Diversity, development, devolution

the three Ds of UK teacher education and professional development in the twenty-first century

Ian Menter

pp. 39-51

in: Lani Florian, Nataša Pantić (eds), Teacher education for the changing demographics of schooling, Berlin, Springer, 2017

Abstract

This chapter examines the interconnections between diversity, teacher development and political devolution as they affect teacher education in the United Kingdom. Two aspects of diversity are considered: social diversity and diversity of entry routes into teaching. Both of these may be seen to influence teachers' professional identity and this then connects to the ways in which teachers may continue to learn and develop throughout their working lives. The UK, with its four constituent jurisdictions, provides a fascinating "natural laboratory" for the exploration of such matters. The opportunity and indeed need for such "home international" comparative analysis has increased since the devolution settlement around the turn of the last century.