Among School Teachers

A compelling and thoroughly readable account of two middle schools—one urban and one suburban—that attempt to build communities which will foster student growth and learning. This book shatters prevailing beliefs and furthers our understanding of the ways in which teachers’ relationships impact their work and their lives in schools. “This is no once-over-lightly piece of research. . . . [Joel Westheimer] leaves in tatters the tapestry of rhetoric that has been woven by reformers around the idea that all teacher communities are alike and that building them requires only a few hardy souls with moxie and determination.” —From the Foreword by Larry Cuban, Stanford University “Westheimer’s account is at once passionate and analytic, critical and empathic. It is exactly the kind of rendering of schools we need for our own democratic dialogue as scholars.” —Suzanne M. Wilson, Michigan State University “Timely and informative. . . . This is an important book for both teachers and policy makers.” —Nel Noddings, Stanford University “Joel Westheimer takes us beyond the rhetoric of community as something necessarily sunny and succulent, revealing both the conceptual limits and the daily difficulties of community-building as a strategy for reform. . . . If we are propelled to act, [his] charting of this tricky terrain will be a useful map, an essential guide to survival.” —William Ayers, University of Illinois at Chicago

This book explores images of schoolteachers in America from the beginning of the 20th century to the present, using a wide range of approaches to scholarship and writing. It is intended for both experienced and aspiring teachers to use as a springboard for discussion and reflection about the teaching profession and for contemplating these questions: What does it mean to be a teacher? What has influenced and sustained our beliefs about teachers? New in the second edition * The focus is shifted to the teaching profession as the 21st century unfolds. * The volume continues to explore teacher images through various genres--oral history, narrative, literature, and popular culture. In the second edition, the authors place more emphasis on the social-political context that has shaped teachers' daily experiences and the teaching profession itself. In the study of teacher images and schooling, the essays draw from feminist research methods and the critical tradition in educational inquiry to probe issues of power and authority, race, social class, and gender. * The emphasis is on the multidimensionality of teacher images rather than normative characterizations. * Six totally new chapters have been written for this new edition: an "invented interview" spanning 100 years of school teaching; portraits of progressive activist teachers; an exploration of teachers in fiction for young adults; a retrospective of the satirical cartoon show, The Simpsons; a study of crusading and caring teachers in films; and an overview of progressive classroom practices in "the new millennium." Seven chapters have been thoroughly revised to reflect current scholarship and the authors' evolving knowledge and interests.

A bold, brain-based teaching approach to culturally responsive instruction To close the achievement gap, diverse classrooms need a proven framework for optimizing student engagement. Culturally responsive instruction has shown promise, but many teachers have struggled with its implementation—until now. In this book, Zaretta Hammond draws on cutting-edge neuroscience research to offer an innovative approach for designing and implementing brain-compatible culturally responsive instruction. The book includes: Information on how one’s culture programs the brain to process data and affects learning relationships Ten “key moves” to build students’ learner operating systems and prepare them to become independent learners Prompts for action and valuable self-reflection

The educational system in China is marked by its dramatic inequality between rural and urban schools. The challenges facing rural schools are usually understood as disadvantages in funding, facilities, and staffing, which consequently result in undesirable student performance in general. This book, however, penetrates these phenomena on the surface and brings forth a much deeper moral crisis in rural education, a crisis that is entrenched in the complicated interlocking of formal and informal institutions within and beyond the school. The Demoralization of Teachers describes the work and workplace in a rural school from the perspective of teachers who were working there. It faithfully depicts the lamentable state of teachers’ work morale in the school and, little by little as if a detective story, reveals the reasons for the teachers’ demoralization by vivid narratives. The book demonstrates the profound impact on the meanings of teaching exerted by the state curriculum reform, the formal and informal norms and regulations in the school, and the erosion of moral integrity in the state bureaucracy and the society at large. The crisis in the rural school stops to be a “rural” or educational problem in nature, but mirrors the societal-wide transformation in political economy as well as in ideology in the current reform China. The sheer complexity of the moral crisis in this ethnography calls for renewed efforts to identify and investigate the educational problems in rural China from fresh theoretical perspectives that situate rural education in broader historical and social contexts and processes.

Using richly textured case studies of two very different schools, the author shows when teachers enact reforms in the name of community, what often emerges is conflict. Whether dealing with issues of teachers collaboration or how to meet the needs of a diverse student population, conflicts within professional communities reflect important differences of beliefs and practices. This book reframes conflict as constructive in building educational communities that learn and promote democratic values in schools.

This book recounts my journey through the educational system I encountered as a student, teacher, and administrator. It also contains observations on that journey.

Teacher autonomy is essential for ensuring a learning environment that addresses children’s diverse needs. As much as the learner requires space, freedom, flexibility, and respect, the teacher also requires the same. Currently, the system of administrative hierarchies and control, examinations, and centralized planning for curriculum reform, all constrain the autonomy of the teacher. Even when there is curricular freedom, teachers do not feel confident that they can exercise it without being taken to task by the administration for doing things differently. Therefore, it is essential to enable and support them in exercising choice. As much as the classroom needs to nurture a democratic, flexible and accepting culture, the school institution and the bureaucratic structure need to do the same. Not only should the teacher receive orders and information, but the voice of the teacher should also be heard by the superiors, who often make decisions that affect the immediate classroom life and culture in the school. Relationships between teachers and their heads and principals must be informed by equality and mutual respect, and decision making must be on the basis of dialogue and discussion. The annual, monthly and weekly calendars of activities need to provide time for such staff interactions for reviewing and planning. This book intends to help the readers to understand how a research study can be conducted on teacher autonomy and work engagement of secondary school teachers.

The Handbook of Social Justice in Education, a comprehensive and up-to-date review of the field, addresses, from multiple perspectives, education theory, research, and practice in historical and ideological context, with an emphasis on social movements for justice. Each of the nine sections explores a primary theme of social justice and education: Historical and Theoretical Perspectives International Perspectives on Social Justice in Education Race and Ethnicity, Language and Identity: Seeking Social Justice in Education Gender, Sexuality and Social Justice in Education Bodies, Disability and the Fight for Social Justice in Education Youth and Social Justice in Education Globalization: Local and World Issues in Education The Politics of Social Justice Meets Practice: Teacher Education and School Change Classrooms, Pedagogy, and Practicing Justice. Timely and essential, this is a must-have volume for researchers, professionals, and students across the fields of educational foundations, multicultural/diversity education, educational policy, and curriculum and instruction.

A New York Times Best Seller "Essential reading for all adults who work with black and brown young people...Filled with exceptional intellectual sophistication and necessary wisdom for the future of education."—Imani Perry, National Book Award Winner author of South To America An award-winning educator offers a much-needed antidote to traditional top-down pedagogy and promises to radically reframe the landscape of urban education for the better Drawing on his own experience of feeling undervalued and invisible in classrooms as a young man of color, Dr. Christopher Emdin has merged his experiences with more than a decade of teaching and researching in urban America. He takes to task the perception of urban youth of color as unteachable, and he challenges educators to embrace and respect each student’s culture and to reimagine the classroom as a site where roles are reversed and students become the experts in their own learning. Putting forth his theory of Reality Pedagogy, Emdin provides practical tools to unleash the brilliance and eagerness of youth and educators alike—both of whom have been typecast and stymied by outdated modes of thinking about urban education. With this fresh and engaging new pedagogical vision, Emdin demonstrates the importance of creating a family structure and building communities within the classroom, using culturally relevant strategies like hip-hop music and call-and-response, and connecting the experiences of urban youth to indigenous populations globally. Merging real stories with theory, research, and practice, Emdin demonstrates how by implementing the “Seven Cs” of reality pedagogy in their own classrooms, urban youth of color benefit from truly transformative education.

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