Creating a profession of educators with the living-theories of master and doctor educators

Abstract

In our last paper in GEI we presented an argument for teachers to engage in Living Educational Theory research as Continuing Professional Development. In this paper we extend our analysis to show how this can empower educators to improve their practice and, by offering as a gift the knowledge they generate in the process, contribute to the creation of a profession of educators. The extension is grounded in the idea of enhancing professionalism in education through recognising and accrediting accounts of livingeducational-theories as knowledge generated by professional practitioners as master and doctor educators. We distinguish Living Educational Theory research from a livingeducational-theory. Living Educational Theory research refers to the conceptual principles that distinguish the research approach. A living-educational-theory is a values-based explanation offered by an individual of their educational influence in their own learning, the learning of others and the learning of social formations. It is argued that for this knowledge to be legitimated by universities, in the form of accredited awards, an extension and transformation will be required in the dominating forms of knowledge. It is also argued that educators teaching in continuing professional development programmes need to develop their talents, knowledge and expertise by researching their own practice in the same way as the teachers they are supporting. In doing so they exemplify an educational pedagogy appropriate to providing gifted education internationally for students of any age.

Cultivating Equity Through Living Educational Theory, Action Research, and Cultures of Educational Inquiry in a U.K./Global Context

“…The epistemology includes the values-laden, relationally dynamic, explanatory principles that are used in explaining the educational influences in contributing to cultivating equitable education systems. The explanation includes the explication of a Living Educational Theory approach to continuing professional development (Whitehead & Huxtable, 2016). In this approach the embodied knowledges of professional practitioners are made explicit in a way that is consistent with Snow's (2001) call to make public the practical knowledge of educators.…”

Enhancing educational influences in learning with a Living Educational Theory approach to pedagogical Action Research in Higher Education

“…To emphasise the potential of the approach, to enhancing an educational pedagogy in Higher Education, the analysis below concludes with references to two contributions to educational knowledge. The first is an analysis of how professionalism in education has been enhanced through this pedagogical approach in supporting the accreditation of doctoral and masters programmes (Whitehead & Huxtable, 2016). The second is the contribution one of our students is making to extending pedagogy in Higher Education in the form of the 'Values-led Leadership MA programme from a Living Theory perspective', developed by Mounter (2019) of the Learning Institute in Cornwall (UK) and Legitimated by Newman University, Birmingham (UK).…”

“…, legitimated by Newman University, Birmingham, UK. An analysis of Mounter's professional learning is included in our claim to be contributing to the creation of a profession of educators with the living-theories of Master and Doctor Educators (Whitehead & Huxtable, 2016).…”

Journeying through informing, reforming and transforming teacher education: Reflections on curriculum images

“…Here, I realize how lucky I was to have reviews of my chapters on the transformative living theory account and getting feedback on my learning. There, I came to understand that building my views on living-theory perspective enabled me to explain and explore the critical questions of the kind, 'how educational practitioners see the 'influence in their own learning, in learning of others (e.g., learning of their students and colleagues) and 'in the learning of social formation in which they live and work' (Whitehead, 2008, p. 104;Whitehead & Huxtable, 2016). For me, it makes great sense that conventional, abstract, and de-contextualized theories of teacher education and reforms in education used for reforming teacher education with political yet donor-driven agendas focusing on superficial changes cannot be helpful to make a difference in the lives of self/others in my national context.…”

“…Interestingly, one can find a living contradiction by watching his/her own recorded teaching practices like what I did in my case (see for example https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCmluZt8WjAuTtAgrdMJl_1Q). With critically selfreflecting on the praxis, I came to identify my embodied values (i.e., the values which are embedded within my actions), and there I could address the issue of living contradiction (Whitehead & Huxtable, 2016).…”