Since the early 1990s there has been a persistent drive towards professionalising the education sector, with a particular focus on those responsible for teaching the post-fourteen age group. This shift towards recognition of the sector in terms of the professionals who teach within it has led to constant, repetitive revision of teaching standards, the regulation and subsequent de-regulation of the teaching qualifications and the introduction of professional bodies. This book aims to explore the way that professional identity develops for trainee teachers, in the FE and Skills sector, with a particular emphasis on the role that incidental learning has in this development. The author argues for a more holistic approach to the development of professionalism through these informal learning experiences, as opposed to a criteria based approach.

This book examines the benefits of applying the Identity Structure Analysis (ISA) to teacher professional development. At present no government, local authority or school is actively applying Identity Structure Analysis to monitor school improvement: in a profession where turnover is extremely high, ISA is framed as a way for professional development to meet the needs of the specific teacher. Examining idiographic ISA analyses as well as practical advice for implementing professional development programs, the authors scrutinise how ISA can be used in conjunction with mentoring to offset teacher turnover. This practical volume will be of interest and value to scholars and researchers of teacher identity and professional development, as well as researchers and policymakers interested in reducing teacher turnover.