The legacy of John Dewey: Educational change and teacher commitment

Abstract

Hope for change poses, I argue, a severe limit to, rather than becoming a force for, change in education. By exploring instead the notion of ‘commitment’ to change as an inherently educational and central function of teaching, the analysis and argument places the teacher at the centre of such commitment. As theoretical/methodological resources I mainly draw on the works of John Dewey and Jacques Rancière, in order to intervene into discourses on educational change as they are framed by liberal politics and philosophy. This article thereby contributes to a largely Nordic/European discussion on the role and function of educational change in neo-liberalism.