Teachers, performative techniques and professional values: how performativity becomes humanistic through interplay mechanisms

Abstract

In recent years, research has pointed to the development of 'postperformative' teachers and cultures within the education system. This article provides explanations for how it is possible that teachers marked by performative rationality also hold and enact seemingly humanistic professional values. The study points to three interplay mechanisms that reconstitute teachers' understandings of the role that the techniques and values play, including a reconstruction of professional values in performative terms. Thus, the article provides an explanation for the alignment of performativity and humanism in ambiguous school contexts.

Developing a Values-Based Attitude towards People in Adolescent Rehabilitation Centres: Neurophysiological Patterns

“…Still, the consideration of both neurophysiological and neuropedagogical factors has allowed one to draw parallels with current neuro-oriented research. It has also proved the existing dissonance between the traditional transmission of values, meanings and knowledge and the performativity "as the generation of such values in the very act of interaction and joint activities" (Frostenson & Englund 2020).…”

Student voice and classroom practice: how students are consulted in contexts without traditions of student voice

“…There is currently an Education (Student and Parent Charter) Bill before the Irish Parliament that would require schools to publish and operate charters for students and parents and while this is expected to further increase student voice in Irish schools, its overall aim of improving 'the level of engagement between schools and students and their parents by inviting feedback, comment and observations' could create cultures of surveillance in that it 'reflects the Government's commitment to introduce a stronger complaints procedure' (www.education.ie). While student voice can be used to monitor teachers in accountability-driven systems (see Skerritt 2020), Ireland is contextually rather different to countries where this is currently more common, such as England (Page 2017), Sweden (Frostenson and Englund 2020), New Zealand (Charteris and Smardon 2019c), Australia (Sullivan et al 2020), and America (Finefter-Rosenbluh 2020). Nonetheless, the management-level consultations in the data are particularly noteworthy not only because of the lack of tradition of student voice in Ireland but because of the Student and Parent Charter Bill, and because of the sensitivity of teachers towards evaluations more broadly.…”

Are these the accountable teacher subjects citizens want?

“…It is important therefore to note the likelihood of differences in response to reforms by those who have experienced more autonomy in the past and those who enter the profession not knowing any different (Day & Smethem, 2009) -'new kinds of teacher subjects' are produced (Ball, 2003, p. 217). While many studies continuously highlight accountability's negative impact on teachers (see for example, Brady & Wilson, 2021;Gerwitz et al, 2019;Perryman & Calvert, 2020;Skerritt, 2019a;Skinner et al, 2021), there are also now many recent studies in various international settings pointing to how today's teachers can be more enthusiastic about and embracing of accountability regimes (see for example, Frostenson & Englund, 2020;Holloway 2019b;Holloway & Brass, 2018;Perryman et al, 2017;Sullivan et al, 2020;Wilkins, 2011). Over time accountability has been normalised in many countries and this is reflected in the makeup of these systems' teachers.…”