The Practice Architectures of Pedagogy: Conceptualising the Convergences between Sociality, Dialogue, Ontology and Temporality in Teaching Practices

Abstract

Amidst constant waves of research seeking to understand and improve pedagogical practices in schools, this chapter positions pedagogy as social practice rather than a more commonly held view of pedagogy as method. It is a view of pedagogy that is centrally interested in the sociality, situatedness and happeningness of practices, and thus requires a theory of practice that treats it as socially, dialogically, ontologically and temporally constituted. Capitalising on the ‘practice turn’ in education, the chapter utilises the theory of practice architectures to consider the relationship between pedagogy, practice and practice architectures. It will be argued that pedagogical practices as they happen in lessons cannot be understood without a theory of practice that explains (especially for teachers) how practices unfold discursively through language and sequences of time, and how they are interwoven (enmeshed or entangled) with sites, not just ‘set’ in them. Empirical material from recorded primary school lessons will be used to illustrate particular practice architectures or cultural-discursive, the material-economic and the social-political arrangements that influence the conduct of pedagogical practice as it happens in classrooms. The chapter seeks to address these three broad questions: (1) how does the theory of practice architectures enhance understandings of pedagogy? (2) in what ways does this theory help us to understand pedagogy as social practice? and (3) what influences pedagogical decision making as it happens in the flow of instruction?