Challenging Perceptions in Primary Education Exploring Issues in Practice

What are the beliefs that influence your professional practice? Have you ever thought about why you make the decisions you make as a teacher? What influences your teaching style?

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 which not only offer guidance on key topics but encourage the reader to engage in reflecting on their own practice.

Questions explored include:
- Is learning through practical work worth the effort?
- What can we learn from comparisons with education in other countries?
- Is there a smarter way to use digital imagery in your teaching?
- What's the point of theory? Isn't teaching just a craft?

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. She is the editor of Developing Teacher Expertise (Bloomsbury Academic, 2012), the predecessor to this volume.

List of Contributors
Preface
Introduction
Part I: Creating a Good Learning Environment
1. Can Individual Teachers Build a Successful Learning Environment for Children? Jonathan Barnes (Canterbury Christchurch University, UK)
2. Do Schools Need to Promote SMSC to Ensure Children Have a Quality Learning Experience? Rosemary Walters (Canterbury Christchurch University, UK)
3. “He’s One of Yours”. Does a Belief in a Specialist Pedagogy for Children With an SEND Disempower Primary Classroom Teachers? Andy Bloor (Canterbury Christchurch University, UK)
4. ‘I Couldn’t Teach Reception. All They Do is Play’...Or Is It? Karen Vincent (Canterbury Christchurch University, UK)
5. Is Practical Work Worth the Effort? Gill Hope (Canterbury Christchurch University, UK)
6. What to Teachers Gain From Organizing Educational Visits? Michael Green (Canterbury Christchurch University, UK)
7. How do Classroom Dynamics Affect Learning? Mark Hardman (Canterbury Christchurch University, UK)
8. What is Instructional Strategy? John-Paul Riordan (Canterbury Christchurch University, UK)
9. Does Assessment Ensure Learning? Margaret Sangster (Canterbury Christchurch University, UK)
Part II: Curriculum Matters
10. Are The Arts Good for Children's Health? Jonathan Barnes (Canterbury Christchurch University, UK)
11. Why Should we Keep Geography in the Primary Curriculum? Terry Whyte (Canterbury Christchurch University, UK)
12. Can Break Times Help Children's Physical Activity Levels? Kristy Howells (Canterbury Christchurch University, UK)
13. Why Should Mathematics Teaching be Set Within the Context of Children's Life Experiences? Jill Matthews (Canterbury Christchurch University, UK)
14. Should we be Discussing Climate Change in the Primary Curriculum? Stephen Scoffham (Canterbury Christchurch University, UK)
15. What is a Good Learning Environment for Primary Languages? Vikki Schulz (Canterbury Christchurch University, UK)
Part III: The Use of Imagery in Teaching
16. Is There a Smarter Way to Use Digital Imagery in Your Teaching? Karl Bentley (Canterbury Christchurch University, UK)
17. What Messages do Children Receive From Visual Imagery? Peter Dorman (Canterbury Christchurch University, UK)
18. Seeing, Knowing and Believing: The Ways Art and Design Enhances Children's Education? Peter Gregory (Canterbury Christchurch University, UK)
19. How Does the iPad Encourage Risk Taking in the Pursuit of Artistic Endeavour? Claire Hewlett (Canterbury Christchurch University, UK) and Claire March (Canterbury Christchurch University, UK)
20. Can Children's Visual Register be an Aid to Accessing Knowledge of Religion? Aidan Gillespie (Canterbury Christchurch University, UK)
Part IV: Learning from Education in Other Countries
21. What Can Teachers Learn From Visiting International Settings? Sue Hammond (Canterbury Christchurch University, UK)
22. Does an International Placement Develop Teacher Identity? Anthony Clarke (Canterbury Christchurch University, UK)
23. What are Possible Benefits and Limitations of International Edu-Tourism and Volun-Tourism? Tony Mahon (Canterbury Christchurch University, UK)
24. What Did we Learn From Teaching in a Rural Government School in Kenya? Chloe Lever (Canterbury Christchurch University, UK) and Coral Newton (Canterbury Christchurch University, UK)
25. Can English Teaching Approaches Transfer to Indian Primary Schools? Caroline Tancock (Canterbury Christchurch University, UK)
26. International Education Consultancy: Whose Capacity are we Building? Sue Kendall-Seatter (Canterbury Christchurch University, UK)
27. What Do We Really Learn From Education in Other Countries? Viv Wilson (Canterbury Christchurch University, UK)
Part V: Wider Perspectives on Education
28. What About Theory - Who Needs It? (European) Vanessa Young (Canterbury Christchurch University, UK)
29. Do I Really Have Time to Engage in Research? Paula Stone (Canterbury Christchurch University, UK)
30. Do You Have to be Political to be a Teacher? Rebecca Austin (Canterbury Christchurch University, UK)
31. Should Primary Education be Beyond the Range of Short-Term Political Interference? Jill Matthews (Canterbury Christchurch University, UK)
32. A Few Good Men: Why are There so Few Male Trainees in Primary School Education? Jason Mellor (Canterbury Christchurch University, UK)
33. Do Teachers Play it Safe? Rebecca Austin (Canterbury Christchurch University, UK)
Endnote
A Brief Summary
Index