ABSTRACT
I have articulated the case for construing primary teaching in terms of practical pedagogy. It is important to bear in mind that every teacher, from the student on her first practice to the experienced deputy head, is already a practising pedagogue and as such has her repertoire of pedagogical skills and expertise. In this and the final chapter I address the issues of how teachers’ pedagogical expertise can be incorporated within a body of knowledge which contributes to primary teachers’ professional credibility and authority. At a time when a plethora of experts, politicians and parents seek to shape educational policy, and press their particular interests it becomes necessary to ask what is the distinctive professional competence of the class teacher and what special reasons are therefore attending to her expertise. It is the teacher who has direct personal responsibility for promoting learning within that peculiar learning environment which is the classroom. If any policy for change is to have a significant impact upon the quality of children’s learning in the classroom it is prudent, if not mandatory, to listen to the professionals whose expertise and experience is directly concerned with practical pedagogy and involve them directly in deliberations concerning teaching and learning in the primary school.
