Behaviour management and the search for Lenin's widow

For a decade or more, teacher education and primary teacher education in particular have been ritually denounced for their inadequacies, while seemingly never-ending ‘reforms’ and alternatives have cascaded down. But was the patient truly in a pathological state and have the cures been arguably worse than the alleged disease? This article looks at the various attempts in recent years to improve teacher preparation and finds the claims for ‘reform’ as dubious as the alleged deficiencies. It explores possible explanations ranging from ideological thrusts to classic conspiracy theories.