Primary education is in a period of transition. The whole question of what constitutes 'good practice' is being vigorously debated. This reader looks at primary practice in the light of this debate, examining it in the context of continuing efforts to understand and improve the learning opportunities offered to children in school. It offers a range of research into how classrooms work and the development of specific curriculum areas: science, technology, mathematics, the arts, humanities and language. The final section takes a closer look at life in the primary classroom from the perspectives of the children and their teachers.

This sourcebook offers a unique summary into all that was important in primary education during the 1990s. It provides almost fifty key readings on the field which are grouped around six major topics: * learners * teachers * classrooms * curriculum * assessment * school and education policy. Over half of the readings focus on real life cases - such as pupils, teachers, classrooms or schools - as a means of conveying some of the interpersonal subtleties of teaching and learning in primary schools. At the same time, these cases highlight important current topics and debates in primary education and often provide insights into practical ways of meeting the challenges which are posed. Other articles are more explicitly analytical and provide conceptual frameworks, overviews or critiques of their fields. This is an excellent resource and guide for primary school teachers, and students studying on PGCE courses.

The issues raised by the role of language in education are some of the most important and contentious faced by education systems across the globe. Language is embedded in the concepts of nationhood and identity, and is therefore directly linked to the very social and political fabric of a country. In a climate of increasing globalisation, development and mobility of populations, nations around the world are concerned with the tension between cultivating a sense of cultural and linguistic cohesion and making use of the linguistic diversity that exists in every country and region. This book examines the implications and impacts, the dilemmas and potential for language education in relation to education systems and wider society. Split into three key parts, it considers: *current issues in language education, including the role of language in maintaining power and inequalities, in encouraging participation and inclusion and in challenging the status quo; *different approaches to language education around the world; *the potential for language to provide opportunities for the disadvantaged, illustrated by case studies of three cities. This recent volume of the internationally respected World Yearbook of Education continues the tradition of offering a wide range of international perspectives from leading commentators on a universal concern. The material amassed here will be essential reading for teacher educators, education researchers and school leaders across the world.

English in Urban Classrooms is a ground-breaking text that span a range of issues central to contemporary school English. It extends not only to the spoken and written language of classrooms, but also to other modes of representation and communication that are important in English teaching. This includes image, gesture, gaze, movement, and spatial organisation. The team of experienced and expert authors collectively examine how English is shaped by policy, by institutions, and by the social relations of the classroom. By connecting issues of policy and social context, the book provides a detailed account of factors such as: * the characteristics of urban multi-cultural schools; * teacher formation and tradition; * the ethos of School English departments; * the institutional changes that have shaped school English in urban classrooms and students' experiences of learning. This book offers a fascinating and enlightening read, not only to those involved in English teaching, but also to educational researchers, policy makers, linguists, and those interested in semiotics and multimodality.

The emphasis on subject knowledge in primary curricula is a world-wide phenomena; yet what exactly constitutes a subject and its practice remains controversial.
The articles in this collection have been selected to enable the reader to critically examine aspects of subject knowledge in the primary curriculum and relate these to views about learning and the implications which these views have upon teaching strategies. A wide range of perspectives is covered within the reader.
"Subject Learning in the Primary Curriculum" is organized into five parts. Part One examines the general aims of primary education in order to give background for a more detailed exploration of curriculum development. Parts Two, Three and Four examines the core subjects of English, science and math while bearing in mind the full range of views about the purpose of education and the nature of knowledge. Part Five introduces key debates about approaches to knowledge and raises issues about the future organization of the curriculum.

The emphasis on subject knowledge in primary curricula is a world-wide phenomenon and has become increasingly the focus of attention in England, with the introduction of the National Curriculum and the appointment of subject co-ordinators in schools. Yet what exactly constitutes a subject and its practice remains controversial. The book is organised into five parts. Part one examines the general aims of primary education, in order to give a background for a more detailed exploration of UK curriculum development. Parts two, three and four examine the core subjects of English, science and mathematics, whilst constantly bearing in mind the full range of views about the purpose of education and the nature of knowledge. Part five introduces key debates about approaches to knowledge, and raises issues about the future organisation of the curriculum. Subject Learning in the Primary Curriculum is the OU reader for Module 832, Teaching and Learning in the Primary Core Curriculum in the MA in Education.

This sourcebook offers a unique summary into all that was important in primary education during the 1990s. It provides almost fifty key readings on the field which are grouped around six major topics:

* learners
* teachers
* classrooms
* curriculum
* assessment
* school and education policy.

Over half of the readings focus on real life cases - such as pupils, teachers, classrooms or schools - as a means of conveying some of the interpersonal subtleties of teaching and learning in primary schools. At the same time, these cases highlight important current topics and debates in primary education and often provide insights into practical ways of meeting the challenges which are posed. Other articles are more explicitly analytical and provide conceptual frameworks, overviews or critiques of their fields.

This is an excellent resource and guide for primary school teachers, and students studying on PGCE courses.

Offers a range of research into how primary classrooms actually work looking at the development of specific curriculum areas and how they can be taught and assessed across the ability range.

In this ground breaking text, the authors span a range of issues central to contemporary school English. They collectively examine how English is shaped by policy, by institutions and by the social relations of the classroom. By connecting policy and social context, the book provides a detailed account of factors such as: the characteristics of urban multi-cultural schools teacher formation and tradition the ethos of School English departments the institutional changes that have shaped school English in urban classrooms and students' experiences of learning. The authors examine the spoken and written language of classrooms, alongside other modes of representation and communication and issues such as image, gesture, gaze, movement and spatial organisation are all examined through a timely multi-modal perspective. Those involved with education and the teaching of English will find this book a fascinating account of teaching and learning in urban classrooms, whilst policy shapers, linguists and anyone with an interest in semiotics and multimodality will find much here to enlighten them.