The Porosity of School and the Local Community: The Dual Ambassadorial Role of Teachers

My research focuses on the higher professional education structures, processes, and practices that enable, shape, and/or constrain the capacity of teachers to bridge between their schools and the local communities in which they are situated. The research is premised on the assumption that the contextual relevance of professionals - in this case, teachers - is highly contingent on their ability to appropriate their work to the local communities they serve. I investigate how teacher education builds the capacity of teachers to draw on and support the development of local community knowledges, values, and aspirations; whether these feature in the formal or ‘hidden’ curricula. I principally use practice theory, particularly the theory of practice architectures, to identify and understand the ‘sayings’, ‘doings’, and ‘relatings’ in higher education that influence the development of this dual ambassadorial role in teachers. My research intends to draw conclusions and recommendations on how the relevant higher professional education structures, processes, and practices can be strengthened to enhance the contextual relevance of professionals in their service to local communities and, by implication, the world.