The purpose of this commentary is to explore the prospect of reaching out and collaborating for our future in literacy education. Conley argues that we have not always known how to collaborate well. We have not been good collaborators in some instances, and because we have not always been open and inviting, it has been difficult for others to…

This article uses auto ethnography as research as the author examines her own childhood abuse and how it has shaped her as an educator who has taught at the middle level, high school, and university. Through her experiences, she has determined that teachers' personal stories significantly affect their development as educators. Through their…

Following the trend of consequential accountability in US public education, New York City introduced a teacher evaluation program during the 2013-2014 school year that linked teachers' individual performance ratings with their students' exam scores. As this program systemically alters the nature of teacher--student relationships by transforming…

This article analyses four narratives told by four teachers teaching science subjects in four different public secondary schools in the district of Gampaha in Sri Lanka. Gampaha is the second most populous district in Sri Lanka, and is known for excellent results in General Certificate of Education (Advanced Level) exams which school leavers sit…

What constitutes a "good teacher" and "good teaching" has come under much scrutiny in an age of globalization, transnationalism, and increased demands for accountability. It is against this evolving landscape and the pathbreaking work of the Douglas Fir Group (DFG, 2016) that this special issue engages the following two broad…

Having completed a degree in theology and philosophy, Robert Jackson writes that he really did not know which career he wanted to pursue. He eventually opted to do a one-year postgraduate teacher training course, but was not sure that he wanted to be a teacher or that he would be effective in that role. The moment of truth was being sent into…

Although education has seen trends of progressive ideologies that promote student and teacher empowerment (Ayers, 2011; Lyons, Catallozzi, & Benson, 1998; Spring, 2008), the dominant educational discourse mirrors a business model of efficiency expressed by the social economist Lester Frank Ward (1872). Evidence of contemporary education…

This is an educator's story about the pursuit of excellence in teaching. The narrative of an ESL teacher is examined using the analysis tool, Burke's Pentad (Burke 1945). This qualitative examination considers contributing factors of teacher self-efficacy and agency connected with the development, implementation, and sustenance of exemplary…

As new communication technologies enter the classroom, teachers must attend to how digital platforms impact the interpersonal practices of teaching and learning. In this article, I study email exchanges with three of my students--Jorge, Adriana, and Jason--over the course of one year in an 11th-grade English class at River High School, a…

Drawing on previous research identifying how teachers' capacities to sustain their effectiveness in different phases of their professional lives are affected positively and/or negatively by their sense of identity, this paper illuminates three early-mid career teachers' self-study inquiries, centring on mask work. The creative development of…

This paper reports the initial findings of a study in the UK and the Republic of Ireland of teacher educators and teachers who are involved in promoting geography education in primary schooling. Following research by Buttimer, Chawla, McPartland, Palmer and others, it sought to investigate the connections between early formative life experiences…

In this book, Maryellen Weimer provides an essential resource for anyone who is engaged in efforts to improve teaching in higher education. This comprehensive book draws on a wide array of sources to help practitioners build on the foundation laid by existing scholarly work on teaching and learning. This book reviews previously published work on…

A faculty member discusses how his own gradual loss of vision had unexpected favorable results in his advising activities. Based on these personal experiences and additional research, practical suggestions for increasing professional effectiveness are offered to other academic advisors. (Author/MSE)

This preliminary study provides a snap shot of the novice teachers' perceptions of their self-efficacy and how it relates to their pedagogy at the beginning of their ongoing professional development training. Oral and written expressions about their pedagogy provide substantive insight to their thoughts and actions regarding teacher efficacy. The…

In this article, four urban high school students and their student leadership and social justice class advisor address the question, "What are high school students' perspectives on the 2001 No Child Left Behind Act's (NCLB) definition of a highly qualified teacher?" As the advisor to the course, Garcia challenged her students to examine…