Teaching Selves: Identity, Pedagogy, and Teacher Education

Through the experiences of six students who wish to become high school teachers, this book explores the process of what it means to be a teacher and proposes ten principles for identity development.

2001 CHOICE Outstanding Academic Title

This is a book about how identities arise, in particular, about how individuals "become" teachers, and how pedagogy in teacher education programs can promote identity development. Teaching Selves argues that being a teacher is not a matter of simply adopting a role but rather involves the construction of an identity as a teacher. Focusing on identity, the book tells the stories of six undergraduate students enrolled in a secondary teacher education program at a large state university. Through a qualitative study made up of interviews, observations, and teaching experiences with the subjects over a three-year period, the author explains the process of becoming a teacher, concentrating on the influences of education courses and other features of the teacher education program. Filled with students' stories and personal reflections from the author, Teaching Selves offers a personal vision of what is possible in a very public endeavor-the education of new teachers.