Celebrating our 30 years of teacher education

Professor Pat Drake, Dean, College of Education, invites you to attend the first seminar in the 2015 Diamond Series, Celebrating our 30 years of teacher education, presented by Dr Neil Hooley.

Over the past 30 years, the College of Education at Victoria University has co-existed with the national and international impact of neoliberalism. This has involved a number of important changes to education generally and to schooling and teacher education specifically. The emphasis on high stakes testing around the world is an example of the marketisation of education that has occurred during this time. Comment will be made regarding some of the main influences on education and schooling 1985-2015, analysis of the current situation will be offered and proposals for future progressive action will be raised.

About the presenter

Dr Neil Hooley is a lecturer in the College of Education. He has major interests in the nature and organisation of knowledge, inquiry approaches to teaching and learning across all knowledge and the restructuring of school curriculum for more equitable learning outcomes. He is committed to democratic and praxis approaches to teacher education, school-university partnerships and participatory action research. In accord with Dewey and Freire, he seeks to combine understandings from the physical and social worlds and therefore hopes to spend many more years learning and writing about the mysteries, contradictions and frustrations of formal and informal education.