This book explores the concept of the "best-loved self" in teaching and teacher education, asserting that the best-loved self is foundational to the development of teacher identity, growth in context, and learning in community. Drawing on the work of Joseph Schwab, who was the first to name the "best-loved self," the editors…

This chapter examines the life, learning, and research experiences of an American scholar who immigrated to the United States from China where she received her primary and secondary school education, and taught ESL at the prestigious Chinese university from which she graduated. The scholar reflects on her stories in China and in the United States…

The authors reflect on their experiences of co-teaching mathematics courses for teachers and how their ability to be successful connects to a critical friendship that developed over time. They also discuss how critical friendship and co-teaching supports their development as teacher educators. [For the complete volume, "Cross-Disciplinary,…

This chapter describes three members of a college of education, all working in different roles to prepare teachers. In response to various external and internal pressures to improve and demonstrate program quality (such as accreditation and a Gates-funded reform agenda), the three chose to collaborate on the idea of a "culture of…

This book traces the origins and activities of the longest-standing collaborative teacher group in education, the Portfolio Group. Each chapter documents, historically and conceptually, the main intellectual moments in the evolution of the idea of knowledge communities. Authors illuminate the expansive work, research, and the leading/learning…

This chapter outlines a generalisable framework of critical success factors (CSFs) for inclusive education. An initial model of inclusive education and its implementation at multiple levels of the education system is proposed at the beginning of the research process, based on previous studies and a qualitative analysis of inclusive education…

This book discusses teacher evaluation and how it can provide the foundations for professional development. The editors and contributors illustrate how teachers with varying levels of expertise, experience and learning needs can benefit from differentiated evaluation and professional development designed to help them reach their full potential.…