Study On The Development Of Geography Teachers’ Practical Knowledge

Educational theories derive from the teaching practice and the practical experience in teaching in turn sublimates and enriches educational theories. However, any educational theory needs testing in practice so that before it developes and perfects itself with its implement. Teachers’practical knowledge is a combination of "castles in the air"—experts’thoughts on teaching, and teachers "grassroots action"-teachers’experiences in real teaching. Therefore, teachers’practical knowledge is an irreplaceable part of their becoming proffesinal teachers. It should be regarded as a starting point for the course of teacher training. This esaay takes "Shanghai geography teacher training base as a example to try to find a practical way to build the practical knowledge of geography teachers.The essay is broadly divided into the following three parts:The first part of makes it clear the scope and the importance of teachers’ practical knowledge through literature review and researches in practice. In this part, the practical knowledge of the geography teachers is divided into three branches:the moral codes of geography teachers in practice, geography teachers’ practical knowledge and their knowledge in scientific researches. In the meanwhile, it summarizes the intenal and extenal factors that contribute to the professional development of geographical teachers. Through the combination of studies on teachers’practical knowledge and theories on teachers’ professional development, the writer aims to explore some practical ways to rich geographical teachers’ practical knowledge.The second part of the essay is an investigation on the basic mode of operation of the second geography teacher training course in Shanghai, including its specific training methods and the effects of these methods, by using study methods like face-to-face interviews, questionnaires, survey analysis and field practice. At last, the esaay narrates the successful cases on how geography teachers develop their practical knowledge though training.Based on the previous studies, the third part comes to a summary on the problems lying in the Shanghai Second of geography teacher training course, mainly concerning with the ranks of the formation, the setting of curriculum, teaching practice and institutional analysis. The ultimate aim of the essay is to try to come up with some effective methods on how to develop geography teachers’ practical knowledge.