Teaching For Success is a comprehensive guide for navigating the process of becoming an effective teacher in the wake of contemporary and systemic challenges. Focusing on the core concept of teacher identity in clear, invigorating prose, the book illuminates how teachers can arrange, adjust, and assemble their own personal and professional teaching influences in conjunction with educational research into a coherent, unique, and successful whole. Olsen’s attention to classroom practice, social justice issues, personal satisfaction, and teacher success stories offers a sharp and useful guide for teacher development. This revised second edition has been updated and includes a new chapter that guides both new and experienced teachers through emerging, thorny issues in educational policy and practice, including high-stakes testing, blended learning, the demands of networking, and the Common Core State Standards.
Table of Contents:
Foreword by Eric Howard Habegger
Acknowledgments
Chapter One: The Complexities of Teaching
Chapter Two: Knowledge, Learning, and Identity for Teachers
Chapter Three: Combining the Personal and the Professional in Teaching: An Example
Chapter Four: Leveraging Your Teacher Identity into a Successful Professional Self
Chapter Five: The Human Dimensions of Teaching and Identity
Chapter Six: The Political Dimensions of Teaching and Identity
Chapter Seven: Teacher Identity and the Contemporary Landscape of Teaching
Appendix: Your Teacher Identity Worksheet
About the Author
References
Index
About the Author :
Brad Olsen is Professor of Education at the University of California, Santa Cruz, USA. A former high school teacher and administrator, he is a recipient of the 2007 UCSC Excellence in Teaching Award. His previous books include Teaching What They Learn, Learning What They Live: How Teachers’ Personal Histories Shape Their Professional Development.
Review :
“A teacher’s life is one of continuous change and adaptation. In this insightful and accessible blend of narrative and theory, Olsen skillfully explores how teachers develop their identity and how they make critical inquiry a part of their daily life.”
—Stephen Brookfield, author of The Skillful Teacher
*Praise for The Teacher’s Toolkit*
“Books about teaching seldom combine theory, research, practice, and inspiration, but that is precisely what The Teacher’s Toolkit series does. Seasoned educators and researchers explore the profession of teaching through social justice and efficacy. University faculty, their students, and new teachers will cherish these books, while veteran teachers will develop new insights from them.”
—Sonia Nieto, University of Massachusetts, Amherst
“This series renders complex ideas not only intelligible, but also meaningful. The authors brilliantly weave together theory and research, vision, and vivid examples. Teacher-readers will find themselves respected as intellectuals, and empowered as leaders.”
—Christine Sleeter, California State University-Monterey Bay
“When we reflect on our careers, we undoubtedly ask whether the choices we made were the best for bringing about a new society. Here is a collection of theoretically cohesive books, all of them integrating research and heart felt understanding. The books carry the polyphonic voices of the individual volumes, and most importantly, they are in sync in purpose, in passion, and in thoughtfulness about how to make our world a better place for all children.”
—María E. Torres-Guzmán, Teachers College, Columbia University
“The concerns of twenty-first-century teachers are significant, varied, and urgent. Addressing them as part of professional socialization and further professional development has never been more important. The Teacher’s Toolkit does just that. Using powerful tools of inquiry, narrative, critical reflection, and analysis, these books help new and experienced teachers to achieve balance and perspective in their professional and personal lives.”
—Susan Florio-Ruane, Michigan State University
