Only recently have researchers and practitioners become interested in teacher educator development and identity formation. The author explores the place of 'distant teachers' -- giants of the past whose lives and works prove powerful in self-formation. John Dewey and Boyd H. Bode are offered as examples of distant teachers; the development of the…

This paper explores the authors' experiences as an early career teacher educator and English-language instructor in an English-medium university in Turkey. The theoretical framework shaping their collaboration draws upon a narrative view of teacher knowledge as an embodiment of teachers' experiences in schools in close relationship with their…

In this article, the early professional development of mature, early career teachers who entered the profession via an employment-based route to teaching in England is presented and explored from the teachers' own perspectives. From a larger sample in a longitudinal study, the development of four career changers is traced in detail, using a model…

For teachers, the early years in the profession are critical for developing the knowledge and skills of an expert teacher. The "Teachers of Promise" study examines the experiences of 57 registered teachers who began their employment in New Zealand primary and secondary schools in 2003. The purpose of this article is to examine the extent…

The study reported in this article explores the views of primary school teachers in Cyprus in relation to teacher leadership. In particular, the study investigates the perceptions of teachers as to their potential to exhibit leadership functions as formal and/or informal teacher leaders. It is a small-scale study of five cases located in one urban…

Practitioners are often faced with the national legislation's influence at the school-based curricular level. In the United States, the federal government No Child Left Behind Act of 2001 mandates reading instruction at the early primary grade levels. The position of "literacy coach" was created to support this curriculum change by…

This paper asks who should be responsible for the design and delivery of improved continuing professional development (CPD). It also questions what roles teacher educators, subject specialists and experienced classroom practitioners should take in developing a research-led programme for practising teachers. The paper further reviews current…

Using a Vygotskian sociocultural view of learning, this article explores what teacher-authored narratives can tell us about the internal activity of teacher learning, how teacher learning works to alter the nature of activity in the classroom, and how that, in turn, influences how teachers describe the nature of student learning. By examining how…

Professional learning communities among teachers and schools have been envisioned as a mechanism for development, knowledge building and implementation. However the formation of an effective learning community is more complex than giving teachers a project and asking them to share a room. This paper reports a synergistic interaction between a…

A constant dilemma for teacher education in Australia and overseas is the difficulty of finding sufficient numbers of placements for preservice teachers to complete the professional experience/student teaching component of their course. Statements related to quantity of placements gain both public and professional attention while less attention is…

In terms of education, e-mail has cemented its importance, as well as its status, as the overarching Internet tool. Specifically in the research of teacher education and teacher development, e-mails have been found to be empowering teachers' collaborative and networking practices. Such use of e-mails stimulates and refreshes teachers' professional…

As school systems internationally seek to improve the models of professional development they are providing for their teachers to support them in integrating information and communication technology (ICT) in their teaching practice, growing opportunities emerge to compare and contrast approaches employed in different cultural contexts and to learn…

Changing educational priorities are reflected both in the literature and the models that seek to describe initial teachers' professional formation and learning. However, do new teachers' experiences conform to these models? A sampling of Hong Kong secondary school teachers over their first year as full-time teachers provides data from…

Over the past 20 years, the Professional Development School (PDS) model has been proven to be a successful way to induct teacher candidates into the teaching profession. Induction has been recognized as a way to counteract attrition from a profession that loses as many as 50% of its teachers within five years of entry. Using the PDS model of…

This article will draw on an investigation of teachers' research in a small-scale project involving 19 schools in the North West region of England. The teachers engaged in the research were funded by a government initiative, the Best Practice Research Scholarships Programme, and were mentored and tutored by university staff. The sample is very…