The name is absent

15

This requires teacher educators themselves to initiate change in
their courses with awareness of the personal and structural changes
involved. This would create new opportunities for drawing together
the work of research and practice which run the risk of being drawn
apart if past policies of research are pursued. Paul Hirst's recent
contribution is most timely here. (1983) In his discussion of
the relationship between education theory and practice which is
at the very centre of any initial teacher-education worthy of that

name he indicates the direction which has to be followed to gain

knowledge of ways of proceeding.

from an analysis of what is judged to be successful
action before we understand, let alone formulate
explicitly the rules or principles that it embodies.
(Hirst 83  P15∕16)

Hirst goes on to attend to the modification and extension of

such practice.

We can endeavour to improve on a system of order
by articulating and revising the- general rules on
which it rests but this can only be done at a general
level and improvement cannot be obtained if individuals
are deprived of the use of their own understanding
of particular circumstances both explicit and tacit.

on whose work Hirst draws here, makes quite clear the

relationship between tacit and

While tacit knowledge can be possessed by itself,
explicit knowledge must rely on being tacitly under-
stood and applied. Hence all knowledge is either
tacit or rooted in tacit knowledge. A wholly
explicit knowledge is unthinkable. (Polanyi '64)

This work draws attention to the programme which needs to be followed
in order to implement and extend changes in professional practice.
First the identification of action which may be deemed successful

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