Re-imagining the subject: Implications for teachers' professional learning.

Abstract

Nalin (2002) asks teachers of history to consider how they would answer the question- "What kind of past for our children?" (p.43). The political debate around history teaching is far from new or peculiar to Australia. However the move to a compulsory national curriculum does have important consequences for the curriculum enactment by teachers. This is the central role of the teacher as decision maker in the classroom. As Snyder, Bolin & Zumwalt (1998) explain, the enacted curriculum is "the educational experiences jointly created by students and teachers" (p.418). Therefore it is critical in these discussions to not forget the teachers. Their personal and professional identities will influence the classroom implementation of a history curriculum whose central purpose is to promote nationalism and national identity. This paper examines recent research into the professional and personal identities of those who are currently choosing to enter the teaching profession to consider the implications to future curriculum enactment.