Understanding Teacher Identity

Understanding Teacher Identity opens wide the door for authentic conversations about teacher preparation and clinical practice with teacher persona and professional identity serving as the central theme. Grounded in research, the authors provide thoughtful and timely information relevant in the development of future teachers as consideration is given to teacher candidates’ finding their voice, acknowledging their influence, and inspiring the next generation of young learners. It is a must-read book for anyone involved in the education of pre-service teachers and in their ongoing professional development.

-- Terri Hebert Ed.D, executive director of teacher preparation programs and associate professor of science education, School of Education, Indiana University South Bend

Patrick Jenlink has brought together a collection of research studies that exemplify how teacher identity is at once socially constructed, space-based, and inherently linked to pedagogy. With a focus on pre-service teachers and what teacher educators can do to help them develop full identities in various disciplines, this collection sheds light on the centrality of teacher identity development when becoming a teacher.

-- Janet Alsup, professor and department head, Department of Curriculum and Instruction, College of Education, Purdue University

The topic of teacher identity is relevant now more than ever, and Jenlink explores the intersecting social, emotional, and relational processes that mediate “who” and “how” a teacher becomes. Insightful, essential, and instructive, these chapters examine the construction of teacher identity through various perspectives including communities of practice, figured worlds, and agentic experiences. Moving from the experience of a pre-service to a professional teacher, we gain deeper understanding of the complexity and fluidity of the identity development of a teacher.

-- Cynthia C. Reyes, program coordinator, education for cultural and linguistic diversity, College of Education and Social Services, University of Vermont

Teacher identity is closely related to teacher efficacy, making this exploration of how teachers come to be as teachers vital to the progression of our understanding of “good” teaching and learning. This text explores the development of teacher identities from a variety of angles, including international contexts and pre-service contexts, as well as early and later career contexts. This kaleidoscopic presentation of writings on teacher identity allows the reader insight into the intersections of teacher identity development and the practice of teaching.

-- Delores D. Liston PhD, professor and EdD Curriculum Studies Program Director, Department of Curriculum, Foundations, and Reading, Georgia Southern University; and co-editor, International Journal for the Scholarship of Teaching and Lear