Abstract

Inspired by the “realist confessional tales” of three academics (Bloomer, Hodkinson & Billett, 2004) this paper traces retrospectively the influences on my theoretical thinking. The reflections cover approximately 60 years from the 1950s to 2010. Based on memories rather than diaries my confessional tales demonstrate the power of ontology in learning and teaching. The tales trace development of my theories of pedagogy from the Piaget I was taught at Teachers’ College to Vygotsky and beyond. Further their chronological nature acts to show how critical incidents impact on thinking. The incidents reported here all took place outside classrooms, lecture theatres, illustrating the abiding nature of learning as a natural and everyday occurrence. The paper concludes with the thought that it is probably better to be a learner than a teacher, especially as learning in continual.