Twenty years ago France, along with other countries, started to implement in-depth educational reforms which led to a redefinition of school objectives. Such objectives aim for the acquisition of a set of basic key knowledge and competencies which will enable students to succeed in school and be inserted in society. Therefore, the transmission-appropriation of subject knowledge has become a key issue for generalist primary school teachers. However, what is the situation like in the classroom? What kind of links tie teachers, knowledge and school subjects? Are their teaching practices organised by the transmission-appropriation process? Video recordings of geography lessons and interviews in crossed self-confrontation mode have been used to study the didactic activity of generalist teachers. The analyses show that there is some marginalisation of disciplinary school knowledge in teaching practice. The transmission-appropriation process plays a minor role in the organisation of teaching practices.
teaching practice; primary school; geography didactics; work analysis
