1st Edition

Case Studies of Teacher Development An In-Depth Look at How Thinking About Pedagogy Develops Over Time

By Barbara B. Levin Copyright 2003

    This book represents the results of a 15-year longitudinal study based on in-depth case studies of the development of four teachers' pedagogical thinking. These studies illustrate how teachers' thinking--about children's behavior, development, learning, and teaching--develops over time, based on their personal and professional life experiences. It is an especially significant book because understanding how pedagogical thought develops over time and how these ideas are put into action in classrooms can be used to improve teacher education, teacher induction, and teacher retention programs.

    Case Studies of Teacher Development: An In-Depth Look At How Thinking About Pedagogy Develops Over Time:
    *provides insight into reasons why some teachers remain and others leave the teaching profession;
    *combines narrative with scholarship;
    *highlights the voices of four educators through extensive quotes from their interviewers, includes vignettes of their classroom teaching, and incorporates their own writing;
    *contributes to the field of teacher education and teacher development because of the long duration of the four case studies (1985-2000) and the accompanying scholarly analysis of internal and external influences on their lives as teachers; and
    *addresses changes in the nature of qualitative research as it influenced this longitudinal study over time.

    At a time when teacher induction and teacher retention are critically important, this book will help teacher educators, school and district leaders, and policymakers understand better how to retain novice and experienced teachers by supporting their professional growth and development.

    Contents: Preface. Part I: Contexts. Situating This Study in Theory and Research on Teacher Development. Research Methodology. Part II: Longitudinal Case Studies. The Story of Julie Devine. The Story of Sandy Brumbaum. The Story of Ralph Elder. The Story of Rick Kleine. Part III: Analysis. Answering the "So What?" Question: What Do These Case Studies Tell Us? Appendices.

    Biography

    Barbara B. Levin

    "Levin provides an in-depth look at the lives of four teachers in this well-written and researched publication....A wealth of information includes the developmental sequence of the teacher education program at the University of California at Berkeley and influential professional development books that can be obtained by the student, researcher, and professional development staff....Highly recommended."
    CHOICE

    "This is a provocative and very fine book, well deserving of making its mark in the repertoire of educational literature. What makes it significant is its conceptual framework, its theoretical grounding, the quality of it scholarship, its clarity in illuminating the teachers' voices as they explain and reflect on their way of conceptualizing and practicing their craft, and its clarity of writing."
    Selma Wassermann
    Simon Fraser University

    "Levin's book is a success. Unlike most qualitative research, Levin's workd goes the distance, spanning what is typically half of the career life of most teachers, tracking her protegees and documenting their changes. Those who journey through this fine work will find that is poses many questions and challenges for teacher educators, raises a variety of others, suggests highly relevant avenues to enhance discourse in the field while leaving some stones unturned."

    "This is a great idea and a valuable project. Case studies of teachers' pedagogical transformation over a 15-year period are truly remarkable. Seeing these unfold before our eyes is a treat....The writing is clean, crisp, clear....The work sets a new longitudinal/developmental standard in the field."
    Daniel P. Liston
    University of Colorado at Boulder