Teachers' knowledge and classroom practice

How teachers make sense of their professional world, the knowledge and beliefs they possess, and how they understand the processes of teaching and learning, children and subject matter, are important areas to explore in order to develop our understanding of teaching and to be in a position to better design appropriate professional training and support. This symposium presents 3 studies which have explored aspects of teachers' knowledge and its relationship to classroom practice. One of the studies focuses on secondary mathematics teachers' understandings of mathematics and mathematics teaching and learning; another examines kindergarten teachers' understandings of play in their attempts to promote learning in the early years; the third investigates junior school teachers' conceptions of English, mathematics and science and the relationship of this to the ways they structure lessons and aim to develop children's learning. Each of the studies adopts a case study methodology in its attempts to trace the complexities of teachers' knowledge and to consider its relationship to classroom practice. Collectively, the studies raise several questions concerning the nature of teachers' knowledge and its association with teaching and learning processes in the classroom.