‘It’s actually changed my perspective’: spaces for genuine dialogic surprise within the initial teacher education curriculum

Abstract

In this article, we draw on Martin Buber’s idea of dialogical surprise in educational experiences to consider curriculum design in initial teacher education. We argue that the current policy environment in England fosters a monological approach, stifling meaning-making and innovation. Contributing to conversations around initial teacher education curriculum design within a constricted policy environment in England, the research presents findings on initial teacher education curriculum experiences of Year 3 Primary Education undergraduate student teachers who completed one of three module electives (Thinking and Philosophy for Children; Creativity in Education; Early Years Education). These modules form part of the wider initial teacher education curriculum design at the institution in which the research was undertaken, aiming to develop student teachers’ critical thinking, reflection and personal philosophies. The study investigates student teachers’ reflections on participating in dialogue, which involves recognising their own and other perspectives. When curriculum design enabled spaces for new meanings to emerge, the possibility for an interplay of voices was allowed. Arguing that dialogic spaces are effectively closed down within the Department for Education’s main prescribed initial teacher education framework, we add our voices to the urgent call for a less prescriptive framework which recognises the professional expertise of teacher educators in curriculum design.