Title: A New Era for Professionalism: Teacher Identity, Authenticity and Agency
Date Thursday 16 – Friday 17 October 2025
Venue: Lough Erne Resort, Enniskillen, Co Fermanagh
CALL FOR PAPERS
The theme for the 2025 SCoTENS conference, A New Era for Professionalism: Teacher Identity, Authenticity, and Agency, invites participants to explore the evolving landscape of teacher professionalism and to critically examine how shifts in society, technology, and education policies have prompted a redefinition of what it means to be a professional teacher in a world where AI’s growing influence on curriculum delivery, assessment practices, and teacher-student interactions presents both opportunities and challenges for maintaining teacher identity, authenticity, and agency.
Participants will be encouraged to examine the multifaceted influences that shape and define teacher professionalism, emphasising factors such as policy frameworks, curriculum reforms, and societal expectations. This conference aims to uncover both the pressures and possibilities shaping the future of the teaching profession in this new era and to explore the potential impact on pedagogy, collaboration, and teacher autonomy.
In order to address the theme, participants will be asked to consider:
- How and why teacher professionalism has transformed in recent times?
- What are the factors influencing, shaping and defining teacher professionalism?
- What strategies can be utilised to sustain teacher identity, authenticity and agency?
- What are the risks and threats to teacher identity, authenticity and agency in an era of rapid evolution and technological disruption?
Participants will be encouraged to reflect on these questions and contribute to a collective dialogue about the future of the teaching profession. This year’s conference offers a timely opportunity to engage with these critical issues, share insights, and shape the trajectory of professional practice in education.
The Standing Conference on Teacher Education North and South (SCoTENS) is pleased to announce a call for papers for its forthcoming conference.
We welcome proposals for papers that are relevant to teacher education. Because the slots for presentations are limited we propose to give preference to paper presentations that link most directly to the work of SCoTENS and the conference theme.
Please note: Your institution should hold current membership of SCoTENS. If you have any queries about this, please contact Tricia at tricia.kelly@qub.ac.uk
We look forward to receiving your abstract and thank you for considering the conference as a forum to share your work. We hope to see you at SCoTENS in 2025.
Click the following link to apply Expressions of Interest Form
Click the following link to apply Poster Form
Please complete and return to Tricia Kelly at tricia.kelly@qub.ac.uk by 4pm Friday 11 July 2025