Is teaching a discipline? Implications for teaching and teacher education

Abstract

The background to this paper is based on the ongoing need to place more attention on the importance of teaching. The aim in so doing is to lead to a better valuing of teaching which, in the case of this paper, is through an exploration of the notion of teaching as a discipline. There are differing views about that which constitutes a discipline and considering teaching as a discipline is a provocative way of focusing on the complex nature of that work in order to make clear that teaching is much more than ‘simply doing.’ Through a review of the diversity of views of disciplines – and education as a discipline – as described in the literature the paper considers the consequences of conceptualizing teaching as a discipline which are significant not only for teaching itself but also for teacher education. The paper concludes that if teaching is to be considered a discipline, then teacher education itself needs to be understood and practiced as a much more scholarly activity. This paper works through some of the arguments that arise as a consequence of thinking about teaching as a discipline and challenges the teaching and teacher education communities to conceptualize their work in ways that will engender a great sense of valuing of that work.