The concept of personal practical knowledge emerged in North America in
the 1980s at a time when attention turned toward understanding teachers
as active participants in curriculum-making in schools and classrooms,
as thinkers and decision-makers in relation to their practices, and as
active constructors and co-constructors of experienced and lived
curricula. While earlier conceptions of teachers focused on teachers as
implementers of theoretical ideas, curriculum programs, materials, and
policies, a conception of teachers as holders of knowledge rather than
implementers or users of knowledge was a significant shift in how
teaching was understood. Rather than passive deliverers of materials to
students, teachers were now seen as knowledgeable, not just in
strategies for implementation but as holders and makers of knowledge.
The increased interest in the practical contexts of teaching and in the
person of teachers helped formulate an area of inquiry into teacher
thinking...