Teacher Personal Theorizing

Connecting Curriculum Practice, Theory, and Research

Edited by E. Wayne Ross, Jeffrey Cornett, and Gail McCutcheon

Subjects: Educational Research
Series: SUNY series, Teacher Preparation and Development
Paperback : 9780791411261, 324 pages, September 1992
Hardcover : 9780791411254, 324 pages, September 1992

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Table of contents

Preface

PART I: Teacher Personal Theorizing and Curriculum Inquiry

1. Teacher Personal Theorizing and Research on Curriculum and Teaching
E. Wayne Ross, Jeffrey W. Cornett, and Gail McCutcheon

2. Philosophy, Meaning Constructs and Teacher Theorizing
Lynda Stone

3. Teachers' Stories: Autobiography and Inquiry
William Ayers

PART II: Research on Teacher Personal Theorizing

4. Learning How to Teach Language Arts: A Cultural Model
Audrey M. Kleinsasser

5. Personal Theorizing of an Intern Teacher
Sharon L. Pape

6. How Do Elementary Teachers Decide What to Teach in Social Studies
Stephen J. Thornton

7. Bricolage: Teachers Do It Daily
Walter C. Parker and Janet E. McDaniel

8. An Interpretation of High School Science Teaching Based on Metaphors and Beliefs for Specific Roles
Kenneth Tobin and Sarah Ulerick LaMaster

9. Insights from the Analysis of Our Own Theorizing: The Viewpoints of Seven Teachers
Jeffrey W. Cornett, K. Sue Chase, Patricia Miller, Debbie Schrock, Betty J. Bennett, Alan Goins, and Christopher Hammond

PART III: Implications of Research on Teacher Personal Theorizing for Educational Practice

10. The Cognitive Requisites for Improving the Performance of Elementary Mathematics and Science Teaching
Kenneth Tobin and Elizabeth Jakubowski

11. Teacher Personal Theorizing and Reflective Practice in Teacher Education
E. Wayne Ross

12. Facilitating Teacher Personal Theorizing
Gail McCutcheon

13. Reflective Teaching and the Problem of School Organization
Thomas M. Skrtic and Linda P. Ware

14. Reflections on Practice: Implications for Administrator Preparation
John C. Daresh

PART IV: Reflections on Teacher Personal Theorizing

15. The Personal and the Social in Education
Landon E. Beyer

16. Personal Theorizing About Teacher Personal Theorizing
William H. Schubert

Documentation

Contributors

Name Index

Subject Index

Description

This book examines the relationship between teacher theorizing and teacher action as illustrated by the curricular and instructional practices of teachers. The authors show that all teaching is guided by theory developed by the teachers. Teachers could not begin to practice without some knowledge of the context of their practice and without ideas about what can and should be done in those circumstances. In this sense, teachers are guided by personal, practical theories that structure their activities and guide them in making decisions.

This literature is very significant in explaining and interpreting many phenomena of schooling such as why teachers alter curriculum documents and other policies, how inservice education can be improved, how supervisors can help teachers to improve their practices, and how administrators can become leaders to improve education. This perspective has broad and specific implications for every facet of education. Those interested in teacher education and development, in supervision, in curriculum, and in administration will find it especially relevant.

E. Wayne Ross is Associate Professor of Education at the State University of New York at Binghamton. Jeffrey W. Cornett is Assistant Professor of Education at the University of Central Florida, Orlando. Gail McCutcheon is Associate Professor of Education at The Ohio State University.

Reviews

"It is our opinion that this book represents an important contribution that is well worth reading. We urge the readers of Teaching and Teacher Education to take the time to find this text and read through the chapters themselves. We expect that you will find them to be interesting, provocative, and well worth the effort it takes to search for the book. " — Teaching and Teacher Education