Knowledge bases for effective teaching: Beginning teachers' development as teachers of primary geography

Abstract

This paper reports the findings of a research project into beginning teacher development the United Kingdom. A model for beginning teacher development in the field of primary geography is proposed which looks at the relative knowledge bases needed for effective geography teaching. The model is used to aid analysis of data gathered from a series of lessons observed for two beginning teachers, providing an overview of their development over an eighteen-month period. Personal Construct Theory, specifically Mair's (1971) 'Community of Self', provides a framework for theorising; about the similarities and differences between the two. This leads to the generation of a number of ideas about beginning teacher development in primary geography, including the possible need to develop a new paradigm for geography suited to the primary context, that of ethnogeography. © 2008 F. Martin.