Developing Professional Memory (A Case Study of London English Teaching (1965-1975))

In Developing Professional Memory, the author examines narratives from ‘progressive’ and ‘radical’ London-based English teachers who began their careers between 1965 and 1975. English teaching in this period, which the author defines as a ‘cauldron’ of competing and contested currents, is often portrayed negatively in dominant discourses around the subject. The teachers’ narratives, however, provide a much more nuanced and positive story.

By recovering and documenting the collective Professional Memory of English teachers in a particular conjuncture, this volume offers a compelling practitioner account of events and developments and proves that learning from Professional Memory has transformative potential. The author argues that by critically confronting narratives, practices and existing conjunctural circumstances, current practitioners might develop greater agency in debates around their professional roles and responsibilities.