This book represents the results of a 15-year longitudinal study based on in-depth case studies of the development of four teachers' pedagogical thinking. These studies illustrate how teachers' thinking--about children's behavior, development, learning, and teaching--develops over time, based on their personal and professional life experiences. It is an especially significant book because understanding how pedagogical thought develops over time and how these ideas are put into action in classrooms can be used to improve teacher education, teacher induction, and teacher retention programs. Case Studies of Teacher Development: An In-Depth Look At How Thinking About Pedagogy Develops Over Time: *provides insight into reasons why some teachers remain and others leave the teaching profession; *combines narrative with scholarship; *highlights the voices of four educators through extensive quotes from their interviewers, includes vignettes of their classroom teaching, and incorporates their own writing; *contributes to the field of teacher education and teacher development because of the long duration of the four case studies (1985-2000) and the accompanying scholarly analysis of internal and external influences on their lives as teachers; and *addresses changes in the nature of qualitative research as it influenced this longitudinal study over time. At a time when teacher induction and teacher retention are critically important, this book will help teacher educators, school and district leaders, and policymakers understand better how to retain novice and experienced teachers by supporting their professional growth and development.

This text reports a study of 20 student primary teachers, 10 on a conventional PGCE course and 10 on a school-based articled teacher training course. documenting their learning experiences over a two year period, the authors explore the factors that facilitate or impede the students' learning as teachers. In drawing upon these case studies together with existing theoretical models of professional development, the authors distinguish several key characteristics of learning to teach and discuss the implications of these for the design of effective school- based teacher education courses.

Case Studies on Diversity and Social Justice Education offers pre- and in-service educators an opportunity to analyze and reflect upon a variety of realistic case studies related to educational equity and social justice. Each case, written in an engaging, narrative style, presents a complex but common classroom scenario in which an inequity or injustice is in play. These cases allow educators to practice the process of considering a range of contextual factors, checking their own biases, and making immediate- and longer-term decisions about how to create and sustain equitable learning environments for all students. The book begins with a seven-point process for examining case studies. Largely lacking from existing case study collections, this framework guides readers through the process of identifying, examining, reflecting on, and taking concrete steps to resolve challenges related to diversity and equity in schools. The cases themselves present everyday examples of the ways in which racism, sexism, homophobia and heterosexism, class inequities, language bias, religious-based oppression, and other equity and diversity concerns affect students, teachers, families, and other members of our school communities. They involve classroom issues that are relevant to all grade levels and all content areas, allowing significant flexibility in how and with whom they are used. Although organized topically, the intersection of these issues are stressed throughout the cases, reflecting the multi-faceted way they play out in real life. All cases conclude with a series of questions to guide discussion and a section of facilitator notes, called points for consideration. This unique feature provides valuable insight for understanding the complexities of each case.

Presented in an engaging and stimulating manner, this text provides beginning teachers a variety of typical classroom problems to analyse and solve.

This comprehensive handbook synthesizes the best current knowledge on teacher professional development (PD) and addresses practical issues in implementation. Leading authorities describe innovative practices that are being used in schools, emphasizing the value of PD that is instructive, reflective, active, collaborative, and substantive. Strategies for creating, measuring, and sustaining successful programs are presented. The book explores the relationship of PD to adult learning theory, school leadership, district and state policy, the growth of professional learning communities, and the Common Core State Standards. Each chapter concludes with thought-provoking discussion questions. The appendix provides eight illuminating case studies of PD initiatives in diverse schools.

This book explores the phenomenon and process of Europeanisation in the field of teacher education. Drawing on comparative case studies in Austria, Greece and Hungary, it examines empirical data and analyses key themes around the continuum of teacher education, the development of teacher competence frameworks, and the support to teacher educators. The book is the first of its kind to systematically research the landscape of European teacher education, exploring the interactions between national and European influences in the trajectory of teacher education policy and practice. Chapters offer an original and in-depth understanding of European influences that draw on evidence from policy documents and interviews with relevant stakeholders. It argues that teacher education systems are being Europeanised, although at different speeds and directions for each country. Factors such as the socio-political and economic contexts, historical traits and policy actors’ preferences at both national and institutional levels determine the translation process. This book will be of great interest for academics, educational researchers, practitioners and policymakers in Europe and beyond, informing wider discussions about the emerging European context in teacher education, education policy and what it means to be a European teacher.

The philosophical foundation of emancipatory knowledge lies in critical theory. In this paradigm, instrumental and communicative knowledge are not rejected but are limited. If we do not question current scientific and social theories and accepted truths, we may never realize how we are constrained by their inevitable distortions and errors. Without the possibility of critical questioning of ourselves and our beliefs, such constraining knowledge can be accepted by entire cultures. The research paradigm that is relevant for constructing this kind of knowledge is the critical paradigm. Data are always qualitative and have specific methods of research. Quantitative research unquestionably has a place and is fundamental to scientific advances, but qualitative research delves into what it is to be human. Through qualitative research, we gain insight into communicative knowledge, its rich nature, and the mechanisms by which communicative knowledge is formed and interpreted. Qualitative research enables the necessary exploration and critical analysis of social systems and uncovers and facilitates critical reflections on the inevitable assumptions, which shape social behavior and interaction, thereby stimulating and empowering change. Promoting Qualitative Research Methods for Critical Reflection and Change provides readers with a comprehensive array of qualitative research methods, which can be implemented in a variety of contexts for a variety of purposes. The chapters explore the impact, uses, and methodologies for qualitative research across various fields of research. This book is ideal for practitioners, researchers, academicians, and students interested in the use of qualitative research methods.