Activist teachers in Scotland: a participatory approach to understand the identities, ecosystems and reflections of teachers’ work

The overall aim of this study is to define how teacher activism looks like in the context of Scotland and understand its implications for teacher education. To achieve this, the study
hopes to contextualise, locate, and understand the various contexts and factors where teachers demonstrate, develop, and exemplify their activist orientation and identities.
Teacher activism is still a highly contested concept depending on the context, as well as the political and cultural cultures that characterises the locality or the geographic entity. What can be initially drawn in this definition is that teacher activism can be expressed manifested in many different forms and dimensions. The study aims to expound the relatively unexplored dimension of teacher’s activist work.

Massialas (1970) outlined four ways in which schools can relate to the political system. These include the involvement of the children and youth; in choosing and developing new
leaders; working with the broader community and society; and participating with different groups that are actively working on political activities ( p. 31). Ponder started to conceptualise “The teacher as activist”. For Ponder, the traditional methods of teaching are no longer working to enact positive changes in the society. What is needed is a more practicable, more effective methods of political education characterised by an increased awareness of teachers’ understanding and appreciation of issues and in allowing been changing. One cannot have a fixed view of what constitutes a teacher’s practice because of the emerging and evolving social phenomena that allows for different sets of responses and actions. As such, defining ‘professionalism’ requires further enquiry on what factors shape the old and new dimensions of teaching. Understanding professionalism is also acknowledging the various socio-political-economic narratives that over time were influenced by the power structures and has affected teachers’ autonomy and independence over their work (Sachs, 2003). Finally, locating teachers’ work in the spectrum of activist orientation acknowledges that within the system, teachers navigate several ropes to demonstrate actions pursued either individually or collectively.

There is a need to understand how these identities transcend from the professional to an activist persona when marginalised and voiceless sectors experience ‘oppression’ in charting
their spaces in communities. Various national policy or institutional frameworks would define ‘participation’, ‘volunteerism’ or ‘activism’ differently (Kennedy, 2014) which broadens the way teachers participate in the communities. Also, given the partnerships forged by teachers with the communities (Hyland & Meacham, 2004, cited in Guillen & Zeichner, 2018), an
understanding of the prevailing ecological, human and place-based characteristics (Hong, 2012, cited in Guillen & Zeichner, 2018; Kintrea, 2020; Larty, 2021), a recognition of their
activist identity, and sharing how teachers enter, negotiate and participate in these communities would be necessary to explore teacher identity formation.

Research Questions:
In what context(s) does an activist teacher identity and their interests in socially relevant issues develop?
To what extent do these teachers participate meaningfully, openly and voluntarily in the context of their professional careers?
What insights can be drawn from the analysis of the teacher activism landscape for the teaching profession and the pursuit of a socially progressive teacher education?

The first part of the study is to undertake a policy analysis of the Continuing Professional Development (CPD) in Scotland. Through a review of the pertinent sections related to CPD in
the authoritative references on the topic (e.g. Scottish Education), I aim to identify relevant policy changes and directions which have reflected the evolving view of professional
development among teachers. In the most recent conversations regarding CPD, there is an acknowledgement on ‘activism’ among teachers which I think takes a significant discussion –
to what extent this is encouraged and why. The second part of the study is to bring a cohort of teachers and invite them to participate in my journalling and diary writing exercise as part of the qualitative inquiry. This will allow them to reflect critically and contextually on the spaces, places, contexts and compelling reasons to become activists or to take an activist stance. Submissions can be photographs and written journals.

Finally, I propose to organize a workshop bringing teachers, parents, head teachers, community members and representatives to reflect, dialogue and design a potential CPD
course/pathway of a community and social justice component in teacher CPD which can be recognised by GTCS as a CPD course and by the University of Strathclyde (or any other
university) as the CPD points provider.