367 Jeannie Kerr P H I L O S O P H Y O F E D U C A T I O N 2 0 1 2 PHILOSOPHY OF EDUCATION 2012 ⎜ ⎜ ⎜ ⎜ ⎜ Claudia W. Ruitenberg, editor © 2012 Philosophy of Education Society ⎜ ⎜ ⎜ ⎜ ⎜ Urbana, Illinois Promoting Dialogue on Teacher Professionalism: Opening Possibilities Through Gadamer’s Aesthetic Judgment and Play Metaphor Jeannie Kerr University of British Columbia In the province of British Columbia where I live and work, teaching is labelled a profession by the government, universities, and school boards; yet, paradoxically teachers are subject to increasing constraints through the imposition of standards of “professional” competence, prescribed curriculum and standardized assessment practices. I would argue that this paradox relates to the way that teachers’ knowledge is conceived. As Joseph Dunne points out, the kind of knowledge a profession embodies is closely tied to its claims to authority and autonomy. 1 Therefore, it is important to gain clarity on the nature of teachers’ knowledge and how it relates to ideas of professionalism. In this essay I will trace the emergence and historical roots of two competing views on teachers’ professional knowledge: the abstract, objective view, and the situated, subjective view. I will show that each view provides a limited orientation to understanding the nature of teachers’ professional knowledge, and demonstrates the need to find a conceptual space that moves beyond this dualism. I suggest that Hans Georg Gadamer’s notion of aesthetic judgment, combined with his play metaphor, provide such a conceptual space that allows for a better understanding of teachers’ professional knowledge, and a more appropriate orien- tation from which to engage in dialogue on teacher professionalism. PROFESSIONALISM, TECHNICAL RATIONALITY, AND CONSTRAINTS ON TEACHING Teaching children in schools is considered a profession partially based on the idea that the complexity of teaching practice requires deliberation to make appropri- ate judgments. That teachers possess or can rely on a body of expert objective knowledge, derived from research and abstract theory, to inform these deliberations has been a widely accepted notion in Western ideas of teacher professionalism in the twentieth century. 2 There is an implicit assumption in this notion that theoretical rigor can mitigate the uncertainty created by dynamic and complex situations. The idea that teachers’ professional knowledge can be understood in this way was called into question in the 1980s by Donald Schön. Schön argues that teachers’ knowledge is created in the teaching context. It is therefore attained through knowing and reflecting in action. 3 In this view deliberation and judgment are not derived from a body of expert knowledge, but are based on knowledge that is subjectively derived from teaching practice. A number of theorists have taken up Schön’s arguments, but the view that teachers’ judgments should be based on expert objective knowledge remains dominant and is currently found in demands for evidence-based practice. These rival ideas frame professionalism in teaching in oppositional ways. The dominant view sees professionalism in teaching as based on abstract knowledge of theories and techniques; the challenging view sees it as based on subjective knowledge generated through experience. John Furlong argues that