Developing Practice in Primary Education series – serie

This selection of carefully chosen articles invites teachers to explore their own professional development and review their practice in schools. It draws together the multifaceted nature of primary teaching through a focus upon historical, cultural and political influences and considers the impact this has upon the way primary teachers develop professional knowledge.

Issues explored in the book include: changing approaches to: curriculum selection; school organization and; curriculum planning.

These are situated and considered in the personal contexts of primary teachers' continuing professional development. Themes explored include: analysis of critical incidents as a strategy for developingreflective practice; issues embedded in individual versus collaborative approaches to

using reflective practice in professional development; the teacher as researcher.

This innovative book draws together issues concerning the way primary teachers develop professional knowledge and the influence this has upon their practice in schools. At the same time it encourages teachers to apply their reading to their own personal context and research an aspect of their own practice. It includes both some of the most recent research alongside classic articles, drawing on the work of some of the most renowned figures in primary education.

This selection of carefully chosen articles invites teachers to explore their own professional development and review their practice in schools. It draws together the multifaceted nature of primary teaching through a focus upon historical, cultural and political influences and considers the impact this has upon the way primary teachers develop professional knowledge.

Issues explored in the book include: changing approaches to: curriculum selection; school organization and; curriculum planning.

These are situated and considered in the personal contexts of primary teachers' continuing professional development. Themes explored include: analysis of critical incidents as a strategy for developingreflective practice; issues embedded in individual versus collaborative approaches to

using reflective practice in professional development; the teacher as researcher.

This innovative book draws together issues concerning the way primary teachers develop professional knowledge and the influence this has upon their practice in schools. At the same time it encourages teachers to apply their reading to their own personal context and research an aspect of their own practice. It includes both some of the most recent research alongside classic articles, drawing on the work of some of the most renowned figures in primary education.

Understanding Learning contains specially chosen material which brings together issues of theory and practice. It invites teachers to examine, review and research their own practice in their own personal context.

The book's significant contribution is that it re-emphasizes the multifaceted nature of education and deliberately takes a multidisciplinary approach. It does this through a consideration of cultural, political and theoretical perspectives in Education.

Section one shows something of the dilemmas, tension and duality of thinking which is inherent in a concept of education for democracy. Section two considers what it means to be a learner and how this knowledge forces us to re-examine and extend our conceptualizations of learning. Section three considers the importance of achievement, how this might be measured and the possible outcomes of assessment. Section four illustrates how children's self identity is affected by their experiences in school. It also draws attention to the powerful issues of race, social class and parental power in terms of 'cultural capital'.

This book encourages readers to explore significant aspects of current thinking in primary education (for ages three to 13 years) focusing on pedagogy: the study of processes of teaching. The authors consider contexts, knowledge, skills and curriculum within a framework of practice. A distinctive feature is the voices of teachers, children, parents, advisors and inspectors.

The book covers: learning, knowledge and pedagogy; pedagogic issues, application of practice. The authors also present a discussion of national strategies and The National Curriculum update for 2000, discussions of a world-wide curriculum, and ICT and citizenship viewed as tools for developing aspects of pedagogy.