ABSTRACT
In order to develop the idea that teacher routines ought to be a central focus of study of teaching I will consider first the well known distinction between knowing how and knowing that as it relates to routines. Secondly I want to consider how we can investigate what teachers know how to do, and try to draw a parallel between understanding the actions of teachers and historical research. In doing this I will suggest methods of investigations that focus on the reasons why people act as they do. In this way we can come to appreciate the meaning of teacher actions in classrooms as we see how what teachers know is brought to bear in their practice. Such a way of thinking about teacher thinking has promise for school reform in the long run.
