Learning Teaching from Experience: Multiple Perspectives and International Contexts

Review This book unpacks fundamental issues of teacher identity, practice and development and, in doing so, helps to define what professionalism means for educators ... Very timely - and therefore politically aware. (InTuition 2015-12-31)An important, timely and challenging book; an essential resource for everyone interested in the future of teacher education. (John Furlong, Emeritus Professor of Education, University of Oxford, UK)At last, a book which combines a breadth of cross-disciplinary education scholarship, a breadth of focus - across North America and Europe - and accounts of practice in a range of contexts. This is book goes beyond factional rhetoric while demonstrating passionate commitment to the education of our young people. It addresses the deepest questions of education for what purposes, for whom, how, and in what conditions teachers learn from their experiences. Read the book to understand the complexities underlying that widely used phrase 'learn from experience'. Fascinating and enlightening. (Morwenna Griffiths, Professor of Education, University of Edinburgh, UK)This book should be required reading for courses of teacher education, particularly in the current context in which 'learning on the job' and the craft idea of a teacher is increasingly the norm. In this context, the rhetoric of 'learning from experience' is frequently invoked. But what does it mean to learn from experience? Is understanding theory not experiential? The contributions in the book approach these questions with a wealth of research and applied knowledge, which at times challenge orthodoxy on learning theories and policy. The diversity of approaches, as well as the detail and exemplification they give provide a highly informative account of aspects of learning from experience from multiple perspectives, and give us pause for thought that there can be 'a science of education', a formulaic application of research data and policy borrowing. The book's chapters invite us to think carefully about the best way to develop teachers. It provides a rich account of why 'formation' is required, not some kind of technical 'training'. (Ruth Heilbronn, Lecturer in Education, Institute of Education, University of London, UK) Product Description What do teachers learn ‘on the job'? And how, if at all, do they learn from ‘experience'? Leading researchers from the UK and Europe, the USA and Canada offer international, research-based perspectives on a central problem in policy-making and professional practice - the role that experience plays in learning to teach in schools. Experience is often weakly conceptualized in both policy and research, sometimes simply used as a proxy for ‘time', in weeks and years, spent in a school classroom. The conceptualization of experience in a range of educational research traditions lies at the heart of this book, exemplified in a variety of empirical and theoretical studies. Distinctive perspectives to inform these studies include sociocultural psychology, the philosophy of education, school effectiveness, the sociology of education, critical pedagogy, activism and action research. However, no one theoretical perspective can claim privileged insight into what and how teachers learn from experience; rather, this is a matter for a truly Educational investigation, one that is both close to practice and seeks to develop theory.At a time when policy-makers in many countries seek to make teacher education an entirely school-based activity, Learning Teaching from Experience offers an essential examination of the evidence-base, the traditions of enquiry - and the limits of those enquiries. Book Description Draws on international research to address the current key question in teacher education policy and practice: what and how do teachers learn from experience? About the Author Viv Ellis is Professor and Dean of the Faculty of Education at Monash University, Australia.Janet Orchard is a Senio