In recent years, Further Education has reached a crossroads, with questions being asked about its function, aims and focus, as well as querying the role of the FE teacher, the key aspects of the curriculum and which values should inform FE pedagogy. Identity and Resistance in Further Education explores these questions and effectively conveys the sense of uncertainty that those in the field are experiencing today.

Connecting Higher Education and FE practitioners and researchers, the book gathers a collection of essays covering a range of topics, including: the journey from student to teacher, critical reflective practice as a way of organising identity, values-based teacher education and policy critique. In keeping with the themes of resistance and creativity, the chapters draw on a wide range of theoretical, as well as literary, perspectives to offer answers. Problematising relationships between the teacher and the institution and the teacher and government, the book argues that the profound challenge to teachers' values and identities finds its response in a critical collegiality.

This book will be of great interest to academics, researchers and postgraduate students engaged in the study of further education, educational policy and teacher education. It should also be essential reading for practitioners and policymakers.

About the Author

Pete Bennett is Senior Lecturer in Post Compulsory Education at the University of Wolverhampton, UK.

Rob Smith is a Reader in Education at Birmingham City University and director of the Centre for the Study of Practice and Culture in Education (CSPACE).

Reviews

"This collection is vibrant, political, theoretically and critically charged and 'from the patch'. Bennett and Smith are working out of leading teacher education communities in the sector and their authors are practitioners in the field, some having progressed themselves through an educational doctorate 'on the job' and others working with them on this reflexive work. Here, then, is a crop of current writing by example, passionately restating the relational energies of teachers and learners in FE. 'Identity and Resistance' will be an inspiration."

Professor Julian McDougall, Centre for Excellence in Media Practice, Bournemouth University.

"This is a timely and hugely engaging book that connects the divide between further and higher education. The chapters offer refreshing analytical and reflective pieces to probe and explore how practitioners, often against the tide of policy change, find critical spaces to engage with and meet the diverse needs of students. Indeed, a commitment to creativity and generating resources based on hope is stamped thought out the pages.

This book will inspire trainee teachers, education researchers and reflective practitioners with an interest in education and empowerment. I thoroughly recommend this book."

Dr Vicky Duckworth, Reader in Education, Edge Hill University.

Book Information
ISBN 9780367376796
Author Pete Bennett
Format Paperback
Page Count 208
Imprint Routledge
Publisher Taylor & Francis Ltd
Weight(grams) 322g