Practical Wisdom in Professional Practice: The Person in the Process

Recent reviews of the status and standing of early childhood teachers in Australia indicate high attrition, low retention and low morale within the profession. A contributing factor may be the lack of professional and public recognition of the expert knowledge held by practitioners. The extent of this phenomenon was investigated through a mapping exercise. Data were gained from two sources — the National Childcare Accreditation Council's revised Quality Improvement and Accreditation System for long day care centres and advertised position descriptions for early childhood teachers/directors. These data sources, while providing some insight into the nature of early childhood teachers' work, showed that the hidden dimensions of professional practice are largely ignored in such public documents. The findings suggest that little recognition is currently being given to practical wisdom — the professional's capacity to make sound judgement in the use of personal/professional, theoretical, and practical knowledge. If early childhood teachers and the community at large are to value and truly appreciate the nature of the early childhood professional's work, then that work must be carefully documented and promoted. The article concludes by suggesting that the development of professional portfolios may be a strategy that could be used to more effectively represent and honour the nature of teachers' work and provide insight into the practical wisdom of professional practice.