Full Description
Recent writing on education and social change, and a growing number of new governmental initiatives across Western societies have proceeded in denial or ignorance of the personal missions and biographical trajectories of key public sector personnel. This book stems from an underpinning belief that we have to understand the personal biographical if we are to understand the fate of social and political initiatives.
In education a pattern has emerged in many countries around the world. Each new government enshrines targets and tests to ensure that teachers at the frontline delivery are 'more accountable'. Whilst this often provides evidence of symbolic action to the electorate or professional audiences, the evidence at the level of service delivery is often far less impressive. Targets, tests and tables may win wide support from the public, but there are often negligible or even contradictory effects at the point of delivery, enforced by the ignorance or denial of personal missions and biographical mandates. This book locates most of its analysis and discussion at the point of culture clash between centralised dictates, and individual and collective life missions. Whilst the early part of the book considers a range of issues related to school curriculum, the focus on the biographical and life narrative becomes increasingly important as the analysis proceeds.
Curriculum, Personal Narrative and the Social Future will be of key interest to practising teachers, educational researchers and students on teacher training courses, postgraduate courses and doctoral courses.
Contents
Introduction Part 1 Curriculum Change Processes and Historical Periods. The Context of Cultural Inventions: Learning and Curriculum. Times of Educational Change: Towards an Understanding of Patterns of Historical and Cultural Refraction. Curriculum as Narration: Tales from the Children of the Colonised with Ruth Deakin Crick Part 2 The Rise of the Life Narrative. Exploring the Teachers Professional Knowledge: Constructing Identity and Community with Ardra L. Cole. Listening to Professional Life Stories: Some Cross Professional Perspectives Part 3 All the Lonely People: The Struggle for Private Meaning and Public Purpose in Education. The Educational Researcher as Public Intellectual. Knowledge, Personal Narrative and the Social Future.
