Accessing practical knowledge: how? why?

Alternative forms of representation were employed to generate new insights into the knowledge teachers use to inform practice. Conversation, drawing, metaphor, and story writing encouraged a group of teachers to make multiple probes into their ways of knowing how to manage the complexities of many everyday teaching situations. 'Sandy's Story', and comments from other teachers. illustrate how these methods can enhance efforts to understand the ways that personal images enter into teaching decisions. Why teachers and researchers ought to inquire into this aspect of knowing how to teach is examined. (C) 1999 Elsevier Science Ltd. All rights reserved.