This study captures the experiences of language background other than English (LBOTE) preservice teachers using a case study approach to explore identity development. Wenger's (2000) "modes of belonging" form the theoretical framework to develop an understanding of the factors contributing to teacher identity. This article draws on…

Several years ago the authors, a professor from The Netherlands and another professor from the United States, met over coffee and discussions about teacher education at an international conference. With mutual interests in the role of teacher educators' development of their professional identity, the authors developed an intellectual relationship…

As teacher educators better understand the recurved, holistic, and often deeply embedded ways in which teachers learn, they can better support meaningful professional preparation that serves teachers' careers, the students they teach, and the profession of teaching as a whole. This article uses the ecologically minded "teacher identity"…

Presents the story of how Charlotte Bronte and her sister, Emily, experienced their own education and how Charlotte pursued education as a career because of duty, need, and fate. The article suggests that Charlotte was a woman of extraordinary genius and noble virtue, though she was actually a reluctant teacher. (SM)

Introduces a collection of papers that discuss using personal histories to better understand teacher preparation and development. The article explains what personal histories are, why it is important to write about and research them, and how to understand the power of personal histories in the work and lives of teachers. (SM)

Study of teachers' professional knowledge and development examined seven new instructors at a Canadian community college. The paper discusses a range of levels at which teachers' professional knowledge can be discerned, emphasizing the importance of listening to teachers' voices without limiting that listening to personal, practical, or…

A two-year study of teachers' attitudes about professional voice involved discussions among groups of colleagues about professional issues, addressing three areas of concern about dialogue: teacher interest, administrative support from the teacher's perspective, and constraints. The paper examines the importance of personal narratives to encourage…

Juxtaposes different contexts in a teacher educator's life as kindergarten teacher, doctoral student, and beginning teacher educator, illuminating how these elements shaped her understandings of learning to teach within different contexts and noting how this story can help educators integrate narrative and paradigmatic ways of understanding…

Discusses how teachers' and students' personal stories are central to teacher education and to the improvement of schools. The article illustrates how the telling and writing, retelling and rewriting of teachers' and students' stories leads to awakenings and transformations resulting in changes in teaching practices. (SM)

Examines the central place of pedagogy in teacher educators' lives, discussing resulting contradictions and coherence as they struggle with current institutional contexts. A life- history narrative of a tenure track teacher educator emphasizes the importance of pedagogy. Implications for teacher educators, institutional contexts, and the…

Discusses how writing and analysis of life histories, identification and analysis of personal teaching metaphors, and action research can be powerful means for encouraging professional development in teachers. Recommends that teacher educators engage in self-study and life-history analysis to encourage students to do the same. (SM)

Examines educational experiences of a student teacher who joined a study of how preservice teachers with little classroom experience make sense out of university coursework. The paper presents the student's personal history, her conclusions about what constitutes good teaching prior to enrolling, and resulting conflicts between research-based and…

Drawing on one educator's experiences as a beginning professor, the article discusses the prospects of teacher education reform and beginning teachers as change agents, commenting on values conflicts within schools of education and between them and broader university communities, politics of epistemology, and reward structures in schools of…