Professional studies in primary education, third edition

Many of us wanted to be teachers in order to be different from some of the teachers we had known, and to be inspiring, as some of our teachers were. At a time of continuously changing expectations and prescriptions, often politically driven, how free are we to do this? The answer is, remarkably free, if we have a confident and secure understanding of the professional choices we are able to make. It sometimes seems that, because everyone has been to school, they all feel entitled to a valid opinion about how children should be taught. This can be very frustrating! Learning how to be a primary school teacher – deciding how and what to teach, discerning high-quality research with political awareness and criticality is like learning how to play three-dimensional chess, challenging in its complexity but not impossible. The ability to make informed professional choices is what gives you the authority to be a teacher and we hope this book will provide you with some strategies and thinking points to support your learning. The book aims to guide your decision making about how to teach, based on personal and professional judgements about the needs of children, recognising their different, individual needs, what excites them and what makes them want to learn. You will become a teacher who understands children’s different backgrounds, difficulties, local and personal environments, and that emotional and social development are an integral part of cognitive development. You will become a teacher who enjoys exploring learning with children, who fosters their imagination and curiosity, who works in partnership with children’s parents and carers, who helps children to be articulate about and evaluate their learning. You will be confident in working with others to plan children’s learning and to monitor it in skilful and sensitive ways. You will learn how to make professional judgements about classroom organisation and how to manage behaviour effectively.