Learning to teach in post-devolution UK: a technical or an ethical process? - Moira Hulme and Ian Menter

The early stages of professional development for teachers have been the subject of considerable policy change throughout the UK in recent years. While there have always been some differences in approach between the four countries of the UK, there have been many similarities. The end of the 20th century saw the most significant devolution of power, including powers for education policy-making, from the UK government based in England to the three smaller countries of Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland.
This article reports from a scoping study that compares policy on initial teacher education and early professional development in the four countries of the UK in the post-devolution context. While there is much evidence of similarities in attempting to define teaching through written statements in the form of competences or standards, there is also evidence that the particular national contexts have an influence. This is found when the more value-based aspects of teaching are examined and there is a variation in the ways in which the ethical dimensions of teaching are adumbrated in policy documents.
From: SARE, Vol. 14 no. 1/2 (2008)