ABSTRACT
In England, the Department for Education (DfE) refer to the training rather than the education of teachers. This nomenclature is significant, since as Vygotsky (1997/1934) reminded us that the relationship between words and meanings matter. The DfE’s justification for the prioritisation of the term ‘training’, can be traced back to the introduction of the 2010 White Paper ‘The Importance of Teaching’ (DfE, 2010). When sharing the ideology that underpinned this document, then Secretary of State for Education Michael Gove stated that teaching was best learnt by ‘watching others, and being rigorously observed yourself as you develop’ (Gove, 2010, speech to the National College Annual Conference, Birmingham). It was this White Paper that led to the development of the current Teachers’ Standards (DfE 2011, revised 2013) which prioritised the observable actions associated with the profession of teaching rather than pedagogy. This chapter will explore how the omission of the term pedagogy in official documentation can, unless left unchecked, limit the space for dialogue and reasoning in the professional formation of beginning teachers. The case is made as to how philosophical teaching and learning (PTL) can be a transformative pedagogy for teacher education.
