EERA Sessions

This symposium addresses, from somewhat different perspectives, the rise of identity as a shaping feature of not only the discursive politics of education but, increasingly, the spaces of pedagogy and curriculum.

European education has been witnessing unprecedented transformations with attempts to create a ‘European Higher Education Area’ (Corbett, 2005) which includes new models of higher education (HE) forcing actors to look at both the convergence and diversity in HE (Zgaga et al. 2016) in the European Union (EU).

This panel discussion will be led by representatives of Scotland's Council of Deans of Education with input from Deans / Heads of School of Education from other contexts who will be participating in the conference. Professor Lynn M.Gangone, President of the American Association of Colleges for Teacher Education (AACTE), will contribute to the panel.

As Dominic Wyse pointed out in his BERA Blog (Wyse, 2020) educational research in Scotland, as in other parts of the UK, has been criticised as being relatively weak in comparison to research from other disciplines. He also notes that some of the criticisms for this ‘weakness’ is due to education not being seen as an academic discipline (Wyse, 2020).

Scotland has invested heavily in reviewing and reforming its national infrastructure for education. This has included significant reviews (eg. OECD, 2015) which have led to internal reviews of the national architecture of the system (Muir 2022) and the assessment and qualification system (Hayward, 2023). The Muir review has triggered a national discussion to ascertain stakeholder views about the education system, facilitated by Professors Campbell and Harris.

Contemporary societies are facing new and persisting challenges. Lack of trust in democratic processes, increased globalization, migration, economic inequalities, climate change, populism and the rise of illiberal democracies are among the most relevant issues that are shifting the concept of citizenship.

From competencies to artistry and social justice; exploring alternative approaches to Teacher Education The worldwide pandemic prompted unprecedented school closures and disruption for children and their teachers. However, this also meant that student teachers (preservice teachers) found themselves confronted by the need for the development of diverse forms of distance learning rather than teaching face to face in classrooms during practicums (Hamilton et. al., under review). This dramatic disruption to standard TE practices across the world created a space for potential innovation or even radical shifts with regard to the nature of school experience and should perhaps encourage us to rethink the nature and form of TE and its practicum components (Darling-Hammond and Hyler, 2020).

Education remains one of the most effective means we have to improve the life chances of all of children and young people, and the right to and goals of education are enshrined in the United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child (UNCRC). In Scotland, almost one in four children are officially recognised as living in poverty (Scottish Government, 2023a).