This descriptive study aimed to investigate the understandings of diabetes educators about teaching and learning. The knowledge, skills and practices about both diabetes content and education were explored. Researchers have identified the importance of the teaching and learning knowledge and skills in addition to content expertise for those in educational roles (1, 2). Internationally, limited attention has been given to the education expertise among diabetes educators when researching the effectiveness of diabetes education. Data was collected through face to face interviews, observation of education sessions and email interviews. The data was analysed using the Shulman and Grossman knowledge of teaching classification system, the COATSRUAM learning framework and a four point quality of teaching rating scale (3). Detailed knowledge of the content to be taught, considerations for the characteristics of the learner and their choice of the topic was evident. Knowledge about teaching and learning was analysed with the quality rating providing an indication of how rich and complex the educators network of knowledge was, with some limitations identified. This quality rating is a judgement about how powerful that knowledge will be, in Bruner’s terms, and thus how effectively it can be used to solve the problems that might arise for either the educator or the patient. The ability to be connoisseurs and critics of approaches to diabetes education requires a level of sophistication about ways of teaching and learning. Diabetes educators use evidence based knowledge for their diabetes content and this study has identified the need for diabetes educators to develop evidence based knowledge around the scholarship of teaching and learning to become connoisseurs of education.