What sources of inspiration help sustain teachers' commitments, motivations, and care for their work? How do teachers use their ideals to inform their practice and their learning? The author proposes that many teachers have images of ideal classroom practice which she calls "teachers- vision". In this book, Karen Hammerness uses vision to shed light on the complex relationship between teachers' ideals and the realities of school life. Through the compelling stories of four teachers, she reveals how eacher educators can help new teachers articulate, develop, and sustain their visions and assist them as they navigate the gap between their visions and their daily work. She shows us how vision can illuminate those emotional and passionate moments in the classroom that enrich and enliven their work as teachers, explain what teachers learn about their students, their teaching, and their schools, and reveal why some teachers choose to stay in teaching and others leave the profession.

This is the first book to examine research on mathematics teacher noticing--how teachers pay attention to and make sense of what happens in the complexity of instructional situations

Mathematics Teacher Noticing is the first book to examine research on the particular type of noticing done by teachers---how teachers pay attention to and make sense of what happens in the complexity of instructional situations. In the midst of all that is happening in a classroom, where do mathematics teachers look, what do they see, and what sense do they make of it? This groundbreaking collection begins with an overview of the construct of noticing and the various historical, theoretical, and methodological perspectives on teacher noticing. It then focuses on studies of mathematics teacher noticing in the context of teaching and learning and concludes by suggesting links to other constructs integral to teaching. By collecting the work of leaders in the field in one volume, the editors present the current state of research and provide ideas for how future work could further the field.

Recent worldwide education policy has reinvented teachers as agents of change and professional developers of the school curriculum. Academic literature has analyzed changes in how teacher professionalism is conceived in policy and in practice but Teacher Agency provides a fresh perspective on this issue, drawing upon an ecological theory of agency. Using this model for understanding agency, Mark Priestley, Gert Biesta and Sarah Robinson explore empirical findings from the 'Teacher Agency and Curriculum Change' project, funded by the UK-based Economic and Social Research Council (ESRC). Drawing together this research with the authors' international experiences and perspectives, Teacher Agency addresses theoretical and practical issues of international significance. The authors illustrate how teacher agency should be understood not only in terms of individual capacity of teachers, but also in respect of the cultures and structures of schooling.

Offers advice for closing the achievement gap of low-income African American students in urban schools -- Focuses on issues of assessment for K-12 students and teachers of color -- Explores the declining number of teachers of color in the United States and its relation to school failure among African American and Latino students -- Outlines a curriculum for teacher education programs to help them produce culturally aware and effective teachers -- Examines how colleges of education can reverse the cycle of failure for students of color by producing teachers who are culturally responsive -- Concludes with a summary of the work and recommendations of such scholars as James A. Banks and Sonia Nieto.

This book reflects on the continuing development of teacher noticing through an exploration of the latest research. The authors and editors seek to clarify the construct of teacher noticing and its related branches and respond to challenges brought forth in earlier research. The authors also investigate teacher noticing in multiple contexts and frameworks, including mathematics, science, international venues, and various age groups.

Positive psychology is the scientific study of how human beings prosper and thrive. This is the first book in SLA dedicated to theories in positive psychology and their implications for language teaching, learning and communication. Chapters examine the characteristics of individuals, contexts and relationships that facilitate learning: positive emotional states such as love, enjoyment and flow, and character traits such as empathy, hardiness and perseverance. The contributors present several innovative teaching ideas to bring out these characteristics among learners. The collection thus blends new teaching techniques with cutting-edge theory and empirical research undertaken using qualitative, quantitative and mixed-methods approaches. It will be of interest to SLA researchers, graduate students, trainee and experienced teachers who wish to learn more about language learning psychology, individual differences, learner characteristics and new classroom practices.