Professional Learning Through Transitions And Transformations

Through a narrative inquiry approach, this book examines the personal professional journeys of teacher educators who have undertaken self studies, and/or researched the professional development of teacher educators. The theme of the book is how change, through professional transitions and transformations and notably, through self study research, has shaped the professional identities and practices of these teacher educators. Each chapter is an exploration of how the author/s ‘became’ teacher educators in relation to personal and/or professional transitions, such as transitioning from teacher to teacher educator; moving between different institutional and geographic contexts; or from changes in philosophical, policy and/or pedagogical understandings over time. Each narrative draws on the author’s self study experience, and develops their knowledge further by presenting the wisdom they have gained over their career as teacher educators. The book concludes with a discussion of the connections between the diverse experiences of the authors, and what can be learned from their accumulated wisdom about what is means to become a teacher educator in a dynamic and ever-changing educational landscape.

The breakneck speed of change in today’s societies creates enormous challenges for educational institutions at all levels. This volume explores ways how to manage change in educational processes and contexts, focusing, in particular, on the concepts of transition and transformation. How do we educate a skilled workforce, sensitive professionals and responsive citizens who are able not only to cope with change but also to adopt required roles as agents of change? How do we prepare students and employees to cope adequately with changes and transitions in their careers and personal lives? The first of this book’s three sections deals with the conceptual and theoretical aspects of transition, transformational processes and human development. It defines these concepts and examines the ways in which educational theory and praxis understand concepts of change and development. The second section presents empirical studies that offer differing perspectives on educational transitions, covering the lifespan from early years education to lifelong learning. The third part of the volume focuses on issues of learning and pedagogy and argues that educational practices should change with the changing world. With numerous concrete examples included in the analysis, and with studies taking a range of forms from personal histories to large-scale surveys, this new book is a major addition to the literature in a field that has key implications for our future. The first of this book’s three sections deals with the conceptual and theoretical aspects of transition, transformational processes and human development. It defines these concepts and examines the ways in which educational theory and praxis understand concepts of change and development. The second section presents empirical studies that offer differing perspectives on educational transitions, covering the lifespan from early years education to lifelong learning. The third part of the volume focuses on issues of learning and pedagogy and argues that educational practices should change with the changing world. With numerous concrete examples included in the analysis, and with studies taking a range of forms from personal histories to large-scale surveys, this new book is a major addition to the literature in a field that has key implications for our future.

This book explores one of the enduring issues in educational research and one of the challenges for formal education. That is, understanding the relationship between learning in one context, setting or time and a subsequent related learning experience or activity. The chapters in the book examine the issue drawing on existing theory as starting points but using each author’s own research to push existing boundaries of what we know in terms of the ideas captured in the title of the book: transfer, transitions and transformations of learning. The chapters explore the issue through a range of approaches and settings including: possibilities for a concept-context approach to transfer, transfer between knowledge domains, transfer as an iterative process between contexts, transfer as boundary crossing between vocations, transfer as integration of theory and practice, transferring standards in assessment, representation in the transition from novice to expert, transformation of self through sustainability education, transforming identities of first year design and technology teachers and the role of implicit knowledge in understanding the relationship between declarative and procedural knowledge in the transition to expertise. This book should be of interest to teachers in schools and the adult education sector, research students, teacher educators, researchers and policy-makers who are involved in learning in, through or with technology.

The breakneck speed of change in today’s societies creates enormous challenges for educational institutions at all levels. This volume explores ways how to manage change in educational processes and contexts, focusing, in particular, on the concepts of transition and transformation. How do we educate a skilled workforce, sensitive professionals and responsive citizens who are able not only to cope with change but also to adopt required roles as agents of change? How do we prepare students and employees to cope adequately with changes and transitions in their careers and personal lives? The first of this book’s three sections deals with the conceptual and theoretical aspects of transition, transformational processes and human development. It defines these concepts and examines the ways in which educational theory and praxis understand concepts of change and development. The second section presents empirical studies that offer differing perspectives on educational transitions, covering the lifespan from early years education to lifelong learning. The third part of the volume focuses on issues of learning and pedagogy and argues that educational practices should change with the changing world. With numerous concrete examples included in the analysis, and with studies taking a range of forms from personal histories to large-scale surveys, this new book is a major addition to the literature in a field that has key implications for our future. The first of this book’s three sections deals with the conceptual and theoretical aspects of transition, transformational processes and human development. It defines these concepts and examines the ways in which educational theory and praxis understand concepts of change and development. The second section presents empirical studies that offer differing perspectives on educational transitions, covering the lifespan from early years education to lifelong learning. The third part of the volume focuses on issues of learning and pedagogy and argues that educational practices should change with the changing world. With numerous concrete examples included in the analysis, and with studies taking a range of forms from personal histories to large-scale surveys, this new book is a major addition to the literature in a field that has key implications for our future.

This book presents a collection of research-based narratives exploring the learning of pre-service teachers and teacher educators in a range of international professional experience (IPE) settings. The narratives, based on over 20 years of IPE managed by an Australian faculty of education, capture the lessons learnt from the IPE program from a variety of perspectives, including academic staff, pre-service teachers and in-country partners. Four key themes emerge from the narratives: identity, learning through discomfort, collaboration and relationships. At a time when critics of teacher education are arguing for more predictable, standardised programs and practices, this book advocates for richly diverse, innovative programs that better prepare the next generation of educators for teaching in a multicultural, uncertain future.

It is clear that teacher educators have ongoing professional learning and development needs. Chief among these are continuing to learn about content developments and pedagogical practices useful for teaching a range of PK-12 students in varying contexts; developing reflective competencies and sets of practices useful for teaching teacher candidates about teaching; effectively balancing teaching commitments with institutional expectations for scholarship and service; and forging useful understandings of identity across the spectrum of teacher educator responsibility and development over time, including taking on managerial or administrative roles. Working in institutions largely devoid of formal support mechanisms, teacher educators are often left on their own to meet these needs and subsequently must create or seek out opportunities for their ongoing growth. This volume explores in greater depth how exactly teacher educators engage in professional learning and development across their career trajectories. University-based teacher educator learning occurs in a range of settings and across the career span. Contributors to this volume describe university-based teacher educator learning spaces focused on their ongoing professional learning. Such spaces include teacher educator communities of practice, critical friendships, self-study learning groups, faculty learning groups, co-mentoring, and institutionally sponsored professional learning spaces.

This book presents a duoethnographic exploration and narrative account of what it means to be a teacher educator today. Adopting a narrative approach, the book presents different personal, political and institutional perspectives to interrogate common challenges facing teacher education and teacher educators today. In addition, the book compares and contrasts the teacher education landscapes in Australia and the UK and addresses a broad range of topics, including the autobiographical nature of teacher educators’ work, the value of learning from experience, the importance of collegiality and collaboration in learning to become a teacher educator, and the intersection of the personal, professional and political in the development of teacher educator pedagogies and research agendas. Each chapter combines personal narratives and research-based perspectives on the key dimensions of teacher educators’ work that can be found in the literature, including self-study research. Readers will gain a better understanding of the processes, influences and relationships that make being a teacher educator both a challenging and rewarding career. Accordingly, the book offers a valuable asset for university leaders, experienced and beginning teacher educators, and researchers interested in the professional learning and development of teacher educators.

The ISATT 40th Anniversary Yearbook, presented over three volumes, celebrates the contributions of ISATT members over time and offers current scholarly research to inform current and future teacher education and teaching.