Some Important Books on the Lives of Teachers
The following list of books was compiled and annotated by Barbara Levin
and Jerry Brunetti (Chair and Past Chair of the SIG respectively). The
list consists mostly of books that have been published in the last ten years,
although older books that are considered seminal to lives-of-teachers scholarship
and that remain influential are also included (e.g., Michael Huberman’s,
The Lives of Teachers). The list should not be considered comprehensive—
SIG members can undoubtedly cite other texts that have equal or greater claim
to be on the list—but should rather be seen as a starting point.
The list has a decidedly teacher development emphasis, reflecting the interests
and biases of the compilers. In the future we hope to expand the list
by adding texts that deal with other areas of teacher research (e.g., the
depiction of teachers in fiction, film, and television) and by including
important articles, dissertations, etc. as well as books. If you have
any questions or suggestions, please e-mail me (Jerry Brunetti) at jbrunett@stmarys-ca.edu.
Bullough, Robert V., Jr. (1989). First-year
Teacher: A Case Study. New York: Teachers College Press.
Robert Bullough, Jr. conducted an in-depth, longitudinal case study of
one teacher’s development during her first year in the classroom, as well
as a follow-up book that looks at Kerrie’s life and career as a teacher across
eight years (see below: Bullough & Baughman, 1997). In the first
book, we read details of how Kerrie coped with the typical problems that
most first-year teachers face. In her case, Kerrie felt that she benefited
from being able to talk about her teaching on a regular basis with someone
interested in listening, and that such talking (and the anticipation of it)
influenced her thinking by encouraging her to reflect about herself and her
teaching.
Bullough, Robert V. and Baughman, Kerrie (1997). “First-year
Teacher" Eight Years Later: An Inquiry into Teacher Development.
New York: Teachers College Press.
This excellent follow-up study of Kerrie’s work has many of the features
of the earlier work (e.g., extensive classroom observation and discussions
about instructional decisions), but with the added bonus of a longitudinal
dimension and the involvement of Kerrie as a collaborator in the research.
The study homes in on a period when Kerrie, established as an effective classroom
teacher, changes schools, takes on extensive new responsibilities, and ultimately
decides to leave teaching. The story is fascinating; the insights into teacher
development are significant.
Day, Christopher (Ed.). Teachers and Teaching: Theory and Practice.
Vol. 8, Nos. 3/4. August-November 2002. “Special Issue: An appreciation
of the work of A. Michael Huberman.
Although not restricted solely to scholarship on teachers, this double
issue of Teachers and Teaching has much to recommend it to members of this
SIG. The issue includes articles by Ivor Goodson and Ulf Numan (“Teacher’s
Life World, Agency and Policy Contexts”), Ronald Havelock (“How Educational
Research Is Influenced by Teachers”), Ann Lieberman and Diane Wood (“Networks,
Community and Teacher Learning in the National Writing Project”), Judith
Warren Little and Lora Bartlett (“Career and Commitment in the Context of
Comprehensive School Reform”), Thomas R. Guskey (“Professional Development
and Teacher Change”), as well as articles by Andy Hargreaves, Michael Fullan,
Mary Kennedy and Christopher Day.
Day, Christopher; Fernandez, Alicia; Hauge, Trond E. and Moller, Jorunn
(Eds.).
(2000). The Life and Work of Teachers: International Perspectives
in Changing Times. London: Falmer Press.
This book contains contributions from a half dozen Western countries.
The chapters are current, cover a range of topics, and would appeal to lives-of-teachers
scholars. Parts I and II (“Teacher Professionalism and Conditions
of Change” and “The Lives and Works of Teachers”) are particularly relevant
for lives-of-teacher scholarship; the sections include articles by Ivor Goodson
(UK), Judyth Sachs (Australia), Kirse Klette (Norway), Christopher Day (UK),
and David Laboree (USA).
Goodson, Ivor F. and Hargreaves, Andy. (Eds.). (1996). Teachers’
Professional Lives. London: Falmer Press.
This book has 11 chapters that examine teacher professionalism from various
perspectives. A thoughtful introductory chapter by the two editors
discusses different forms of teacher professionalism that have emerged and
speculates on future developments in a postmodern world. The book includes
useful chapters by Gill Helsby and Gary McCulloch (“Teacher Professionalism
and Curriculum Control”), Andrew Gitlin and David Larabee (“Historical Notes
on Barriers to the Professionalization of American Teachers”), and Joan Talbert
and Milbrey McLaughlin (“Teacher Professionalism in Local School Contexts”)—an
interesting potpourri, in short, for scholars interested in teacher professionalism.
Goodson, Ivor F. and Sikes, Pat (2001). Life History Research
in Educational Settings: Learning from Lives. London: Open University
Press
This little book should prove extremely useful for LOT scholars interested
in doing life history research on teachers. After showing how life
history methodology evolved, Goodson and Sikes provide clear, personally
grounded, and thoughtful advice on how to do such research. The chapter
titles show the practical focus of the book: “Techniques for doing life history”;
“What have you got when you’ve got a life story? Epistemological considerations”;
“Studying teachers’ life histories and professional practice”; and an important
chapter on “Questions of ethics and power in life history research.”
This is a book that teacher researchers are likely to carry around with them
as they conduct their studies; I certainly do (JB). [Note: This
book is part of a series, “Doing qualitative research in educational setting”
that includes other titles that are promising for LOT scholars.]
Hargreaves, Andy. (2003). Teaching in the Knowledge Society: Education
in the Age of Insecurity New York: Teachers College Press,
2003.
Based on two, large-scale, multi-year studies of educational change in
secondary schools teachers in Ontario, Canada, and New York state, this
book offers a critical examination of the conflicting demands placed on
teachers in our “knowledge society.” The book offers an especially
telling story of how teachers are coping—or not—in schools increasingly
subjected to externally imposed standards and curricula.
Huberman, Michael, with Grouanauer, Marie-Madeleine and Marti, Jurg.
(1993). The Lives of Teachers. New York: Teachers College Press
This is the work that inspired the name for the Lives of Teachers SIG.
Michael Huberman’s large-scale study of middle- and high-school teachers
in Geneva, Switzerland, provided an important model for the way teacher
research can be conducted, particularly in its use of open-ended, in-depth
interviews (five to six hours apiece!) with 160 teachers. Based on
information he collected, Huberman proposed a theory concerning the career
life cycle of a professional teacher. Although limited to Geneva secondary
teachers, Huberman’s research has had a strong impact on subsequent teacher-development
research in many Western countries.
Levin, Barbara B. (2003). Case Studies of Teacher Development:
An In-Depth Look at How Thinking about Pedagogy Develops over Time.
New Jersey: Erlbaum.
This book represents a breakthrough in the study of teacher development:
a longitudinal study of the professional lives of four elementary teachers
over a 15-year period. Through classroom observations, interviews,
and written responses of the teachers, Barbara traces their professional
development with special attention, as the title suggests, to their thinking
about pedagogy. The book offers clear theoretical bases for the study—most
notably in the Ammon-Hutcheson model of teacher cognitive development—and
a rich description of where the study is situated vis-à-vis other
work on teacher development. Without a doubt Barbara’s book is a “must
read” for lives-of-teacher scholars.
Muchmore, James. (2004). A Teacher’s Life: Stories of Literacy,
Teacher Thinking, and Professional Development. Halifax, Novia
Scotia: Backalong Books.
Jim Muchmore tells the story of Anna, a remarkable experienced English
teacher who has developed a student-centered teaching style that closely
reflects her values. What makes Jim’s study so unique is that he sets
Anna’s story in the context of his own evolution as a teacher and researcher.
The result: an interesting, two-track life history that effectively integrates
elements of biography, autobiography, and qualitative research.
Nias, Jennifer. (1989). Primary Teachers Talking: A Study
of Teaching as Work. New York: Routledge.
Jennifer Nias conducted a longitudinal study of British primary teachers,
which was focused on understanding the ways teachers’conceptions of their
careers change over time and how they define and derive their sense of self
as teachers. Nias’ theoretical perspective focused on psychological, philosophical,
and sociological theories, including symbolic interactionism and Freudian
and Kahoutian notions of self. Her study was based on semi-structured interviews
with 99 beginning teachers conducted in 1975-77 and follow-up interviews with
51 of these teachers ten years later. In her book Nias describes teacher development
as who a person becomes as a teacher, and she
highlights the importance of the school context and of the affective, cognitive,
and practical tasks of teaching.
Nieto, Sonia M. (2003). What Keeps Teachers Going,
New York: Teachers College Press.
Based on discussions from a year-long focus group of urban teachers, this
book provides a moving account of the challenges these teachers face every
day and offers some interesting insights on why they remain in the classroom.