This paper specifically examines the experiences of doctoral candidtates in the implementation of a teaching and learning philosophy as applied to supervision as a teaching and learning activity. It draws on a small-scale qualitative comparative study of PhD students from two universities, the University of Oslo, Norway and the University of Lincoln, UK, to propose the development of a coherent teaching and learning philosophy in the supervision process.

One of the fundamental tenets of teacher professionalism is translating teaching and learning theory into curriculum development, implementation and classroom practice. Such a theory would presuppose a well-articulated philosophical view of the aims of education, the society, social change, and the value and structure of knowledge. The paper presents a critique of teaching and learning philosophies that result in two interrelated but different curriculum cultures: student centred curriculum development where students are active change agents, and student participation in curriculum development as customers or consumers in a transaction of teaching (selling) and learning (buying). This research contributes to the debate on how educators understand and manage the drivers of curriculum change, in which public participation and stake in education is becoming a powerful narrative, including a reflection on the hypothesis that the rhetoric of new public management (NPM), characterised by marketization and managerialism, are part of a public space filled by business but still open to profound educational rivals.

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