Developing Teacher Expertise: Exploring Key Issues in Primary Practice

What are the issues that education raises for you? Beyond the technical skills and knowledge aspects of education, teachers and student teachers face questions which challenge their beliefs and approaches to their teaching and learning. This book contains a series of short articles each of which encourage you to reflect on your own practice and challenge your beliefs about how and what you teach. Questions explored include: When does inclusion become exclusion for the rest of the class? Do interactive whiteboards support or reduce creativity in the classroom? Is drama a luxury in the primary classroom? Should we be teaching other languages to children under seven? Learning outside the classroom, is it worth it? What makes a reflective practitioner? Essential reading for those training to teach children aged between 3 and 11, as well as practicing teachers looking to develop their practice.

Table of Contents:
List of Contributors \ Preface \ Introduction \ Part I: The Learning Environment \ 1. Do schools work - a challenge to the institutionalization of learning? Rebecca Austin \ 2. When does inclusion become exclusion for the rest of the class? Maggie Evans \ 3. Does differentiation make it easier for children to learn? Jill Matthews \ 4. Why aim to create independent learners? Margaret Sangster \ 5. Why and how can we engage children with their learning? Claire Hewlett \ 6. Can we use the built environment to support children's learning? Jonathan Barnes \ 7. What do we understand from using images in the classroom? Peter Dorman \ 8. Do displays contribute to children's learning? Bridie Price \ 9. Do interactive whiteboards support or reduce creativity in the classroom? Karl Bentley \ 10. Is learning outside the classroom worth it? Michael Green \ 11. What is the value of encouraging talk in your classroom? Jill Matthews \ 12. Does rewarding children lead to independent learners? Margaret Sangster \ Part II: The Curriculum \ 13. Should we be teaching a second language to children under seven? Vikki Schultz and Anthony Clarke \ 14. Is drama a luxury in the primary classroom? Tracy Parvin \ 15. Is there a place for picture fiction with children over seven? Susan Barrett \ 16. Does correct spelling really matter? Caroline Tancock \ 17. Is it possible to make mathematics real and meaningful in the classroom? Jon Wild \ 18. How can questioning to create thoughtful reflection and learning in mathematics? Paula Stone \ 19. Is physical education more than just being physically active? Kristy Howells \ 20. Should ICT be taught as a subject, used as a learning tool, or is there a need for both? Nyree Scott \ 21. Should children be learning to make art or learning through art? Peter Gregory \ Part III: The Wider World \ 22. Why do children and teachers need to develop a multi-cultural and global perspective? Tony Mahon \ 23. What makes stereotypes pernicious? Stephen Scoffham \ 24. Should we teach children about current affairs? Stephen Scoffham \ 25. Maps are increasingly being used by children but do these maps tell the truth? Terry Whyte \ Part IV: Teachers' Professional Status \ 26. What are some philosophical, sociological and psychological perspectives on education? Rosemary Walters \ 27. What is meant by professional identity? Vanessa Young \ 28. What does professionalism mean for a teacher? Peter Dorman \ 29. Why should teachers be researchers? Viv Wilson \ 30. How do we improve our own practice? Viv Wilson \ 31. Why are teachers involved in mentoring and being mentored? Donna Birrell \ Index

About the Author :
Margaret Sangster was formerly Principal Lecturer and Programme Director of the BA (Hons) in Primary Education at Canterbury Christ Church University, UK. She worked for many years as a primary teacher, and as a mathematics advisory teacher before moving to Higher Education.

Review :
Wow! We have needed a book like this in primary initial teacher education for some time. The short, sharp chapters provide excellent 'think-pieces' for tutors to launch into discussions with students to support the development of their teacher identity and philosophy. These are vital areas for student teachers to engage with since security in the knowledge of their own teacher identity and philosophy sustains teachers throughout their careers. The structure of the book provides a holistic conception of teaching and the role of the primary teacher. It provides an opportunity for student teachers to ask searching questions which will develop their understanding beyond the conception that teaching is merely a craft. -- Vini Lander, Head of Primary Education, University of Chichester, UK The book could be used to invite teachers to reflect about their own practice and to initiate classroom discussions in teacher preparation courses...The simple language used, the synthesis of complex theoretical arguments, and the illustrations of classroom dilemmas make this book useful for introducing complex debates in education to teacher candidates-just when they are beginning to work in classrooms. -- M. Beatriz Fernandez. Teachers College Record