Professional vision and the politics of teacher learning

This article explores the political dimensions of teacher learning, both in theoretical work on teacher professional vision, and in an empirical study of video-based teacher professional development. Theoretically, we revisit the origins of “professional vision” in linguistic anthropology and trace the concept’s evolution in teacher education research, demonstrating how its political dimension has been overlooked. We explore the implications of re-asserting the politics of professional vision through examination of a video-based teacher development programme conducted in an English primary school. We describe this research, investigate the contestation of teacher and researcher professional visions, and discuss implications for professional development practice.

Research highlights
► The politics of “professional vision” have been overlooked in education research.
► History of teacher professionalism shapes the reception of professional development.
► Teacher and researcher professional visions are contested in video-based workshops.