
About the session
Some people claim that research-based theory is an essential source of teacher knowledge. Others say it is fairly irrelevant, and that what is important is classroom experience and reflection. My own position is that insights founded in research may often inform teaching – but their practicability needs to be evaluated cautiously and critically. In this session I shall discuss a selection of interesting research studies and their possible implications for teaching, with the aim of pinpointing when, and why, such studies may be more, or less, useful to the practitioner.