Liberating The Learner: Lessons for Professional Development in Education

There is clear evidence that the quality of children's learning in school is very dependant on the style of the teacher's approach and the learning environment he or she creates. This, in turn, is a reflection of teachers own beliefs, anxieties and enthusiasms about learning, often gained through their own educational experiences. This edited volume provides a new framework for exploring teachers' views on a whole range of professional issues, for instance the nature of teaching and learning, the needs of students, and their own abilities as learners. Within this is presented a variety of case studies which illustrate how teachers' views impact upon students' learning. The book builds on the well established assumption that teachers are themselves also learners and that the learning processes involved in professional development are in many ways the same as those involved in a classroom context.It shows how the conclusions drawn from this study can be used in a practical way to assist teachers' professional development throughout their career. All teacher trainers and mentors who take seriously their role of helping children to be resourceful, resilient and reflective learners will find that this book helps them to achieve this aim.

Table of Contents:
I: Theoretical perspectives; 1: Integrated learning theory and the learning teacher; 2: When is experiential learning not experiential learning?; 3: Liberating the learner through assessment; 4: Implicit theories of learning; II: Cultural perspectives; 5: Teachers as adult learners; 6: Teacher trainer and student teacher: sources of divergence in perceptions of learning?; 7: Understanding the apprenticeship of observation in initial teacher education; 8: PGCE student visit to The Gambia; 9: Home thoughts from abroad; 10: Overseas scholarships; III: The facilitation of learning; 11: When the going gets tough; 12: Learning to become a headteacher; 13: Development through collaborative working; 14: Using dissonance; 15: Teacher mentors and student teachers; 16: The supervisory process in teacher education; 17: Put it together and what have you got?

About the Author :
Terry Atkinson, Guy Caxton, Marilyn Osborn, Mike Wallace

Review :
'It is extremely well structured, organised thematically, and provides an easy read. It will appeal to a broad readership, including those in teacher education, and continuing professional development; and also to those in other professional education roles in a wide variety of contexts and settings ... this book ... will form a useful addition to the collections of those with responsibility for providing INSET and ITE in both HEIs and School-based contexts ... In addition, post-graduate and doctoral students exploring andragogic frameworks for the supervision of students in a multiplicity of practice learning contexts will benefit from its inclusion in their personal and departmental libraries.' - Research in Post-Compulsory Education