ABSTRACT
This chapter develops an appropriately personal and professional rather than an academic discourse. The purpose is to reflect the experiences of teacher/instructor and instructor/teacher leaders (formally and informally) at a potentially important moment in the development of training and education within the military context, in this case the RAF. The main setting for the work discussed is the Defence School of Aeronautical Engineering. Here over an extended period, a productive collaboration with a local university has raised the profile of the ‘teacher trade’ with more instructors getting externally recognized qualifications. This has resulted in a heightened interest in matters pedagogical and in the commitment of various individuals across the organization to exploring the issue of ‘instructor development’ across the trajectory of a five-year ‘tour’.
This chapter presents a conversation between two committed teachers and teacher educators who represent different ranks and experience. Together they attempt to negotiate issues of teacher identity in this specific military context. This ‘creative conversation’ is not without difficulties as the contextual default culture remains a ‘command’ model of education where ‘teaching’ often seems synonymous with ‘telling’. The authors each offer both a critique of the prevailing situation and an appreciation of the value of developing more effective instructor identities.
