A Must Read For Would-Be Teachers

Everyone has an opinion on how schools and schooling should be organised. This book provides with important insights into how teachers and school should be—particularly reflective teaching. In exploring the question how teachers improve their practice, the book suggests that would-be teachers have to exercise originality of thinking and critical judgment, use educational research strategies, draw on educational theories and develop professional values and practice to support professional learning and development. In fact, the book, which contains seven chapters, has been written for beginning teachers, who are preparing to teach in secondary schools. It covers a range of core professional studies, which all graduate teachers need to address, whatever their subject or curriculum specialism.

                The book highlights critical introduction to theories of reflective practice in teaching and learning; detailed explorations of professional issues such as learning theories, classroom management, assessment, and whole-school issues including personal and social curriculum. In addition to such novel aspects, there are the important and traditional priorities for beginning teachers, such as knowing how to teach. The first chapter aims to develop your understanding of reflection as a critical activity, provides opportunities for focussing on core competences such as communication skills, and examines the relationship between reflective practice and professional learning. The next chapter introduces you to theories of learning and explores the implications of these for your preparation for teaching and learning. Further, the book considers the way learning and inclusive environments can be structured in secondary schools. It also explores how educational policy has shaped teaching, curriculum content and the qualifications framework, as well as some of the impacts of e-learning.

Covering the many aspects of managing learning within classrooms (and other learning places) both in and out of school, the book provides you with the chance to reflect upon the dynamics of classroom life and the ways in which you can influence learning through systematic planning and evaluation of your practice. It focusses on key issues concerning monitoring, assessment, recording, reporting and accountability. The book also provides some of the theoretical background to assessment, the terminology the beginning teachers will need to use and provides ways for, them to reflect on their early experiences of assessing their students.

                The focus widens, in one chapter, to consider the impacts on the education system. It provides a chance for would-be teachers to reflect on their own professional values and perspectives, for example on the many aspects of social exclusion and inclusion, and to consider the role they will wish to play as their teaching career develops. Each chapter provides an academic approach to these same studies that teachers need to address in order to reach master’s level. Each author has been able to bring to the separate chapters of this book some particular perspectives from their subject area. This should help the readers, also, to make the bridges or connections necessary for integrating their knowledge and understanding of both professional and subject studies. To sum up, the book provides reflective approaches embedded within it, which will find a place in the various routes for initial training, in induction and the early professional development of new teachers. It is, therefore, an essential reading for all B.Ed. students and is particularly relevant for academic work at masters level.

SAGE Publications, B1/I-1 Mohan Cooperative Industrial Area, Mathura Road, New Delhi-110044

By Ashok Kumar