Teacher Educators’ Professional Learning in Communities

Linor L. Hadar is an Assistant Professor (senior lecturer) at Beit-Berl College of Education and teaching fellow at the University of Haifa, Israel.David L. Brody is Assistant Professor, Academic Dean, and Chair of the Early Childhood Department at the Efrata College of Education in Jerusalem.

‘This book is unique in that it extends the study of teacher learning in community to an audience of critical players in learning to teach: teacher educators. I was particularly impressed by the way in which the chapters of the book unfold and conceptualize seven years of research, taking the reader through a critical and introspective exploration of the organizational, personal and interpersonal conditions by which learning interactions are created and sustained in a professional learning community over time. The emergent insights from this journey underscore the value of systematic, reflective analysis of ‘the local’ for informing the global and broader discourse of professional learning communities. Undoubtedly, this book opens new theoretical, methodological and programmatic paths to the study of communal professional development amongst teacher educators.’ Lily Orland-Barak, Dean of the Faculty of Education, University of Haifa, Israel‘This book is timely, comprehensive and relevant for all teacher educators, researchers in and with teacher education, deans of teacher education programmes, and not least, for policy makers. The authors have discussed the professional complexity of teacher educators' professional roles, strongly supported by updated and relevant literature. The reference made to the authors׳ personal experience makes the book readable and trustworthy.’Kari Smith, Academic Leader of the Norwegian Research School in Teacher Education, Norwegian University of Science and Technology, Norway‘What Hadar and Brody have done is draw the best research in the field together with their own experience of supporting teacher education faculties toward systemic change and the result is a remarkable text that should be useful to deans, department chairs, researchers, and others who are interested in supporting change in the field of teacher education.’ Frances Rust, Visiting Professor and Interim Director of Teacher Education Programs, University of Pennsylvania-GSE, USA

• Introduction: Teacher educators and their professional learning Part 1. Building and exploring communities for professional learning of teacher educators 1. The use of communities for the professional development of teacher educators 2. A Picture of Practice 3. Researching a professional learning community Part 2. Organizational features of professional learning communities for teacher educators 4. Creating a safe environment for learning 5. Talk about student learning 6. Group reflection and feedback 7. Continuity 8. Engaging teacher educators in research 9. The role of the facilitator Part 3. Teacher educators’ individual processes within the community 10. Breaking of professional isolation 11. How change and transition occur in the community 12. Withdrawal from the goals of the community and individual defenses to learning Part 4. Influences and implications for the professional learning among teacher educators 13. How in house communities affect the culture of the institution 14. Conclusions and implications about professional learning