Methodologies past their use-by date in teacher education: a poststructuralist argument for change

Abstract

We live in postmodern times; these are times of contradiction, instability, heterogeneity and uncertainty, yet modernist philosophies and ontologies continue to inform the majority of our work in teacher education. In this paper I argue that humanist assumptions of the rational, autonomous teacher of the modern era have implanted a form of stasis from which we have found it difficult to extract ourselves and our research. In addition, I suggest that poststructuralist understandings of the learner and learning can be instrumental in breathing new life and purpose into our endeavours to educate teachers who interact with students and parents in ways that are generative, transformative and just.