Narratives from the Classroom: An Introduction to Teaching

Narrative from the Classroom introduces the reader to many important classroom issues surrounding the field of teaching. It is a collection of personal accounts and ideas written by the teachers and teacher educators. There is also a section that addresses preparation for the job market and what the first year of teaching is like. This book deliberately avoids being prescriptive and encourages the reader to form his or her own conclusions about the presented issues.

Table of Contents:
Foreword - Bill Ayers Introduction - Paul Chamness Miller Narrative in Teacher Education - JoAnn Phillion Purposes The Role of a Teacher: My Thoughts After 12 Years in the Field - Kin Chee Moral Education in American Schools - Christopher Blake & Connie Monroe Policies The Inner Workings of the School - Jill Underly Power, Identity and the Third Rail - Wayne Au Programs Hong Kong′s Shifting Classroom Narrative - Betty Eng Reflections on Compassionate and Transformative Education - Chris Carger Practices Positive Relationships for Effective Teaching - Teresa Rishel and Paul Chamness Miller Amplifying Student Performance by Teaching and Modeling Responsibility - Crystal Reimer Maneuvering the Emotional and Social Demands of the Classroom - Teresa Rishel Assessment for Learning: Its Effect on the Classroom and Curriculum - Magdalena Mo Ching Mok A Seasoned Teacher′s Experience with Technology - Pamela Miller Starting Your Career An Employment Guide for Pre-Service Teachers - Joseph McSparran Tales from My First Year of Teaching - Erin Mikulec Contributors′ Bios

About the Author :
Paul Chamness Miller is Assistant Professor of Foreign Language Education in the Division of Teacher Education at the University of Cincinnati.  He received in doctorate in Foreign Language Education at Purdue University in 2003.  Prior to pursuing his doctorate, he taught French in both rural and urban schools.  He has taught French at the college level, as well as Foreign Language and TESOL methods courses at the undergraduate and graduate level.  He has also taught courses in teacher education on exploring teaching as a career and educational technology, in addition to supervising field experiences and student teaching.  He has published articles in Phi Delta Kappan, Multicultural Perspectives, and the Electronic Magazine of Multicultural Education.  He has also published book reviews in TESL-EJ and Education Review.  He serves as a member of the board of reviewers for CALICO Journal and TESL-EJ, and is also an Executive Peer Reviewer of Educational Technology & Society.

Review :
"The stories kept me wanting more and the lessons are valuable information for pre-service teachers. Bravo!" "Narratives from the Classroom will be useful in its ability to stimulate students to get in touch with their past experiences in education in a critical way. The questions offer a natural beginning for sharing experiences. In this way, beliefs and values can be recognized, scrutinized, and defended." "These narratives provide expansive opportunities for reflection and encourage each student to come to their own understanding about what it means to be a teacher." "This is an excellent resource.The stories are powerful, cogent, and on-target. I appreciate the effort that went into this sharp and moving work...As a teacher educator who believes deeply in the power of personal life stories to reveal hidden truths (and some not so hidden) about values and beliefs, this work could not be more timely. I will recommend it to students and colleagues and share it with my teaching circles.Thanks again for such a good book."   "This book does exactly what the title proclaims – it provides a collection of narratives from experienced teachers, each telling the story of their classroom experience." "This thought-provoking and very readable text provides a quick look into the classrooms and experiences of 15 educators representing a variety of philosophical, geographic, and grade-level perspectives. Each engages the reader in a unique and compelling way. An orientation to the concept of “narrative” is smartly provided in chapter 1. The book quite effectively explores, in first-person writing, the four P’s of teaching: purpose, policies, programs, and practices. This is carefully executed from a personal and real-world perspective. It should be noted that this text is written for future teachers; it is this reviewer’s sense, however, that the narrative format, along with the rich multidisciplinary points of view, would be well received by experienced educators as well. Each chapter concludes with questions for reflection, further developing the notion that good teaching is preceded by personal reflection and conversation with colleagues to uncover meaning. Indeed, developing fully as a teacher is a lifelong journey; this text can serve as an imaginative yet realistic companion along the way. Summing up: Highly recommended. Lower-division undergraduates through practitioners." "This thought-provoking and very readable text provides a quick look into the classrooms and experiences of 15 educators representing a variety of philosophical, geographic, and grade-level perspectives. Each engages the reader in a unique and compelling way. An orientation to the concept of "narrative" is smartly provided in chapter 1. The book quite effectively explores, in first-person writing, the four P′s of teaching: purpose, policies, programs, and practice. This is carefully executed from a personal and real-world perspective. It should be noted that this text is written for future teachers; it is this reviewer′s sense, however, that the narrative format, along with the right multidisciplinary points of view, would be well received by experienced educators as well. Each chapter concluded with questions for reflection, further developing the notion that good teaching is preceded by personal reflection and conversation with colleagues to uncover meaning. Indeed, developing fully as a teacher is a lifelong journey; this text can serve as an imaginative yet realistic companion along the way"