SUPPORTING DEMOCRATIC DISCOURSES OF TEACHER PROFESSIONALISM - THE CASE OF THE ALBERTA TEACHERS' ASSOCIATION

Oct 15, 2026

Uploaded by Muffet

Paper examining how teacher professionalism is understood and enacted through democratic discourse, using the Alberta Teachers' Association as a focal case. The study draws on data from a larger doctoral project and argues that the ATA functions as a platform for developing teacher leaders and advocates who pursue improved education quality. It situates this argument within policy environments shaped by technical-rational approaches, accountability, and market-driven reform while highlighting how union-supported professional learning and advocacy extend influence beyond the classroom.

LanguageEnglish

CategoryResearch & Report

FormatPDF

Pages27

Reading Time1 h 8 min

AccessFree to download

Introduction

What is Discourse?

SUPPORTING DEMOCRATIC DISCOURSES OF TEACHER PROFESSIONALISM: THE CASE OF THE ALBERTA TEACHERS' ASSOCIATION Pamela Osmond-Johnson, University of Regina This paper explores understandings related to teacher professionalism amongst a sample of highly engaged members of the Alberta Teacher’s Association (ATA) . Highlighting the many ways in which the Association supported members in their bid to embody roles as leaders, learners, advocates, and policy actors, I argue that the ATA serves as a platform for the development of teacher leaders and advocates who aim to improve the quality of education on a broader scale through their work both inside and outside the classroom. Introduction In spite of claims that teachers are the most important in-school influence on student achievement (RAND, 2012), the role of teachers within the context of change is often relegated to “executing the innovations of others”(van Driel, Beijaard, & Verloop, 2001, p.140) , rather than contributing to the innovations themselves. Moreover, much of the planning, research, and development of educational policy follows the technical-rational approach (Datnow & Park, 2009) where policy making is largely conceived of as the purview of official legislators and politicians, situating teachers on the “far end of educational reform”(Hargreaves & Shirley, 2012, p. 1) . This particular policy environment has become even more prominent in education over the past thirty years as market-economies and right-wing political agendas have increasingly become the primary drivers of educational reform around the globe (Ball, 2003; Compton & Weiner, 2008; Verger & Altinyelkin, 2012) . Teachers are seen as “functionaries rather than professionals”(Codd, 2005, p. 201) amidst an onslaught of accountability and austerity measures promoted as bolstering student achievement through the creation of competitive educational markets. Within these constraining circumstances, however, some teachers have persevered to overcome limited ideas about the work of teachers and teacher leaders by arguing that teacher professionalism and teachers’ role in educational change extends beyond the four walls of anyone classroom. To this end, many have become involved in reform minded teacher organizations that represent “teachers’ aspirations for a powerful and participatory form of professionalism that asserts practitioner rights in educational policy-making”(Hilferty, 2004, p. 214) . This involvement may be at the local level or on a larger scale and can include partaking in a wide variety of activities ranging from committee work and participating in protests to seeking election and taking on executive roles within the organization. Engagement in such social activities constitutes a significant sphere of influence on the debate around teacher professionalism, as teachers are exposed to organizational conversations about the roles of teachers through both the manner in which the union engages in the educational labour process itself and the kinds of professional learning and advocacy opportunities they make available to their members. Drawing on data from a larger doctoral study, this paper highlights the many ways in which the Alberta Teachers’ Association has supported members in their bid to embody roles as leaders, learners, advocates, and policy actors. More specifically, I argue that, with it’s commitment to networking and collaboration, the ATA serves as a platform for the development of broader notions of teacher professionalism amongst its most active members, who are aiming to improve the quality of education through their work both inside and outside the classroom. What is Discourse? Language and social reality are intrinsically bound together in both mutually reinforcing and offsetting ways. Moreover, discursive perspectives emphasize the social nature of meaning-making and highlight the importance of power in shaping not only what people say but also what people

FAQs

What core argument does the paper make about teacher professionalism?

The paper argues that teacher professionalism extends beyond classroom practice and includes roles as leaders, learners, advocates, and policy actors.

How does the Alberta Teachers' Association (ATA) contribute to teacher professionalism?

The ATA is presented as a platform that supports members through networking and collaboration, enabling broader conceptions of professionalism and educational improvement inside and outside the classroom.

How does the paper define discourse in relation to social reality?

Discourse is defined as socially constructed representations and ways of thinking shaped by power, which helps legitimize rules about who can speak, when, and with what authority.

Oct 15, 2026

Uploaded by Muffet