In this symposium, editors of four new (2008) books on the development of praxis in education present major findings for discussion. The books address issues related to praxis development through the teaching career, from the perspectives of teachers and those involved in their initial and continuing professional development, on the one side, and, on the other, in terms of the ‘practice architectures’ of professional development and work situations that enable and constrain their development. This is especially relevant at an historical moment in the West when the teaching profession – and education itself – faces pressures of commodification and marketisation in the steering medium of money, bureaucratisation and increased regulation in the steering medium of administrative power, and new pressures brought about by the globalisation of educational policy and administration. The books are the first major publications from an international collaborative study of the conditions for praxis and praxis development. An Australian study reported in Enabling Praxis discusses the development of educational praxis broadly in neo-Aristotelian terms, but also showing how practices like education exist in enabling and constraining ‘practice architectures’. A study of contemporary educational praxis in the Netherlands, reported in Critiquing Praxis, shows that the teaching profession is at a critical moment, especially with teacher shortages, and that policy responses have exacerbated tendencies towards the deprofessionalisation of teaching. A Nordic study, reported in Nurturing Praxis, shows how partnerships between universities and other educational institutions can and does offer powerful support for the continuing development of professional praxis in a variety of settings. A Swedish study, Examining Praxis explores issues in assessing the development of praxis, especially in the initial professional education of teachers, and especially through the ‘small thesis’ or ‘degree project’ in which students report on their own research. Each volume presents a distinctive analysis of issues in the field of praxis development, but each also offers resources for the continuing development of praxis through the teaching career (and in related careers of educational administration, for example). The four volumes (published by Sense Publishers, Rotterdam) are the first stage in a ‘conversation of traditions’ on pedagogy, education and praxis being conducted by European and Australian researchers collaborating in this international study.

An Australian study reported in Enabling Praxis discusses the development of educational praxis broadly in neo-Aristotelian terms, but also showing how practices like education exist in enabling and constraining ‘practice architectures’. A study of contemporary educational praxis in the Netherlands, reported in Critiquing Praxis, shows that the teaching profession is at a critical moment, especially with teacher shortages, and that policy responses have exacerbated tendencies towards the deprofessionalisation of teaching. A Nordic study, reported in Nurturing Praxis, shows how partnerships between universities and other educational institutions can and does offer powerful support for the continuing development of professional praxis in a variety of settings. A Swedish study, Examining Praxis explores issues in assessing the development of praxis, especially in the initial professional education of teachers, and especially through the ‘small thesis’ or ‘degree project’ in which students report on their own research.