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In this article we discuss the dynamics of mediation between research, policy and practice by examining our year-long experience in developing materials with teachers of multigrade schools. Our focus is on understanding the dialectic between our knowledge constructed in the academic context of research on teaching and learning, on the one hand, and the knowledge that teachers gain through their own training and experience, on the other. Our perspective aligns with that of scholars calling for closer collaboration between research teams and in-service teachers as a way of overcoming perceived resistance to pedagogical reforms introduced by external agents or educational authorities.