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Allied to the inclusion of the personal is that of the student’s
political awareness. It has long been the case in PGCE that poli-
tical factors have been brought to the attention of students either
within the general education course or from contributing foundation
discipline. The prevailing stance of student teachers has not
appeared significantly affected
However in recent years the politi-
cal character of education has
become
increasingly clear and has
affected particular groups of teachers differently
Grace 1978 <H√
1984 ) .
The research indicated that
students
and
confronted
political
aspects of their work once
their exposure to schools was
sufficient
and sufficiently focussed
to
III
ove beyond their subject
concerns in particular classrooms. Further it showed that the ordin-
ary
and legitimate
expectations that
these students had of their
own schooling are now seen by them to be quite different from those
к
of many of their pupils.∙ The student’s own career opportunities
are immediately and directly affected by political decisions thus
bringing the personal and the political into a close and visible
relationship.
In one
sense the contradiction of the student’s expectations about
careers in teaching provides the motivation for new learning but
as the research showed such learning is not only to do with the
present situation but also the past and the future. This raises
again the issue of theory and practice for the research detailed
how students’ understanding of their present concerns and their
future directions could be
informed by detailed knowledge of the
past.
It may be that particular theoretical formulations and
directions speak to constellations of social and educational circum
stances at particular periods.