Primary Teaching: Learning and teaching in primary schools today

Primary teaching is challenging and rewarding in equal measure. Schools are diverse and ever-changing communities where children and teachers learn alongside each other. When learning to teach, practical experience in the classroom is essential, as is learning from others and being able to reflect on your own learning and performance. Equally important is the ability to critically evaluate learning and teaching and to look at current practice in schools and in the UK and to question it. In fact, in teacher training, the questions are just as important as the answers:

What is teaching?
How do children learn?
What is pedagogy?
Does curriculum really matter?
Should teachers ′manage′ behaviour?
How do I support children with SEND?
What can AI tools do for teachers?

This core text from Learning Matters tackles these questions and more. It poses questions to encourage a re-thinking of the world of schools and learning. It challenges trainee teachers to ask why,to engage with research and to reflect on their own practice and the practice in their placement schools.

Primary Teachingis a core text for trainee teachers.

Catherine Carden lecturers on the BA in Education Studies (Primary) at the Open University. Catherine is an Independent Education Consultant specialising in educational leadership and in particular people centred leadership, culture and wellbeing. Previous roles have included Director of Learning and Teaching in the Faculty of Arts, Humanities and Education, Director of Primary Initial Teacher Education and a teacher educator at a large HEI. Prior to that, Catherine held teaching and leadership roles within secondary and further education. Catherine′s professional and scholarly interests are in teacher education and development, educational leadership, organisatonal culture, coaching and mentoring, and wellbeing and self-care.