The question of expertise in teaching runs to the heart of what we have become as a society.
Experts are everywhere.
What this means and whether this is a good thing are matters that need to be debated. Welker tells us that technology is not enough, and suggests that in teaching, as elsewhere, we can never get by without human judgment and deliberation over values. At a time of increasing pressure for teachers to become more professional and more technically competent, this book examines in a critical fashion whether teachers should be considered experts. Other chapters examine such thinkers as Willard Waller, Daniel Lortie, Alan Tom, Philip Jackson, and Ivan Illich. Each chapter establishes an historical and ideological context and evaluates how the social character of the expert matches the responsibilities.