Expert As An Expert

The Oxford Dictionary defines ‘expert’ as “a person who is very knowledgable about or skillful in a particular area”. At the other end of the spectrum, the Oxford Dictionary defines ‘novice’ as “a person new to and inexperienced in a job or situation”. Both are relatively vague descriptions as it is very difficult to make a judgement about whether or not someone is expert due to many factors. These could include the question of inherent knowledge, amount of time spent studying the field, the difficulties of subjectivity and objectivity and also the transition of noviceship into expertise. I will discuss three of the main methods identified as leading to expertise: the Model of Domain Learning, the traditional expertise approach and the expert-performance approach. I will also consider the effect deliberate practice on become an expert. By closely analysing these concepts, I will attempt to break down the expert/novice teacher binary and critique it from within with close consideration of current research trends, offering a deep and insightful explanation as to how novice teachers can become expert teachers.

Firstly, we must understand the differences that separate novices from experts. While it is somewhat impossible to declaratively state what makes and expert and what doesn’t, Glaser (1987, 1990; as cited in Berliner, 2001) identifies various skills attributed to experts that their less-practiced counterparts lack. For experts, this means more efficient methods of processing information, flexibility, automaticity and self-reflection and understanding.

The Model of Domain Learning (MDL) is one example of how a novice teacher may become an expert (Alexander, 1997; as cited in Alexander, 2003). The MDL is a generalised model ...

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