Seeking to teach equitably: Australian teacher education in a globalised world

The aim of this paper is to examine how global developments in education have altered the emphasis given to concerns of social equity. We begin this paper by examining globalization, the changes that globalization have imposed on teacher education, and the positioning of education management, education policy and social justice within these contexts. Next, we examine the ways in which globalisation and neo-liberalism, driven by the notion of ‘teacher quality’ and an increased reliance on standardised tests, have affected teacher education internationally, as well as in Australia, and the influence this has had on equity agendas. Following this, we examine socially just pedagogical strategies that might be used to serve diverse student bodies. As noted by Reay,‘Bernstein asserted that “education cannot compensate for society”, but schools that aspire to be “incubators of democracy” have a moral duty to try’ (2011, 2).