Narratives from the Classroom
An Introduction to Teaching
- Paul Chamness Miller - Purdue University, USA
This book examines teaching, primarily from the practicing teacher's point of view, and is written
by a diverse group of teachers, male and female, from various ethnic groups.
Each chapter concludes with a bulleted summary of important points to remember, discussion questions and sources for further reading.
"The stories kept me wanting more and the lessons are valuable information for pre-service teachers. Bravo!"
"Narratives from the Classroom will be useful in its ability to stimulate students to get in touch with their past experiences in education in a critical way. The questions offer a natural beginning for sharing experiences. In this way, beliefs and values can be recognized, scrutinized, and defended."
"These narratives provide expansive opportunities for reflection and encourage each student to come to their own understanding about what it means to be a teacher."
"This is an excellent resource.The stories are powerful, cogent, and on-target. I appreciate the effort that went into this sharp and moving work...As a teacher educator who believes deeply in the power of personal life stories to reveal hidden truths (and some not so hidden) about values and beliefs, this work could not be more timely. I will recommend it to students and colleagues and share it with my teaching circles.Thanks again for such a good book."
"This book does exactly what the title proclaims – it provides a collection of narratives from experienced teachers, each telling the story of their classroom experience."
"This thought-provoking and very readable text provides a quick look into the classrooms and experiences of 15 educators representing a variety of philosophical, geographic, and grade-level perspectives. Each engages the reader in a unique and compelling way. An orientation to the concept of “narrative” is smartly provided in chapter 1. The book quite effectively explores, in first-person writing, the four P’s of teaching: purpose, policies, programs, and practices. This is carefully executed from a personal and real-world perspective. It should be noted that this text is written for future teachers; it is this reviewer’s sense, however, that the narrative format, along with the rich multidisciplinary points of view, would be well received by experienced educators as well. Each chapter concludes with questions for reflection, further developing the notion that good teaching is preceded by personal reflection and conversation with colleagues to uncover meaning. Indeed, developing fully as a teacher is a lifelong journey; this text can serve as an imaginative yet realistic companion along the way. Summing up: Highly recommended. Lower-division undergraduates through practitioners."
"This thought-provoking and very readable text provides a quick look into the classrooms and experiences of 15 educators representing a variety of philosophical, geographic, and grade-level perspectives. Each engages the reader in a unique and compelling way. An orientation to the concept of "narrative" is smartly provided in chapter 1. The book quite effectively explores, in first-person writing, the four P's of teaching: purpose, policies, programs, and practice. This is carefully executed from a personal and real-world perspective. It should be noted that this text is written for future teachers; it is this reviewer's sense, however, that the narrative format, along with the right multidisciplinary points of view, would be well received by experienced educators as well. Each chapter concluded with questions for reflection, further developing the notion that good teaching is preceded by personal reflection and conversation with colleagues to uncover meaning. Indeed, developing fully as a teacher is a lifelong journey; this text can serve as an imaginative yet realistic companion along the way"
