This presidential keynote talk explores the nature of education as a vital part of human knowledge. The talk addresses the implications of conceiving education, and its contribution to knowledge, as an academic discipline versus a field of study. In order to warrant the main lines of argument I draw on a wide range of sources including from research, policy, and practice in early years settings, schools, colleges and universities.
The talk locates the argument in work that has categorised the discipline of education as derived from three main traditions of knowledge. In order to begin to explore the coherence of education as a discipline this early part initiates some contrasts with other disciplines such as mathematics and the arts. The main section of the talk reviews scholarship in relation to the concept of education research that is Close-to-Practice, and the relevance of this to understanding education as an academic discipline or field. Connections are made with my experiences as a teacher, as an academic, and someone who has engaged directly with policy and policy makers, particularly in relation to curriculum and pedagogy.
The talk concludes with reflections on how we might conceive and understand education and its contribution to knowledge now and in the future.