What Expert Teachers Do - Enhancing Professional Knowledge for Classroom Practice

There is a need to understand the problematic nature of practices in order to move beyond teaching as a process of informing. In doing so, teaching immediately appears to be extremely difficult and complex. Although expert teachers may make teaching appear easy, the reality is that it requires specialized skills, knowledge, and abilities. However, making these clear for others to know and understand is no simple task. The first part of this book is ed to serve as a gentle reminder of some of the basic functions and theories of teaching and learning. It aims to illustrate how this work contributes to our knowledge of what we do and our skill in managing teaching and learning by briefly bringing together some of these functions. Part Two builds on the foundations established in Part One and uses some of the "big picture" concepts in teaching and learning to illustrate how knowledge is articulated through practice. It demonstrates what professional knowledge looks like and, importantly, how this knowledge is translated into practice through real-life examples from the classroom. These chapters highlight how professional knowledge goes beyond simplistic notions of using teaching procedures to break up routines or to engage students in engaging activities. It is about engaging students in learning in ways that create a genuine need for knowledge and a willingness to accept greater responsibility for becoming active learners. Part Three, the book‘s concluding section, places the ideas in the previous two parts in the context of teachers‘ work. It challenges notions of professional development (usually seen as telling teachers what to do) and emphasizes the importance of professional learning by supporting teachers in guiding their own knowledge growth. This section is ed to create real possibilities for the ongoing development of teachers‘ specialized knowledge and skills.