academy whose very culture, symbols and practices are borne out of colonialism and the period of enlightenment; whose very raison d’etre is to elevate some knowledge over others and to claim cultural and academic superiority. The current political landscape in England approaches anti-racism as a political ideology that must be avoided in schools and education and this ideological battlefield is evident in teacher education. We aim to recognise the tensions and resistance to decolonialise, which demonstrates the messy and contingent process of moving between shifting positions and subjectivities. It confronts the challenge of the teacher-practitioner who must balance their own moral and philosophical grounding whilst attending the political imperatives of the work. This can take the form of according with the policies and procedures of the institutions in which they are situated which can often be balkanising and debilitating.

This is a pre-copyedited, author-produced version of an article accepted for publication in Journal of Philosophy of Education following peer review. The version of record is available online at the DOI link below in this record.

Keywordsreflection; teachers; education; curriculum; decolonisation
Year2023
JournalJournal of Philosophy of Education
PublisherOxford University Press
ISSN1467-9752
Digital Object Identifier (DOI)https://doi.org/10.1093/jopedu/qhad080
Web address (URL)https://academic.oup.com/jope/advance-article-abstract/doi/10.1093/jopedu/qhad080/7455199?redirectedFrom=fulltext
Accepted author manuscript
License
All rights reserved
File Access Level
Controlled
Output statusPublished
Publication dates
Online29 Nov 2023
Publication process dates
Accepted25 Nov 2023
Deposited23 Oct 2023
Permalink -

https://repository.derby.ac.uk/item/q25vy/a-reflection-on-the-teacher-education-curriculum-and-the-decolonising-agenda

Restricted files

Accepted author manuscript

  • 52
    total views
  • 1
    total downloads
  • 7
    views this month
  • 0
    downloads this month

Export as

Related outputs

Transforming assessment principles and practices through collaboration: A case study from a primary school and university
Stothard, J., Mosey, C., Rodigan, E. and Lalji, S. 2024. Transforming assessment principles and practices through collaboration: A case study from a primary school and university. The Chartered College of Teaching .
'Can you show me what it is not? Representations of ‘non-examples’ as a tool for developing pre-service primary mathematics teachers pedagogical content knowledge and intra-mathematical connections
Stothard, J. 2023. 'Can you show me what it is not? Representations of ‘non-examples’ as a tool for developing pre-service primary mathematics teachers pedagogical content knowledge and intra-mathematical connections. Practitioner Research in Mathematics Education (PRiME).
Signature assessments in Initial Teacher Training: what kinds of assessment proliferate? A content analysis of assessment practices across higher education institutions in England
Stothard, J. 2022. Signature assessments in Initial Teacher Training: what kinds of assessment proliferate? A content analysis of assessment practices across higher education institutions in England. International Assessment in Higher Education Conference.
Challenges to implementing a new technology in Teacher Education. Phase One: ‘meaningful’ digital reflections.
Byrd, J. 2017. Challenges to implementing a new technology in Teacher Education. Phase One: ‘meaningful’ digital reflections. Teacher Education Advancement Network Journal.