Nobuo K. Shimahara is a professor of education and anthropology at the Graduate School of Education and a member of the faculty of the Graduate School, Rutgers University. He has taught at Rutgers University since 1968 and served as a visiting professor at several universities, including the University of Tokyo.

"This valuable book combines examination of current educational reforms in Japan with an ethnographic account of the actual experience of two beginning teachers. Interwoven throughout is an analysis of postwar reforms, plus comparative perspectives on pedagogy in Japan and in the U.S... Although Japanese schools have undergone several waves of reform in the postwar world, the ethnographic study, which constitutes the second half of the book, clearly demonstrates that the culture transmitted both by beginning and experienced teachers continues to stress traditional values. Recommended for general readers and upper-division undergraduates and above." -- Choice October 2002

• Preface Part One: Teaching and Current Issues Chapter 1: Introduction: The Background Chapter 2: Culture and Teaching in Japan Chapter 3: Teacher Education and Social Change Chapter 4: Professional Development: Professional Strategies Part Two: Ethnography of Learning to Teach Chapter 5: Learning to Teach in Japanese Schools, with Akira Sakai Chapter 6: Cultural Theory of Teaching and Practice, with Akira Sakai Chapter 7: Occupational Socialization of Beginning Teachers, with Akira Sakai Epilogue: A Critical Reflection References Author Profile