Class Acts: Teachers Reflect on Their Own Classroom Practice (Harvard Educational Review: Reprint Series) (HER Reprint Series) - Softcover

Softcover

ISBN 10: 0916690318 ISBN 13: 9780916690311

Publisher: Harvard Educational Review,U.S., 1997

Synopsis

In this remarkable collection of articles, teachers reflect on the complex worlds of their classrooms to gain a better understanding of their students, themselves, and the act of teaching. The contributors to Class Acts represent a diversity of backgrounds, subjects, grade levels, and educational philosophies. But they share a common approach: they all take time to reflect on finding new ways to listen to students, to make sense of their own teaching, and to take risks to transform work and social relations in their classrooms. The visions of classroom teaching in Class Acts are dynamic and inspiring. Read about how a third-grade teacher included the study of his students' urban neighborhood in his curriculum, or how a high school English teacher created a community of readers in her classroom. The teachers in Class Acts offer an engaging model of classroom teaching that stands in stark contrast to the traditional pedagogy found in U.S. schools.

About this title

About the Authors

Irene Hall is a doctoral candidate in Teaching, Curriculum, and Learning Environments at the Harvard Graduate School of Education. An elementary school teacher for over fifteen years, she is currently Associate Director of Kids in Business, a creative learning program for urban youth. She is also writing a biography of Alice Dewey, cofounder (with husband John Dewey) of the Laboratory School at the University of Chicago.

Carolyn H. Campbell is a doctoral candidate in the Language and Literacy Program in Human Development and Psychology at the Harvard Graduate School of Education. She has taught third-and fourth-grade students in public and private schools. Her current research interests include the development of written language and genre understanding in elementary school children

Edward J. Miech is a doctoral candidate in Administration, Planning, and Social Policy at the Harvard Graduate School of Education. He has taught English, math, and English as a Second Language in public high schools. His current research interests include the politics and history of education reform and federal aid to schools.

From the Back Cover

"In the midst of all the discourse on education, school, and schools, there remains one constant--the teacher. No matter how many 'innovations, ' reforms, standards, restructurings, and reorganizations are proposed, their significance pales in relation to that of the teacher. Much maligned and ever analyzed, teachers rarely have the opportunity to tell their stories. This volume both celebrates the teacher and forces us to look at and listen to the ways that teachers understand, rethink, and research their practices." -- Gloria Ladson-Billings, Author, The Dreamkeepers, Professor, University of Wisconsin-Madison

"This is a wonderful collection of teacher writing--first-hand, situated accounts of teaching practice. We need this kind of authentic literature to understand more fully the ongoing complexities and possibilities of teaching and learning....Class Acts may well inspire other classroom teachers to reflect on their practice, engage in classroom research, and write." -- Vito Perrone, Director, Teacher Education Programs, Harvard Graduate School of Education

"How Refreshing--a book that values the voices of real teachers discussing their work and their questions. These are the stories of teachers making decisions, reviewing their choices, and adding their voices to conversations about educational research. Class Acts is an inspiration for teachers." -- Sarah Zevey Steinitz, Teacher, Cambridgeport Elementary School, Cambridge (MA) Public Schools

"They say that art is the everyday, the commonplace, subjected to the light of careful reflection. This collection of articles on teachers' classroom research brings first-person power, insight, and ownership to problems of everyday education. These pieces reveal the disciplined patience and reflection that raises teaching from a craft to an art form. I find the collection insightful, empowering, and ultimately hopeful." -- Joseph B. Rabba, Superintendent, Attleboro (MA) Public Schools

Edited by Irene Hall, Carolyn H. Campbell, and Edward J. Miech

"This is a wonderful collection of teacher writing--first-hand, situated accounts of teaching practice. We need this kind of authentic literature to understand more fully the ongoing complexities and possibilities of teaching and learning....Class Acts may well inspire other classroom teachers to reflect on their practice, engage in classroom research, and write." -- Vito Perrone, Director, Teacher Education Programs, Harvard Graduate School of Education

"How Refreshing--a book that values the voices of real teachers discussing their work and their questions. These are the stories of teachers making decisions, reviewing their choices, and adding their voices to conversations about educational research. Class Acts is an inspiration for teachers." -- Sarah Zevey Steinitz, Teacher, Cambridgeport Elementary School, Cambridge (MA) Public Schools

"They say that art is the everyday, the commonplace, subjected to the light of careful reflection. This collection of articles on teachers' classroom research brings first-person power, insight, and ownership to problems of everyday education. These pieces reveal the disciplined patience and reflection that raises teaching from a craft to an art form. I find the collection insightful, empowering, and ultimately hopeful." -- Joseph B. Rabba, Superintendent, Attleboro (MA) Public Schools

Edited by Irene Hall, Carolyn H. Campbell, and Edward J. Miech

Edition details

• Publisher: Harvard Educational Review,U.S.
• Publication date: 1997
• Language: English
• ISBN 10: 0916690318
• ISBN 13: 9780916690311
• Binding: Paperback
• Number of pages: 236
• Editor: Hall Irene, Campbell Caroline, Miech Edward, Lensmire Timothy, Cone Joan Kernan, Smith Marily Cochrane-