About This Course

Increasingly, teachers' work and teaching have been recognised in global education policy as a crucial determinant of quality and equitable education, with Target 4c and associated indicators of SDG 4 exclusively focusing on teachers and teacher preparation and development. As a result, teacher education and governance have become a policy priority globally, and in South Asia that has the largest teaching corps. However, this recognised need for more policy attention on teachers, at both global and national levels, coexists with a managerialist discourse on teachers' work and teaching profession which tends to restrict the professional autonomy of teachers and those engaged with the provision of teacher education. In view of this context, this course focusses on global teacher and teacher education policies and practices in the context of the global and national goals of equity and quality in education. Specifically, it aims to enable students to engage critically with key issues and debates about teachers and teacher education at policy and practice levels across diverse national contexts while focussing particularly on the Global South. Alongside developing critical appreciation of global and national policies, the course would also enable students to understand and reflect on alternative frameworks of teacher policies and practices including post-colonial frameworks and those that aim at social justice through education.

The course is organised in five units. The first unit develops a conceptual framework for making sense of global education and teacher-related policies. The second unit engages with global governance of teachers and its approaches and frameworks. The third and fourth units focus on teacher development and teacher pedagogic practices. The fifth unit critically analyses the methodologies deployed for generating knowledge about teachers and teacher education. Each unit comprises three sessions. These sessions will be co-taught by a team of faculty members from UK and Indian institutions who have co-developed this course – including the University of Sussex; Dr. B. R. Ambedkar University Delhi; Jamia Millia University Delhi; the National Institute for Educational Planning and Administration Delhi; and the Tata Institute of Social Sciences Mumbai.

Learning Outcomes

1. To develop a critical understanding of the concept of global education policies with a focus on teacher-related policies.
2. To become aware of issues of equity and inclusion in teacher education.
3. To develop a critical appreciation of global teacher education policies and their implications for national education policies.
4. To develop an understanding of alternative frameworks of teacher policies and practices including post-colonial frameworks.
5. To appreciate the complex interactions between educational theories, teacher policies and practices.

Who can do this course?

Teacher Educators and Research Scholars interested in the topic of teachers, teaching and teacher education plocieis and practice

Learners can:

• Interact with the course team through Webinars.
• Participate in online discussion forums.
• Access the course via TISSx app on your mobile.