Understanding Pedagogy

What is meant by pedagogy? How does our conception of pedagogy inform good teaching and learning? Pedagogy is a complex concept of which student and practising teachers need to have an understanding, yet there remain many ambiguities about what the term means, and how it informs learning in the classroom. Understanding Pedagogy examines pedagogy in a holistic way, supporting a more critical and reflective understanding of teaching and learning. It considers pedagogy as a concept that covers not just teaching approaches and pupil-teacher relationships but one which also embraces and informs educational theory, personal learning styles, assessment, and relationships inside and outside the classroom. A detailed consideration of what it means to be a professional in the contemporary climate, Understanding Pedagogy challenges student and practising teachers to reappraise their understanding and practice through effectively linking theory and practice. Key issues explored include the importance of understanding a learning styles profile, the application of cognitive neuroscience to teaching, personalised learning, assessment and feedback, and what we mean by critical reflection. Using the Personal Learning Styles Pedagogy, the authors make explicit the integration of theory and practice and the many decisions and selections that teachers make, their implications for what is being taught and learnt, how learners are positioned in the pedagogical process, and ultimately, how learning can be improved. Understanding Pedagogy will be essential reading for student and practising teachers, as well those on Education Studies courses and undertaking masters level courses, involved in the endeavour of understanding what constitutes effective teaching and learning.

`I commend it to anyone with a concern for teaching in any of its forms' -School Leadership & Management In this controversial book, Peter Mortimore and a team from London University's Institute of Education explore what is meant by the term pedagogy.They investigate its context and describe some of the recent shifts in thinking about it. Pedagogy affects the way hundreds of thousands of learners of different ages and stages are taught. Yet, until recently, it has been a neglected topic. Instead of having access to systematic evidence about its impact, innovative teachers have been guided only by ideological positions, folk wisdom and fashionable enthusiasms for particular approaches.

`This presents a useful and thoughtful overview of the ways in which thinking about pedagogy has changed in research and practice′ - Dr A Loveless, University of Brighton `I commend it to anyone with a concern for teaching in any of its forms′ - School Leadership and Management In this controversial book, Peter Mortimore and a team from London University′s Institute of Education explore what is meant by the term pedagogy.They investigate its context and describe some of the recent shifts in thinking about it. Pedagogy affects the way hundreds of thousands of learners of different ages and stages are taught. Yet, until recently, it has been a neglected topic. Instead of having access to systematic evidence about its impact, innovative teachers have been guided only by ideological positions, folk wisdom and fashionable enthusiasms for particular approaches. The contributors to this book, all with professional backgrounds as teachers, have scoured the literature to examine the impact of different pedagogies on nursery, primary and secondary schools as well as on further education colleges, universities and the workplace. The book also considers learners with special educational needs and the implications of using information and communications technology. The authors open up debates on the following key topics: · how best to define pedagogy · what we know about the impact of particular pedagogies on learning what is still not known · whether there are important differences between the pedagogy used for learners of different ages and stages · whether any lessons for the future can be gleaned from current practice. This important book is invaluable reading for interested teachers working with learners of all ages.The issues raised affect the way we think about the teaching of the under fives through to university students and continuing lifelong learners. It is essential reading for policymakers, practitioners and tutors.

A pedagogy of teacher education must go well beyond the simple delivery of information about teaching. This book describes and explores the complex nature of teaching and of learning about teaching, illustrating how important teacher educators' professional knowledge is and how that knowledge must influence teacher training practices. The book is divided into two sections. The first considers the crucial distinction between teaching student-teachers and teaching them about teaching, allowing practice to push beyond the technical-rational, or tips-and-tricks approach, to teaching about teaching in a way that brings in the appropriate attitudes, knowledge and skills of teaching itself. Section two highlights the dual nature of student teachers’ learning, arguing that they need to concentrate not only on learning what is being taught but also on the way in which that teaching is conducted.

Presenting a snapshot of contemporary international research into the pedagogy of lifelong learning and teaching, this book focuses on a wide range of issues related to lifelong learning, including higher education, community-based learning and literacy practices in continuing education. It highlights the fact that the wide-ranging conclusions they draw have vital implications for this rapidly changing field. The book reviews the emerging issues from researching teaching and learning in different post-school contexts - an issue which has grown in research importance around the world in recent years - with the concern both to widen participation and improve student attainment. Examining empirically, methodologically and theoretically contemporary research in teaching and learning in diverse contexts, it focuses on three main areas: learning careers and identities; pedagogy and learning cultures and learning beyond institutions.

Challenging the current understandings of equity and social justice in the field of online education, The Hidden Curriculum of Online Learning analyses how cultural hegemony creates unfair learning experiences through cultural differences. It argues that such inequitable learning experiences are not random acts but rather represent the existing inequities in society at large through cultural reproduction. Based on an ethnographic work, the book discusses the concept of social absence (in relation to social presence) to discuss how individuals perform their identities within group contexts and to create awareness of social justice issues in online education. It draws upon critical pedagogy and cultural studies to show that while online learning spaces are frequently promoted by local or federal governments and higher education institutions as overwhelmingly inclusive and democratic, these premises do not operate with uniformity across all student cohorts. The Hidden Curriculum of Online Learning It will be of great interest to academics, post-graduate students, and researchers in the fields of digital learning and inclusion, education research, and cultural studies.

A book for anyone who recognizes that teachers, their teaching practice, knowledge and skill should be a focal point of research efforts. The contributions to this volume are internationally authored by leading academics. A range of innovative research methodologies are represented and explained. The book articulates the special professional skills and knowledge that teachers have and need. It will inspire teachers and researchers alike in understanding the art of teaching.