35 research outputs found
Black woman, white Scotland (A comment on the position of black women with particular reference to Scotland)
Promoting cohesion, challenging expectations: educating the teachers of tomorrow for race equality and diversity in 21st century schools
Survey evidence suggests that newly qualified teachers
tend to feel relatively ill-prepared to engage with pupils of
BME (Black and Minority Ethnic) heritage or to respond to
potentially challenging issues related to race equality in
schools. Of key concern is how the teaching work force
- predominantly white, monolingual, female and middle
class - can be enabled to be more effective and culturally
competent in teaching an increasingly diverse pupil
population in terms of ethnicity, culture, language and
economics. Preparing teachers to support schoolsâ role in
promoting social cohesion remains of vital relevance in a
period of increasing austerity and social change.
A research team from the University of Edinburgh and
Manchester Metropolitan University interviewed 31
lecturers involved in teacher education in Scotland and
England, to find out how they are dealing with race
equality issues
Reporting on Progress Towards Equality of Opportunity Between Disabled Persons and Other Persons Made By Public Authorities in Scotland:The Scottish Ministers' Duties
Teacher Activism in Equity and Anti-discrimination in Scotland: An interpretive study
Scots have long acknowledged that education has a central role in shaping a nationâs
identity, culture and economic prosperity. Education is a key area within which
values and attitudes are formed and perpetuated. Scotland has also held sacrosanct
the concept of âeducation for allâ, viewing education as a democratic enterprise
which can assist the reduction of privilege and contribute to the development of the
collective democratic intellect. Teachers are key within that process as they arbitrate
on what is taught and how it is taught. Research has shown that teacher expectations
can be pivotal in influencing pupil motivation and achievement. Scotlandâs teaching
workforce, just like that of all other countries in the Western world, is largely
homogenous (white and middle class, female in the early years and primary sectors)
and this profile is becoming increasingly mismatched to an increasingly diverse pupil
population.
In Scotland, confidence and competence in engaging with issues of diversity and
discrimination are unlikely to be achieved through immersion in diverse
communities or through peer-education. Other ways need to be identified to
generate teachers of tomorrow who are âfit for purposeâ for a diverse population as
well as being able to teach on issues which are necessary for a global citizen to
negotiate the complexities and tensions of values, belief and ideological differences.
This thesis adopts a life history approach to identify why some teachers in Scotland
engage explicitly with equity and anti-discrimination issues as part of their approach
to learning and teaching. Using interviews and narratives, the study explores
particular factors that have prompted these teachers to develop an interest and
activism in this area of work. Are the teachers influenced by particular theoretical
frameworks? How has their commitment translated into practice? As a teacher
education lecturer, I am interested to identify learning points that could assist those
of us who select and prepare course content for such programmes. In particular, I am
interested in models that can assist teachers to become more competent and confident
in engaging explicitly with diversity and discrimination.
The study discusses these issues within the specificity of the Scottish context. The
impact of the belief of Scots in the efficacy of their education system, coupled with
their intrinsic belief in the Scottish commitment to egalitarianism (equality of
opportunity) is explored in relation to whether such beliefs are enabling or disabling
of the equity and anti-discrimination agenda with respect to teacher beliefs and
attitudes. The concepts of âteacher professionalismâ and âthe activist teacherâ within
a Scottish context are also analysed in the context of promoting equity and antidiscriminatory
practice in schools.
The narratives of the nine teachers (mixed in terms of age, gender, faith and belief,
ethnicity, nationality and geography) in this study found that overall teacher beliefs
and values are shaped prior to entering initial teacher education programmes. Key
influences include parents and extended families, the church, peer groups in school,
college or university and specific friendships. Teachersâ personal experiences of
discrimination contributed to developing a âvested interestâ in the area of antidiscrimination work. Engagement with organisations external to the school, such as
voluntary work with non-governmental organisations, activism within trade unions
or political parties helped inform teachers of wider societal and global issues and
added to teacher interest and confidence in working for a more socially just world.
Teachersâ practices were in the main based more on an intuitive sense of fairness
rather than being underpinned by any theories relating to equity, social justice, power
or anti-discrimination. As a result, while all were swift to address aspects of personal
and cultural inequalities, many were less able to articulate ideas that address
institutional or structural discrimination.
The study concludes by exploring possible ways that teacher education programmes
and continuous professional development courses could assist teachers to âborder
crossâ and to develop more empirical reasoning and practical purpose for investing in
pro-action on equity and anti-discrimination issues. Such crossings are particularly
important to assist Scotlandâs homogenous teaching workforce restructure
pedagogical practice so that equity and anti-discrimination issues are embedded as
part of professionalism and professional practice rather than being viewed as âboltonâ
issues