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Published Version (Advanced Access)CC BY-NC-ND V4.0, Open Access
Journal article
Acknowledging the role of fictions within teacher education
Teachers and Teaching, Vol.Advanced access
10-Mar-2026
Abstract
Although rarely explicitly acknowledged within teacher education programmes, fictions play an integral role in supporting student learning. Fictitious, 'as if' philosophies led the way for the development of constructivist learning theories which often, despite being antithetical to the 'truth', hold significant utility in supporting our comprehension of the complex world around us. Fictions allow for the advancement of thought and enquiry in the absence of complete information. Fictions form the basis for many of the teaching and learning heuristics employed in classrooms, as well as supporting the delivery of content knowledge appropriate to the age and experience of respective students. This article seeks to elevate the place of fictions within teacher education through the explicit acknowledgement of their utility across most areas of study. The tenacious challenges that militate against embracing fictions are noted, while spaces for recognising the important role of fictions within teacher education are also explored.
Details
- Title
- Acknowledging the role of fictions within teacher education
- Authors
- Raymond Lynch (Corresponding Author) - University of LimerickJennifer Hennessy - University of LimerickMerrilyn Goos - University of the Sunshine Coast
- Publication details
- Teachers and Teaching, Vol.Advanced access
- Publisher
- Routledge
- DOI
- 10.1080/13540602.2026.2642676
- ISSN
- 1470-1278
- Copyright note
- © 2026 The Author(s). Published by Informa UK Limited, trading as Taylor & Francis Group. This is an Open Access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives License (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0/), which permits non-commercial re-use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited, and is not altered, transformed, or built upon in any way. The terms on which this article has been published allow the posting of the Accepted Manuscript in a repository by the author(s) or with their consent.
- Organisation Unit
- School of Education and Tertiary Access
- Language
- English
- Record Identifier
- 991217651402621
- Output Type
- Journal article
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