Language Teachers' Stories from their Professional Knowledge Landscapes

Language Teachers' Stories from their Professional Knowledge Landscapes PDF Author: Lesley Harbon
Publisher: Cambridge Scholars Publishing
ISBN: 1443873861
Category : Education
Languages : en
Pages : 199

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Book Description
Language Teachers’ Professional Knowledge Landscapes is a collection of fourteen narratives from teachers of different languages, at different school levels, in different contexts across Australia. This volume brings together not simply language teacher stories, but also more political stories of the problems associated with school programs and contexts. Highlighted through these stories are some of the major political issues in schools that impact language teachers’ work, and their students’ success in sustained language study. The book is conceptually framed by the work of Clandinin and Connelly (1996) and their notion of ‘levels’ of stories told by teachers about their classrooms: the secret, the sacred and the cover stories. The term ‘professional knowledge landscape’ is used to indicate how teachers can critically situate their work, and thereby understand it better. The collection includes the stories of two outstanding primary language educators, and a story of mixed success in a rural program in teaching the local Aboriginal language (Ngarrabul). There are stories of frustration with policy failures, particularly in supporting the learning of Asian languages. Many of the teacher narrators ask the confronting question: ‘What blocks language learning in Australia?’ They offer the strategies which they have developed, that they see making a difference. Other narratives offer autoethnographic tracking of careers, for example, as a teacher of Latin and Classics, Japanese, French, Spanish, Russian, and of teachers’ ongoing vigour and creativity in advocacy. A number of teachers examine their own identity story for the intercultural learning, which they then offer and extend in student learning. Consistently expressed, there is the need for teachers to take up individual responsibility, while still being strongly supported by their professional community: ‘It is us’ who make the difference, one teacher concludes. Supported by a strong Foreword by Canadian scholar F. Michael Connelly, this ground-breaking collection of narratives represents a form of social research in providing critical illustrations of the issues needing attention for national language education enhancement. It is the only extended inquiry into language teaching in the context of an active policy initiative environment, and the first volume to address the language education landscape through the voices of active language teachers.

Language Teachers' Stories from their Professional Knowledge Landscapes

Language Teachers' Stories from their Professional Knowledge Landscapes PDF Author: Lesley Harbon
Publisher: Cambridge Scholars Publishing
ISBN: 1443873861
Category : Education
Languages : en
Pages : 199

Get Book Here

Book Description
Language Teachers’ Professional Knowledge Landscapes is a collection of fourteen narratives from teachers of different languages, at different school levels, in different contexts across Australia. This volume brings together not simply language teacher stories, but also more political stories of the problems associated with school programs and contexts. Highlighted through these stories are some of the major political issues in schools that impact language teachers’ work, and their students’ success in sustained language study. The book is conceptually framed by the work of Clandinin and Connelly (1996) and their notion of ‘levels’ of stories told by teachers about their classrooms: the secret, the sacred and the cover stories. The term ‘professional knowledge landscape’ is used to indicate how teachers can critically situate their work, and thereby understand it better. The collection includes the stories of two outstanding primary language educators, and a story of mixed success in a rural program in teaching the local Aboriginal language (Ngarrabul). There are stories of frustration with policy failures, particularly in supporting the learning of Asian languages. Many of the teacher narrators ask the confronting question: ‘What blocks language learning in Australia?’ They offer the strategies which they have developed, that they see making a difference. Other narratives offer autoethnographic tracking of careers, for example, as a teacher of Latin and Classics, Japanese, French, Spanish, Russian, and of teachers’ ongoing vigour and creativity in advocacy. A number of teachers examine their own identity story for the intercultural learning, which they then offer and extend in student learning. Consistently expressed, there is the need for teachers to take up individual responsibility, while still being strongly supported by their professional community: ‘It is us’ who make the difference, one teacher concludes. Supported by a strong Foreword by Canadian scholar F. Michael Connelly, this ground-breaking collection of narratives represents a form of social research in providing critical illustrations of the issues needing attention for national language education enhancement. It is the only extended inquiry into language teaching in the context of an active policy initiative environment, and the first volume to address the language education landscape through the voices of active language teachers.

Language Teachers' Stories from Their Professional Knowledge Landscapes

Language Teachers' Stories from Their Professional Knowledge Landscapes PDF Author: Lesley Harbon
Publisher:
ISBN: 9781443897396
Category : Language and languages
Languages : en
Pages : 183

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Book Description
"Language Teachers' Professional Knowledge Landscapes is a collection of fourteen narratives from teachers of different languages, at different school levels, in different contexts across Australia.This volume brings together not simply language teacher stories, but also more political stories of the problems associated with school programs and contexts. Highlighted through these stories are some of the major political issues in schools that impact language teachers' work, and their students' success in sustained language study. The book is conceptually framed by the work of Clandinin and Connelly (1996) and their notion of 'levels' of stories told by teachers about their classrooms: the secret, the sacred and the cover stories. The term 'professional knowledge landscape' is used to indicate how teachers can critically situate their work, and thereby understand it better.The collection includes the stories of two outstanding primary language educators, and a story of mixed success in a rural program in teaching the local Aboriginal language (Ngarrabul). There are stories of frustration with policy failures, particularly in supporting the learning of Asian languages. Many of the teacher narrators ask the confronting question: 'What blocks language learning in Australia?' They offer the strategies which they have developed, that they see making a difference. Other narratives offer autoethnographic tracking of careers, for example, as a teacher of Latin and Classics, Japanese, French, Spanish, Russian, and of teachers' ongoing vigour and creativity in advocacy. A number of teachers examine their own identity story for the intercultural learning, which they then offer and extend in student learning. Consistently expressed, there is the need for teachers to take up individual responsibility, while still being strongly supported by their professional community: 'It is us' who make the difference, one teacher concludes.Supported by a strong Foreword by Canadian scholar F. Michael Connelly, this ground-breaking collection of narratives represents a form of social research in providing critical illustrations of the issues needing attention for national language education enhancement. It is the only extended inquiry into language teaching in the context of an active policy initiative environment, and the first volume to address the language education landscape through the voices of active language teachers."

Teachers' Professional Knowledge Landscapes

Teachers' Professional Knowledge Landscapes PDF Author: D. Jean Clandinin
Publisher:
ISBN: 9780807734193
Category : Education
Languages : en
Pages : 179

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Book Description
In this groundbreaking work, the authors and their contributors offer a deep, probing look at the multilayered professional lives of teachers, where moral, historical, personal, epistemological worlds merge. Using the language of metaphor, the authors explore the realm of teachers' knowledge, and how it applies to their lives. Each part of the book focuses on a different aspect or "landscape." Personal stories contributed by real teachers, both beginning and experienced, are interwoven with stories of teacher development, growth, and even failure. This book is essential reading for all teachers, teacher educators, principals, superintendents, staff developers, and those who work in teacher research, professional development, and the philosophy of education.

Tertiary Language Teacher-Researchers Between Ethics and Politics

Tertiary Language Teacher-Researchers Between Ethics and Politics PDF Author: Chantal Crozet
Publisher: Routledge
ISBN: 0429000359
Category : Language Arts & Disciplines
Languages : en
Pages : 182

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Book Description
Bringing together a range of perspectives from tertiary language and culture teachers and researchers, this volume highlights the need for greater critical engagement with the question of language teacher identity, agency and responsibility in light of an ever changing global socio-political and cultural landscape. The book examines the ways in which various moral, ethical, and ideological dimensions increasingly inform language teaching practice for tertiary modern/foreign language teachers, both collectively as a profession but also at the individual level in everyday classroom situations. Employing a narrative inquiry research approach which combines brief autobiographical reflections with semi-structured interview data, the volume provides a comprehensive portrait of the processes ten teacher-researchers in Australia working across five different languages engage in as they seek to position themselves more purposefully within a critical, political and ethical framework of teaching practice. The book will serve as a springboard from which to promote greater understanding and discussion of the impact of globalisation and social justice corollaries within the field, as well as to mediate the gap between language teaching theory and practice, making this key reading for graduate students and researchers in intercultural communication, language teaching, and language teacher education.

Shaping the Future

Shaping the Future PDF Author:
Publisher: BRILL
ISBN: 9087903561
Category : Education
Languages : en
Pages : 267

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Book Description
World wide the production of teachers has become a sharp political issue during the early years of the twenty first century. Current systems for ensuring a supply of capable and knowledgeable teachers have come sustained under attack from politicians, economists, parents’ organisations and social critics alike. There is less agreement now about teacher education than in any time over the pass fifty years. Much of the debate in the public and political arenas has been driven by narrow and expedient consideration and too much of it demonstrates a poor grasp of the deep and complex issues which teacher education in a democracy must confront. At the same time there has been a serious educational debate which has focused on what a well trained teacher ought to be able to do, and what methods of training and education can produce competent teachers. The chapters of this book address these issues in a critical way asking what should the objectives of teacher education be. The authors demonstrate the international reach of the debate over teacher education and they ground their discussions within the national contexts of their own experience. All the authors share the view that teacher education involves much more than acquiring a set of skills and techniques. Important as these are the well trained teacher needs, for example, to have an understanding of the contexts of teaching, of the reasons why we teach, of the role of schools as institutions within political environments, as well as a coherent perspective on curriculum and the relevant bodies of theory which give overall point to what is being done. What teacher education entails will probably never be beyond contestation, at least not so long as it takes place within capitalist democracies. These democracies, with their tensions running between liberal ideals and economic imperative, push and pull teacher education in contradictory directions. At present educational ideals seems too quickly and too dogmatically to be traded for immediate fiscal policy. The authors of these chapters articulate the reasons why such short-term thinking will be detrimental to any approach to teacher education which commits itself to producing well rounded and comprehensively professional teachers.

Teacher Development for Content-Based Language Education

Teacher Development for Content-Based Language Education PDF Author: Susan Ballinger
Publisher: Channel View Publications
ISBN: 1800410611
Category : Language Arts & Disciplines
Languages : en
Pages : 322

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Book Description
This book fills a large gap in our understanding of how to prepare teachers for the challenging but increasingly popular task of integrating content and language instruction. It brings together findings on content-based teacher education from Africa, Asia, Australia, Europe and North America in order to inform researchers and teacher educators and enable them to play a critical role in the continued success of such programs. It offers a solid grounding in theories and applications of content-based approaches with empirical studies investigating teacher identity, materials design, use of cognitive discourse functions and best practices for teacher education. Responding to the growing popularity of content-based programs and the shortage of qualified teachers for these contexts, this book promotes teacher-researcher collaboration and provides support for trainee teachers, in-service teachers and course leaders.

Intercultural Competence in the Work of Teachers

Intercultural Competence in the Work of Teachers PDF Author: Fred Dervin
Publisher: Routledge
ISBN: 0429684452
Category : Education
Languages : en
Pages : 297

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Book Description
This book critiques models of intercultural competence, whilst suggesting examples of specific alternative approaches that will successfully foster intercultural competence in teacher education. Bringing together diverse perspectives from teacher educators and student teachers, this volume discusses the need to move beyond essentialism, culturalism and assumptions about an us versus them perspective and recognises that multiple identities of an individual are negotiated in interaction with others. Intercultural Competence in the Work of Teachers is divided into four sections: critiquing intercultural competence in teacher education; exploring critical intercultural competences in teacher education; reflexivity and intercultural competence in teacher education; and indigeneity and intercultural competence in teacher education, providing a methodological approach through which to explore this critical framework further. This book is ideal for teacher educators or academics of education specialising in global education who are looking to explore alternative perspectives towards intercultural competence and wish to gain an insight into the ways it can be utilised in a more effective and productive manner.

Composing Diverse Identities

Composing Diverse Identities PDF Author: D. Jean Clandinin
Publisher: Routledge
ISBN: 1134232586
Category : Education
Languages : en
Pages : 209

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Book Description
In a climate of increasing emphasis on testing, measurable outcomes, competition and efficiency, the real lives of children and their teachers are often neglected or are too messy and intricate to legislate and quantify. As such, curricula are designed without including the very people that compose the identities of schools. Here Clandinin takes issue with this tendency, bringing together a collection of narratives from seven writers who spent a year in an urban school, exploring the experiences and contributions of children, families, teachers and administrators. These stories show us an alternative way of attending to what counts in schools, shifting away from the school as a business model towards an idea of schools as places to engage citizenship and to attend to the wholeness of people’s lives. Articulating the complex ethical dilemmas and issues that face people and schools every day, this fascinating study puts school life under the microscope raises new questions about who and what education is for.

Methodologies of Mediation in Professional Learning

Methodologies of Mediation in Professional Learning PDF Author: Lily Orland-Barak
Publisher: Springer
ISBN: 3319499068
Category : Education
Languages : en
Pages : 177

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Book Description
This book critically explores the use of nine recognized methodologies for the mediation of professional learning in the context of teacher education: The story, the visual text, the case, the video, the simulation, the portfolio, lesson study, action research, and Information and Communication Technologies (ICT). Drawing on theories of mediation and professional learning, the book establishes connections between theoretical, empirical and practical-based aspects of each of these methodologies. It consolidates a body of knowledge that offers a holistic portrayal of these methodologies in terms of their purposes (what for), processes (how), and outcomes (what), both distinctively and inclusively. Each chapter offers four perspectives on each methodology (1) theoretical groundings of the genre (2) research-based evidence on methodologies-as-pedagogies for mediating teacher learning (3) mediation tasks for teacher education as reported in studies and (4) a synthesis of recurrent themes identified from selected books and articles, including a comprehensive list of publications organized by decades. The last chapter presents an integrative framework that conceptualizes connections and weak links across the different methodologies of mediation.

Interculturality in Schools

Interculturality in Schools PDF Author: Robyn Moloney
Publisher: Taylor & Francis
ISBN: 100060814X
Category : Education
Languages : en
Pages : 158

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Book Description
This book provides a comprehensive study of professional learning courses in intercultural settings, exploring how this impacts teachers and brings about change in classrooms, culture across schools as a whole, and children’s lives. The authors argue that teachers and schools must raise the stakes globally in an intercultural practice grounded in educational equity and anti-racism. Identifying the attributes that make a difference in teacher intercultural learning and change through analysis of both quantitative and qualitative data, the study throws up marked tensions and contradictions between the desire to explore both an abstract personal concept and achieve practical outcomes in schools. As case studies of two primary schools dig deep into teachers’ lives, the book proposes a model of personal teacher interculturality which is constructed from the inside out. The potential of neglected spaces in schools for intercultural identity is also highlighted by images of new practice. This book is a supportive resource for schools or educational institutions, in any global context, that are seeking a fresh approach to intercultural education and holistic change.