Ivor Goodson: Narrative coach learning and pedagogy

From a childhood up in the outer suburbs of Reading in England, Ivor Goodson has come to be known as one of the world’s leading academics in education. Goodson’s father was a gas fitter, while his mother was a factory worker and then a dinner lady. During his adolescence he found school increasingly difficult and failed eight out of nine O-level exams. As a result, at 15 years of age, Goodson left school and obtained employment in a crisp factory. Some time later, with the encouragement of one teacher, Goodson returned to school. Even though he still found it difficult to identify with subject matter, he engaged in rote learning which subsequently resulted in him passing his examinations. Goodson then went on to gain a degree in Economic History from the Universityof London. After completion of his degree, he conducted doctoral research on Irish immigrants in Victorian England. When Goodson completed his doctorate, he immediately gained employment as a lecturer at the University of Kingston from 1966 to 1969. It was during this time that Goodson found himself drawn to education, in particular the new comprehensive schools developed as a result of a scheme implemented by the Labour government. As a result, in 1969, his strong interest in education inspired him to go back and train as a teacher. Shortly after completing his teacher training he replaced university teaching with school teaching, starting work at a comprehensive school in Leicestershire. For the last 30 years Goodson has dedicated his life to researching, thinking andwriting about various issues in education such as curriculum history and the history of school subjects; change management and reform; teachers’ lives and careers; professional and learning identities; narrative and educational policy and life politics. According to his website, Goodson has contributed to over 50 books and 600 journal articles, and has worked at numerous universities in England, Canada and the USA.