Australia’s current social contract in education is underpinned by compliance-orientated policies, which are performative in nature and reflective of dominant discourses and exclusive values. While there have been some attempts to disrupt this contract in Australia they have been largely unsuccessful as education policy and practice continue to perpetuate narrow definitions of participation and success. If we are to pursue quality teaching for a more equitable world we must engage with policy, curriculum and educational organisation structures to challenge the existing social contract and build the new. This symposium explores three cases in the state of NSW in which the much-needed disruption is being attempted through a refusal to problematise student groups.

The first case highlights the need for First Nations’ policy to align with a rights-based approach to education. The existing policy climate fails to meaningfully promote First Nations’ self-determination and authenticity in enactment by teachers and school leaders. Through a qualitative approach involving interviews and document analysis, findings show the value in adopting a rights-based approach to education policy design and enactment. The second case uses curriculum to disrupt traditional expectations of academic career paths for students through the development of a senior numeracy course which aims to consolidate functional numeracy and mathematics skills in preparation post-school. Recent research found that the course significantly increased mathematics participation for students who otherwise would not have taken senior mathematics, empowering young people with the required numeracy skills to become active citizens. The third case represents disruption to traditional definitions of ‘academic success’ through the creation of an alternative senior school college. An evaluation exploring the impact of the college on engagement, wellbeing and academic achievement revealed that many students previously unable to engage or achieve in a traditional school were able to experience success and hope for a new future.

This symposium brings together researchers from Canada, the UK and Australia to explore truth-telling pedagogies across a range of contexts. Educators are increasingly tasked with addressing historical injustices in the classroom. At a time when the teaching profession is facing unprecedented crises, this symposium underscores the importance of keeping truth-telling conversations at the forefront of educational agendas.

Paper 1

The Final Report of the Truth and Reconciliation Commission highlights the harmful legacy of the residential school system, and the need to work towards reconciliation between Indigenous and non-Indigenous peoples in Canada (TRC, 2015). Drawing on decolonizing discourses of diaspora (Haig-Brown, 2009) this paper shares findings from an educational research project created for immigrant women to connect in reflective discussions to learn more about Indigenous Peoples in Canada and discuss ways to take action to support reconciliation.

Paper 2

In the context of national calls for truth-telling in Australia regarding the colonial violence committed against First Nations peoples, educators assume a pivotal role in fostering historical awareness in their classrooms. This paper presents data from a two-year project about capacity-building for discomfort (Britzman, 1998; Zembylas, 2015) in an ITE subject that directly confronts these histories. This study explores pedagogical approaches to prepare educators who can navigate discomfort and contribute to a more reconciled educational landscape.

Paper 3

The Eugenics Legacy Education Project works with staff and students to develop guidelines, staff resources, and learning opportunities that embed visibility and awareness of UCL’s history of eugenics. A reparative theorisation of education posits that not only should educators recognise institutional harm and injustice in their teaching but should also ask how this should be addressed (Sriprakash, 2022). We outline the tensions of reckoning with these problematic legacies and amplify the transformative potential of student collaboration to develop reparative pedagogies to address harmful histories.

This symposium investigates the current state of Expressive Arts education in Scottish schools, focusing on how national policies, research findings, and local enactments can inform a more consistent and sustainable approach to supporting teachers. Despite the longstanding inclusion of Expressive Arts (Music, Drama, Dance, and Art and Design) in Scotland’s curriculum, delivery has declined, particularly post-pandemic. With the UNCRC recently enshrined in Scots Law, and Article 31 guaranteeing every child’s right to access arts and cultural activities, this symposium addresses the gap between policy and practice in realising this right.

The symposium is grounded in educational equity and social justice theories, focusing on teachers’ roles in ensuring access to quality Expressive Arts education. It draws on principles of equitable teaching practices and inclusive curriculum design, ensuring all children, regardless of background, can benefit from rich educational experiences in the arts.

The symposium presents three perspectives:

1. Policy Analysis (Paper 1) – Insights from the 2024 Expressive Arts Review, focusing on policy challenges and opportunities for teachers.
2. Empirical Research (Paper 2) – Findings from a national project surveying primary schools across Scotland to assess children’s access to Expressive Arts education.
3. Case Study (Paper 3) – Examining arts-based learning initiatives within Glasgow City Council, highlighting strategies supporting teachers.

Key insights include:

• Paper 1: Policy-level challenges and opportunities in Expressive Arts education.
• Paper 2: Data on the uneven access to Expressive Arts, identifying barriers faced by teachers.
• Paper 3: Effective strategies from Glasgow City Council, offering a model for other regions.

This symposium directly engages with the conference theme of quality teaching and equity by exploring how Expressive Arts education can drive social justice. It aligns with sub-themes on equitable teaching practices, curriculum design, and partnerships, proposing sustainable solutions to ensure all Scottish children have equitable access to quality arts education.

We consider quality and equity as two sides of the same educational coin. What is quality education with(out) equity? In this symposium we articulate the professional aspirations and tensions inherent within this conceptual pairing. Equity, then, is held as a value-base for action, a concept for analysis and pragmatic investigation across our three contributory papers; Quality teaching practices and commitment to equitable systemic change through teacher secondments (Paper One), School-wide research regarding ability-groupings and professional understandings of inclusive teaching (Paper Two) and, The role of knowledge within curriculum design (Paper Three). Our case studies draw from elementary education in Canadian and Scottish contexts, across public and independent sectors. Together we seek to advance the question, What Makes a Quality Learning Environment? With an explicit commitment to study Quality Learning, what does a school do with that knowledge? This is the dilemma of the Institute of Child Study, Laboratory School in Toronto. Richard Messina explores how the school contributes to a wider improvement of the surrounding education system. Can teacher secondments at the Lab-School advance teachers as agents of change? (Beista et al, 2015. Van der Heijden et al, 2015) If separation is the antithesis of inclusive learning environments, why might parents, teachers and neurodiverse learners at an Independent school in Toronto choose to learn apart from other peers in “small classes”? This structural separation through varied class sizes characterizes Montcrest School. Through learner experiences, Patti MacDonald interrogates the inherent tensions, philosophical dogma (Bagliaris, 2011) and justifications that underpin their inclusive practices. Educating “the best” is frequently associated with depth of disciplinary learning and mastery of concepts (Khan, 2011) For others, knowledge remains an elite pursuit. Dr Jen Kirkwood reviews the potential of knowledge-led curriculum outside of elite schooling, analysing the potential of Scotland’s, national guidance, the Curriculum for Excellence framework.

It seems axiomatic that teaching quality affects the richness of students’ learning experiences, outcomes and equitable opportunities for all. While this is so, what we seem to miss largely in our focus on students’ experiences is its seminal link to teachers’ experiences and wellbeing. While teachers are critical actors in providing rich and equitable educational experiences to students from diverse backgrounds, the broader educational system influences their actions. Factors like curriculum design, standardized testing, funding disparities, and administrative policies shape what teachers can and cannot do. We argue that for developing an equitable educational renewal, we need to gain an understanding of the injustices meted out to teachers by the educational and social processes and their damaging effect on them. This symposium which hinges on the link between teacher wellbeing and student flourishing (Cherkowski & Walker, 2018) sees teacher wellbeing holistically including supportive professional relationships, professional growth and a feeling of self-actualization. Toward this, first, the panelists in this interactive symposium, who come from six different contexts, use lived experiences from teachers’ lives to provide a vivid picture of the social and institutional dynamics by which teachers’ status and identity are disregarded, constraining the quest for their self-actualization. Then we engage the audience in a discussion on the question: What is the expression of respect and support teachers in schools and universities require from public, students, officials/administrators, colleagues and media to reawaken the inner voice of their calling?

Significance

This symposium not only helps eschew a deficit view of teachers by identifying the mediation of culture in their cognition, but also paves the way for creating school environments that promote feelings of belonging, respect, value, and trust for both teachers and students.

With the expansions of wars and conflicts, the number of immigrants in the Unites States (US) has grown dramatically from just 10 million in 1970 to more than 45 million in the last few years. This rapid increase is associated with a growing number of culturally and linguistically diverse (CLD) students with limited English proficiency in schools across the US. The current study investigated the impacts of teachers’ gender on the attitudes of MAT teachers, seeking Masters of Arts in Teaching, towards students with limited English proficiency. Quantitative method was used to collect the data and ninety- two (92) randomly chosen MAT teachers participated in the study and responded to the questionnaire. The findings of the current study revealed the followings: 1) gender was found a statistically significant factor that impacted MAT teachers’ attitudes towards CLD students; 2) Males teachers showed greater positive attitudes towards CLD than females; and 3) the study showed the importance of having adequate knowledge in teachers’ preparation in order to potentially have more effective teaching and positive attitudes. The current study investigated a part on equitable teaching practices and further investigations are opened for exploration.

This self-study evolved from decades of transcultural learning and teaching experiences. Drawing from self-study, reflexive ethnography and narrative inquiry, Comparative Ethnographic Narrative (Author 1, 2005, 2010, 2022) is used to investigate a father and daughter’s lived experiences. After being estranged for nearly a decade, travel to our ancestral home of Ireland resulted in a profound reconnection and reconciliation. In this paper, we reflect on how this remarkable experience impacted our lives and helped us to heal our broken relationship. Embedded within are several critical incidents that occurred during our 2-week trip to Ireland in September 2023. Through field texts including emails, shared journal writing, reflections, and extended conversations, we make meaning from these life-changing experiences to co-construct our narrative.

Education is reflection on experience (Dewey, 1938). Narrative inquiry (Clandinin & Connelly, 2000) is complementary to self-study (Kitchen, 2009; Kosnik & Beck, 2010; Loughran et al., 2004). The origins of self-study are in the seminal work of Joseph Schwab (Craig, 2008). Indeed, self-study has proven a natural fit for teacher educators (Loughran, 2007). Essentially, CEN is a collaborative form of narrative inquiry—comparative (as it involves comparing one’s experiences with others); ethnographic (in situ, long term participant-observation); and narrative (incorporating peer to peer extended conversations). It is like self-study, joint auto-ethnography or other forms of collaborative, interpretive research (Ellis & Bochner, 2000; Loughran, 2007). Since many educational phenomena are culturally embedded and tacit in nature, they are better understood through micro‐level ethnomethodological studies. This study offers a taste of CEN, which like narrative inquiry, is both phenomenon and method. The CEN cyclical process of telling stories, reflecting on stories, and re-telling stories with co-researchers, helps facilitate interpretation and deep analysis to uncover rich, lived experiences. We are seeking further conversations at ISATT 2025 colleagues about CEN and its connections to self-study.

Research aim – To create and communicate an epistemology for the professional learning of self-study, teacher-education researchers.

Theoretical framework – This is provided by the 2024 symposium of the British Educational Research Association on ‘Generating an epistemology for educational research from the responsibility of educators and educational researchers to research their own professional development (Wadsley et al. 2024).

Methods –The methods are focused on the clarification and communication of the embodied values used by self-study researchers as explanatory principles in their explanations of educational influences in their own learning, in the learning of others and in the learning of the social formations within which the professional practice is located (Tidwell, et al. 2009). The methods include empathetic resonance with digital visual data for clarifying the meanings of embodied expressions of values and their use as explanatory principles in explanations of educational influences in learning.

Findings – These are focused on an epistemology that has emerged from the responsibilities of self-study researchers for researching their professional learning in inquiries of the kind, ‘How do I improve the educational influences in my professional practice?’. They include making public their validated, evidence-based and values-laden explanations of educational influences in learning.

Relevance to the Conference theme and specific strand - The epistemology for self-study researchers is derived from researching quality teaching, equity, and socially just classrooms in the generation of each individual’s living-educational-theory.

References

Tidwell, D., Heston, M. & Fitzgerald, L. (Ed) (2009) Research Methods for the Self-Study of Practice. Dordrecht, Springer.

Wadsley, M., Mounter, J., Huxtable, M. & Whitehead, J. (2024) Generating an epistemology for educational research from the responsibility of educators and educational researchers to research their own professional development. Symposium presented at BERA 2024 at the University of Manchester 8-12 September 2024. Retrieved from https://www.actionresearch.net/writings/jack/bera2024/bera2024symposiumprop.pdf

Governments are responsible for ensuring they provide a high-quality education for all their young people. This requires a teacher workforce that is adequately prepared, through their initial teacher education programmes, early career teacher induction support and on-going professional development, to provide such an education. However, the current global teacher shortage, which is forcing governments to rethink their policies aimed at attracting and retaining teachers, is potentially damaging of that responsibility. This symposium brings together studies that have examined the policy landscape developing around this global problem and considered the consequences of these policy responses. One paper examines the expansion of who is eligible to teach and their induction (White, Sullivan, Simons, et al). In Australia, policy changes now allow pre-service teachers to be employed to work in schools, thus redefining the ‘early career teacher’ and presents issues about their induction. A second paper, also considering the Australian landscape, presents an analysis of how one government policy response (Strong Beginnings) has reshaped teacher education to address teacher shortages (Mills et al). It will be argued that in implying teacher education is a major cause of teachers’ lack of retention in education system, along with the subsequent changes that have been mandated in teacher education programmes, will undermine the provision of a high-quality education for all. A third paper (Brooks) examines the impact and “unintended” consequences of recent teacher education policy reforms in England. A spatial analysis reveals the winners and losers: increasing opportunities and influence in major urban centres, whilst rural and isolated communities lack locally-owned teacher education provision. A critical account of the reform’s evidence base underscores this lack of local accountability, and how universities are sidelined in all aspects of teacher education provision. Chair Prof Anna Sullivan; Discussant: Prof Maria Assunção Flores

Aim
This study aims to explore the challenges teachers face in cultivating self-compassion and to examine the strategies they use to enhance their well-being, ultimately contributing to quality teaching and equitable education.

Theoretical Framework

The study draws upon self-compassion theory and resilience frameworks, linking these concepts to teachers' well-being and their ability to cope with occupational stress. The research also addresses the novel concept of "compassion dissonance"—the gap between extending compassion to others versus oneself.

Methods

A qualitative-phenomenological methodology was used, involving semi-structured interviews with 34 Israeli teachers aged 25-63. Thematic content analysis uncovered key themes related to self-compassion, reflection, and resilience.

Findings

Three key themes were identified. First, Bridging the Compassion Gap: From Others to Self shows that teachers often prioritize others over themselves, struggling with self-compassion. Second, Challenging Complacency: Silent Reflection and Self-Prioritization describes how practices like mindfulness and self-reflection help teachers foster self-compassion. Lastly, Resilience Buffers: Positivity, Patience, and Acceptance highlights how self-compassion enhances resilience, enabling teachers to better manage stress and maintain a positive outlook.

Relevance

By addressing teachers' self-compassion, this study highlights an often-overlooked factor in promoting equitable education: teacher well-being. Teachers who practice self-compassion are better equipped to manage classroom demands, reduce burnout, and create inclusive environments that support diverse student needs, especially those from marginalized backgrounds. The findings offer concrete strategies for integrating self-compassion into teacher education and school systems as a tool for promoting equity. By linking personal well-being to professional practice, the research provides actionable insights into self-reflection, mindfulness, and resilience-building in teacher training. These practices improve retention and effectiveness while enhancing teachers' capacity to engage in equitable teaching.

Prioritizing teachers' holistic well-being can potentially help schools align more closely with the values of equity, inclusivity, and social justice, fostering an environment where both teachers and students can thrive.

I. Research Aim

This study aims to understand the complex inner landscape of Chinese teachers. Through the narrative study, it aims to provide a subtle picture of two Chinese high school teachers’ life. The study will focus on the emotional conflicts of the teachers on their professional identity and personal identity.

II. Theoretical Framework

This study takes John Dewey’s theory of emotion as theoretical perspective. In his early works, Dewey suggests that emotions “represent the tension of stimulus and response within the coordination which makes up the mode of behavior” (Dewey, 1894/1971, 174). In his later works, he further claims that “emotion is the conscious sign of a break, actual or impending” (Dewey, 1934/1987, 15). Dewey confirmed that emotion is cognitive and could be the object of intellectual inquiry.

III. Methods

This study takes the method of narrative inquiry. This method allows the researcher to understand the teachers’ life stories in the historical trajectory. Two high school teachers were invited and more than five rounds of narrative were conducted with the teachers.

IV. Findings

The study finds that teachers’ emotional conflicts could be positive for teachers’ development. It indicates the depth of teachers’ dedication to teaching. However, teachers also need to learn to critically reflect on their emotional conflicts and transform the emotional conflicts into love of teaching (Garrison, 1997). It suggests that teacher education program needs to provide more support on transforming teachers’ emotion into love of teaching.

V. Relevance to the conference theme

This study provides a close look on teacher’s inner landscape, focusing on their emotional conflicts of professional identity and self-identity. It provides a critical insight on how to understand teachers and evaluate teachers beyond the standards and academic performances. This is an important but often ignored perspective to seek equity and justice in teacher development.

This essay debates the changes produced by neoliberalism in education, with the use of technologies, such as Big Techs (Giants in Technology) and AI (Artificial Intelligence) and the ways in which such innovations resize education, work and subjectivity teacher. The main aim is to carry out a theoretical critique of these issues in order to identify strategies and procedures adopted in the production of this new rationality to be incorporated by the subjects, so that such identification is capable of pointing out possibilities for reaction. From a bibliographic review, an articulation was developed between classic and contemporary authors of neoliberalism, such as Karl Marx and Theodor Adorno, with those who address the technological invasion in the educational field, such as Safatle, Silva Junior and Neves, and those who analyze the impacts observed on the subject, such as Sagrado, Matta and Gill. The relevance of the discussion on neoliberalism, as a rationality that subjects the State and imposes its ways of being and acting on the individual, lies in the intention of rescuing the subject's autonomy, self-determination and non-acceptance. Since technological mechanisms applied to the educational field, via EDTECHs and AI, have transformed people into human capital through the use of technology and innovative approaches, it must be the subject of reflection with the aim of providing social justice in a world still marked by inequalities. This challenge affects teachers, as they have a central role to play and can be considered essential to achieving this promotion. To conclude, knowledge of the students’reality and the contexts in which they find themselves allows teachers to adopt measures capable of better promoting social justice and sustainable development in the multiple and diverse scenarios they find themselves in.

Research Aim

Students today are born into a world of technology, and grow up expecting information at their fingertips. Unfortunately, the internet is also full of fake news and social media is used by some to propagate false claims and rumours. In this paper I argue that nurturing curiosity will help students develop the skills needed to be discerning consumers of the internet. Peterson (2020) calls curiosity ‘…the desire to resolve a knowledge gap…’ (p. 7). Lamnina & Chase (2021) pointed out that curiosity ‘is an important construct to consider in classroom settings, because theory and research suggest that curiosity aids learning’ (p. 665). I use my own experiences growing up in a passive learning environment to interrogate how that affected me as a learner and educator.

Theoretical Framework

In this paper, I use autoethnography as my framework. As a student curiosity was never a part of my learning environment. Rather, I was expected to listen, accept, memorize, and reproduce the information in countless tests. Autoethnography provides a way to interrogate and recognize my personal experiences as part of my research process.

Method

I use storytelling to trace my journey as a learner who accepts into one who leans into curiosity to investigate and even disagree. Storytelling within an autoethnographic framework lets me accommodate subjectivity and acknowledge that emotions are part of my evolution as a learner and educator (Ellis, Adams & Bochner, 2011).

Findings and Relevance to Conference Theme

My findings will show the importance of nurturing curiosity. It aligns with the conference theme of quality teaching because a curious learner will seek to understand diverse viewpoints and recognize inequity. Racialized and marginalized students will learn to be confident in challenging these behaviours. My experiences underline the necessity for classroom practices that nurture perceptive and critical learners.