ABSTRACT
Tom and Dick were very similar in respect of their values and beliefs about teaching. They were contributors to that style of teaching that Hammersley has called, following Schur, ‘radical non‐interventionism’, or that Dale has characterized as the ‘hippy’ strand of the progressive movement. The most explicit example of this for both teachers was in their views of and approach to pupils as equals, their rejection of the traditional teacher role, and their dislike of institutional and bureaucratic aspects of the job. Tom compared himself with the headmaster. They had heated discussions on how and what to teach kids. The comparison of Tom and Dick is suggestive in the area of strategical orientations. Clearly, there is something interposing between ideology and strategy that causes Tom and Dick to go their separate ways. Differences in age and subject specialism may obviously be important. But, since Dick’s teaching career came to such a sudden end, there would appear to be other factors.
