"This book explores the generative power of vulnerabilities facing individuals who inhabit educational spaces. We argue that vulnerability can be an asset in developing understandings of others, and in interrogating the self. Explorations of vulnerability offer a path to building empathy and creating engaged generosity within a community of dissensus. This kind of self-examination is essential in a selfie society in which democratic participation often devolves into neoliberal silos of discourse and marginalization of others who look, think, and believe differently. By vulnerability we mean the experiences that have the potential to compromise our livelihood, beliefs, values, emotional and mental states, sense of self-worth, and positioning within the Habermasian system/lifeworld as teachers and learners. We can refer to this as microvulnerability—that is, those things humans encounter in daily life that make us aware of the illusion of control. The selfie becomes an analogy for the posturing of a particular self that reinforces how one hopes to be understood by others. What are the vulnerabilities teachers and learners face? And how can we joker, as Norris calls it, the various vulnerabilities that we inherently bring into teaching and learning spaces? In light of the divisive discourses around the politics of Ferguson, Charlie Hebdo, ISIS, Ebola, Surveillance, and Immigration; vulnerability offers an entry way into exhuming the humanity necessary for a participatory democracy that is often hijacked by a selfie mentality."

The purpose of this text is to elicit discussion, reflection, and action specific to pedagogy within education, especially higher education, and circles of experiential learning, community organizing, conflict resolution and youth empowerment work. Vulnerability itself is not a new term within education; however the pedagogical imperatives of vulnerability are both undertheorized in educational discourse and underexplored in practice. This work builds on that of Edward Brantmeier in Re-Envisioning Higher Education: Embodied Pathways to Wisdom and Transformation (Lin, Oxford, & Brantmeier, 2013). In his chapter, “Pedagogy of vulnerability: Definitions, assumptions, and application,” he outlines a set of assumptions about the term, clarifying for his readers the complicated, risky, reciprocal, and purposeful nature of vulnerability, particularly within educational settings. Creating spaces of risk taking, and consistent mutual, critical engagement are challenging at a moment in history where neoliberal forces impact so many realms of formal teaching and learning. Within this context, the divide between what educators, be they in a classroom or a community, imagine as possible and their ability to implement these kinds of pedagogical possibilities is an urgent conundrum worth exploring. We must consider how to address these disconnects; advocating and envisioning a more holistic, healthy, forward thinking model of teaching and learning. How do we create cultures of engaged inquiry, framed in vulnerability, where educators and students are compelled to ask questions just beyond their grasp? How can we all be better equipped to ask and answer big, beautiful, bold, even uncomfortable questions that fuel the heart of inquiry and perhaps, just maybe, lead to a more peaceful and just world? A collection of reflections, case studies, and research focused on the pedagogy of vulnerability is a starting point for this work. The book itself is meant to be an example of pedagogical vulnerability, wherein the authors work to explicate the most intimate and delicate aspects of the varied pedagogical journeys, understandings rooted in vulnerability, and those of their students, colleagues, clients, even adversaries. It is a work that “holds space.”

The art and practice of writing is complex and multidimensional; students often apply unique writing styles. As such, educators must apply focused teaching methods to nurture these unique forms of writing. Educators must stay up to date with the practices for diverse writing instruction in order to best engage with a diverse classroom. However, resources related to writing typically do not focus on the depth and breadth of writing, and there is a need for a resource that offers a comprehensive look at diverse writing instruction research. The Handbook of Research on Teacher Practices for Diverse Writing Instruction provides a rich discussion of the issues, perspectives, and methods for writing instruction currently in use, with an added lens focusing on diversity and equity. It provides unique coverage on the topic of writing instruction for practical implementation within the classroom setting. Covering topics such as student motivation, curriculum development, and content area instruction, this major reference work is an essential resource for preservice teachers, faculty and administration of K-12 and higher education, academic libraries, government officials, school boards, researchers, and academicians.

Little research exists on teacher dispositions, yet accrediting bodies such as the Council for the Accreditation of Educator Preparation (CAEP) require dispositional assessment as an integral part of teacher preparation programs. Furthermore, research has shown that dispositions are a key indicator in teacher success both in terms of instructional effectiveness and long-term retention. Teacher preparation programs require research examples and support in understanding the desired dispositions of teachers as well as how to implement these qualities and characteristics into a robust curriculum. Teacher preparation programs also need help in articulating how to assess dispositional traits of teachers and how to provide remediation in this area. Dispositional Development and Assessment in Teacher Preparation Programs addresses dispositional development for teachers including the definition, instruction, practical application, and assessment of dispositional traits. It includes research involving teacher development and preparation for the enhancement of instructional practices and teacher retention. Covering topics such as culturally relevant pedagogy, social emotional learning, and teaching philosophy, this premier reference source is an excellent resource for preservice teachers, teacher preparation programs, faculty and administration of K-12 and higher education, academic libraries, accrediting bodies, researchers, and academicians.

'Participatory Practice in Space, Place, and Service Design' is premised on a belief in the importance of participatory practices in finding creative solutions to the plethora of problems we face today. It argues that engaging professions with the public in mutual exploration, analysis, and creative thinking is essential. It not only ensures better quality products, places, services, and a greater sense of civic agency but also facilitates fuller access to them and the life opportunities they can unleash. This book offers a uniquely varied perspective of the myriad ways in which participatory practices operate across disciplines and how they impact the worlds and communities we create and inhabit. This book suggests that participatory practices are multi-disciplinary and relevant in fields as diverse as design, architecture, education, health care, sustainability, and community activism, to name a few of those discussed here. How do designed objects and environments affect wellness, creativity, learning, and a sense of belonging? How do products and services affect everyday experience and attitudes towards issues such as sustainability? How does giving people a creative voice in their own education, services, and built environments open up their potential and strengthen identity and civic agency? Addressing these questions requires a rethinking of relations between people, objects, and environments; it demands attention to space, place, and services.

Internationalizing Early Childhood Curriculum empowers teachers and directors to internationalize their curriculums around the world in their own unique and culturally specific ways. Serving as a guide and catalyst for thinking about curriculum in our interconnected world, this book explores how young children learn about the world and describes how children develop intercultural understanding, including how their teachers transform to expand their own global awareness and citizenship. Stories from actual classroom curriculum projects are featured, as well as suggested strategies and stages for the process of implementation. Exploring the implications for teacher education and professional development, this book gives readers the tools they need to bring internationalization into their own programs. Designed to apply to formal and informal early childhood centers across the spectrum, Internationalizing Early Childhood Curriculum is essential reading for professional developers and trainers, as well as classroom teachers, directors, policy-makers and NGO professionals providing early childhood services in the U.S. and around the world.

This book shows that using only conventional methods, such as questionnaires and focus groups, is insufficient. Arguing that autoethnography can provide unique insights into users’ cultural experiences and needs, contributors to this volume introduce the reader to different types of autoethnography. It will empower librarians and information scientists to conceptualise topics for autoethnographic research, whilst also ensuring that they adhere to strict ethical guidelines. It demonstrates how to produce autoethnographic writing and stress the need to analyse autoethnographies produced by others.