Professionalism, identity and the self: the de-moralisation of teachers in English sixth form colleges

Teacher identity work in neoliberal schooling spaces

“…ethical care for students) are at odds with institutionally-defined schooling purposes (e.g. performance on accountability measures), an observation echoed by Clarke (2012; and Stoten (2013). In this values schizophrenia (Ball, 2003, p. 221), a teacher's identity is torn between performing (or teaching) authentically, where one uses one's own judgment and care in working with students, and, alternately, performing a fabrication where one teaches toward an external version of effective teaching that conflicts with one's own internal version.…”

“…standardized testing regimes). Curriculum and teaching receive centralized oversight, and schools and teachers are expected to subject themselves to the master narratives of good and effective teaching, measured primarily by standardized exam scores, in order to provide consumers (the public) with information upon which to base their schooling choices (Clarke, 2012;Clarke & Phelan, 2015;Parkison, 2013;Stoten, 2013).…”

“…Curriculum standardization often accompanies a neoliberal approach to education (Buchanan, 2015;Fisher-Ari et al, 2017;Meshulam & Apple, 2014;Stoten, 2013;Weaven & Clark, 2015). When curricula are standardized, when all classrooms use the same texts and instructional approaches, opportunity and achievement are flattened out, resulting, ostensibly, in all students being given an equal chance.…”

“…Teachers' experiences of the standardization of curriculum are similarly troubling. Standardization has been observed to deprofessionalize teachers by restricting teachers' use of their own discernment before and during instruction (Buchanan, 2015;Stoten, 2013). Within a neoliberal view, teaching is framed as a technicist job in which the teacher's role is transmitter rather than thinking, knowledgeable actor and decision-maker (Sawyer, 2004).…”

Managing performance evaluation uncertainties in schools: When teachers become struggling performers

“…A quality which stresses the need to be, for example, enterprising, striving, and risk-taking -traits which will not only allow the teacher to perform as an individual but also to validate herself in comparison with competing others (cf. Anderson and Cohen, 2015;Collinson, 2003;Stoten, 2013). Third, and related, a performer also has to nurture her individualistic qualities.…”