Melanie Shoffner – författare

This book examines representations of the teacher on stage - in both theatrical performances and dramatic text - in order to demonstrate how these representations have shaped society’s perceptions of educators in and out of the classroom.At the heart of this book is the interaction between theatre and teacher education. By considering how dramatic portrayals reimagine, reinforce and/or undermine our understanding of the teacher’s personal and professional roles, this volume bridges the gap between truth in dramatic literature and truth in the classroom. Chapters critically explore the personas embodied by fictional teachers in well-known works such as Educating Rita, School of Rock and The History Boys and illustrate how educators might use dramatic literature and performance to interrogate entrenched ideas about the student-teacher dynamic. By bringing together a diverse set of contributors from the fields of teacher education and theatre, this book takes a critical look at performance, text, society and culture to promote a new understanding of teaching and learning.This unique book will be of great interest to graduate and postgraduate students, academics and researchers in the fields of teacher education, drama and theatre education.

This book examines representations of the teacher on stage - in both theatrical performances and dramatic text - in order to demonstrate how these representations have shaped society’s perceptions of educators in and out of the classroom.At the heart of this book is the interaction between theatre and teacher education. By considering how dramatic portrayals reimagine, reinforce and/or undermine our understanding of the teacher’s personal and professional roles, this volume bridges the gap between truth in dramatic literature and truth in the classroom. Chapters critically explore the personas embodied by fictional teachers in well-known works such as Educating Rita, School of Rock and The History Boys and illustrate how educators might use dramatic literature and performance to interrogate entrenched ideas about the student-teacher dynamic. By bringing together a diverse set of contributors from the fields of teacher education and theatre, this book takes a critical look at performance, text, society and culture to promote a new understanding of teaching and learning.This unique book will be of great interest to graduate and postgraduate students, academics and researchers in the fields of teacher education, drama and theatre education.

This collection explores the changing meaning and enactments of care in teacher education in light of the COVID-19 pandemic, from preservice teachers and teacher candidates to in-service teachers and education faculty.Over fifty international teacher educators explore the complicated concept of care in different content areas, learning contexts, and communities of learners, using different conceptual frameworks and methodological orientations. Throughout, this book situates research and reflection at the nexus of teacher education, care, and COVID-19 in order to reconstruct care in post-pandemic teacher education.Timely and incisive, this collection raises important questions and offers relevant examinations to consider how post-pandemic teacher education as a field will move forward in preparing and caring for those who will, in turn, care for their future students. The book is essential reading for teacher educators, scholars, and anyone interested in the notion of care in education.

This collection explores the changing meaning and enactments of care in teacher education in light of the COVID-19 pandemic, from preservice teachers and teacher candidates to in-service teachers and education faculty.Over fifty international teacher educators explore the complicated concept of care in different content areas, learning contexts, and communities of learners, using different conceptual frameworks and methodological orientations. Throughout, this book situates research and reflection at the nexus of teacher education, care, and COVID-19 in order to reconstruct care in post-pandemic teacher education.Timely and incisive, this collection raises important questions and offers relevant examinations to consider how post-pandemic teacher education as a field will move forward in preparing and caring for those who will, in turn, care for their future students. The book is essential reading for teacher educators, scholars, and anyone interested in the notion of care in education.

This edited volume focuses on understandings and enactments of care in teacher induction in a landscape reshaped by the recent pandemic, ongoing societal issues, and increased expectations of teachers. Building on the editors’ book Reconstructing Care in Teacher Education after COVID-19: Caring Enough to Change, this volume extends reconsiderations of care and teacher development into K-12 schools, aiming to explore how care is, should, and can be operationalized in teacher induction now.Each chapter draws on research, practice, and reflection to provide recommendations to move teacher induction forward in responsive and caring ways. Authors include teacher educators, practicing teachers, and administrators representing different subject areas and educational levels. The operationalization of care also takes many forms, from mentorship and professional learning communities to support in navigating burnout and staff shortages. Chapters offer specific examples from contributors’ own teaching experiences and conclude with suggestions for adapting the model or practice for readers’ own programs and students.Ideal for faculty working with preservice educators and administrators supporting newly hired teachers, this book can also serve as recommended or supplementary reading in undergraduate or graduate teacher education, curriculum and instruction, leadership, and educational administration courses as well as within professional development opportunities.

This edited volume focuses on understandings and enactments of care in teacher induction in a landscape reshaped by the recent pandemic, ongoing societal issues, and increased expectations of teachers. Building on the editors’ book Reconstructing Care in Teacher Education after COVID-19: Caring Enough to Change, this volume extends reconsiderations of care and teacher development into K-12 schools, aiming to explore how care is, should, and can be operationalized in teacher induction now.Each chapter draws on research, practice, and reflection to provide recommendations to move teacher induction forward in responsive and caring ways. Authors include teacher educators, practicing teachers, and administrators representing different subject areas and educational levels. The operationalization of care also takes many forms, from mentorship and professional learning communities to support in navigating burnout and staff shortages. Chapters offer specific examples from contributors’ own teaching experiences and conclude with suggestions for adapting the model or practice for readers’ own programs and students.Ideal for faculty working with preservice educators and administrators supporting newly hired teachers, this book can also serve as recommended or supplementary reading in undergraduate or graduate teacher education, curriculum and instruction, leadership, and educational administration courses as well as within professional development opportunities.

English Language Arts as an Emancipatory Subject explores the changing nature and history of the English Language as an emancipatory subject, as well as how its current activities and projects address and challenge inequalities. Various forms of critical literacy have established English teaching as a radical force for social justice and subversion. However, the expert contributors to this book question whether English is a force for good in its capacity to develop literate citizens, or, are there larger contemporary complications surrounding it? This book will re-examine the history of English, its present quality as a classroom subject and its future potential to re-establish itself as an agent of social equality and change. Edited by internationally leading scholars from the UK, USA and Australia with contributions from New Zealand and Canada, this work will also inspire English teachers to view their subject as one through which positive differences are imagined, and complex real-life issues are debated and challenged in the classroom. The volume is an excellent overview of research and the latest thinking about the nature of English as an emancipatory subject, its distinguished history and its potential for the future. It will be a key resource for the research and teacher-education community, English teachers, student teachers, and anyone who views English teaching as a catalyst of social change.Chapter 7 of this book is freely available as a downloadable Open Access PDF at http://www.taylorfrancis.com under a Creative Commons Attribution-Non Commercial-No Derivatives (CC-BY-NC-ND) 4.0 license.

English Language Arts as an Emancipatory Subject explores the changing nature and history of the English Language as an emancipatory subject, as well as how its current activities and projects address and challenge inequalities. Various forms of critical literacy have established English teaching as a radical force for social justice and subversion. However, the expert contributors to this book question whether English is a force for good in its capacity to develop literate citizens, or, are there larger contemporary complications surrounding it? This book will re-examine the history of English, its present quality as a classroom subject and its future potential to re-establish itself as an agent of social equality and change. Edited by internationally leading scholars from the UK, USA and Australia with contributions from New Zealand and Canada, this work will also inspire English teachers to view their subject as one through which positive differences are imagined, and complex real-life issues are debated and challenged in the classroom. The volume is an excellent overview of research and the latest thinking about the nature of English as an emancipatory subject, its distinguished history and its potential for the future. It will be a key resource for the research and teacher-education community, English teachers, student teachers, and anyone who views English teaching as a catalyst of social change.Chapter 7 of this book is freely available as a downloadable Open Access PDF at http://www.taylorfrancis.com under a Creative Commons Attribution-Non Commercial-No Derivatives (CC-BY-NC-ND) 4.0 license.

This sixth volume co-published with the International Federation for the Teaching of English offers a timely examination of English as an inspirational and emancipatory subject in times of global crisis, exploring how teachers enable students to face contemporary challenges while remaining resilient, critical and optimistic about the future.Positioned in the post-Covid world, the book presents 24 chapters from IFTE countries and beyond, addressing urgent contemporary themes including the climate crisis, misinformation and censorship, nationalism and populism, education in neoliberal environments, and the impact of social media and AI. Contributors explore how literature provides endless sources of hope and fear, utopias and dystopias, offering young people vital reflective space in an age of ultra-anxiety and existential crisis. Topics covered include teacher preparation and resilience, the significance of literature in fostering critical thinking and personal response, and the dystopian challenges of patriarchy, racism, censorship and antidemocratic pressures. The volume recognizes work that is distinctive and local whilst celebrating international innovations and best practices, demonstrating how English remains the subject where urgent issues can be explored and the joy of human expression celebrated.This international volume serves as an essential resource for English teachers, teacher educators, researchers and policymakers seeking to understand how the subject offers a rich environment for overturning despair, maintaining optimism and improving social justice in education.

This sixth volume co-published with the International Federation for the Teaching of English offers a timely examination of English as an inspirational and emancipatory subject in times of global crisis, exploring how teachers enable students to face contemporary challenges while remaining resilient, critical and optimistic about the future.Positioned in the post-Covid world, the book presents 24 chapters from IFTE countries and beyond, addressing urgent contemporary themes including the climate crisis, misinformation and censorship, nationalism and populism, education in neoliberal environments, and the impact of social media and AI. Contributors explore how literature provides endless sources of hope and fear, utopias and dystopias, offering young people vital reflective space in an age of ultra-anxiety and existential crisis. Topics covered include teacher preparation and resilience, the significance of literature in fostering critical thinking and personal response, and the dystopian challenges of patriarchy, racism, censorship and antidemocratic pressures. The volume recognizes work that is distinctive and local whilst celebrating international innovations and best practices, demonstrating how English remains the subject where urgent issues can be explored and the joy of human expression celebrated.This international volume serves as an essential resource for English teachers, teacher educators, researchers and policymakers seeking to understand how the subject offers a rich environment for overturning despair, maintaining optimism and improving social justice in education.

This book focuses on the ways in which English language arts (ELA) pre-service and in-service teachers have developed - or may develop - instructional effectiveness for working with English language learners (ELL) in the secondary English classroom.Chapter topics are grounded in both research and practice, addressing a range of timely topics including the current state of ELL education in the ELA classroom, and approaches to leveraging the talents and strengths of bilingual students in heterogeneous classrooms. Chapters also offer advice on best practices in teaching ELA to multilingual students and ways to infuse the secondary English teacher preparation curriculum with ELL pedagogy.Comprehensive in scope and content and examining topics relevant to all teachers of ELLs, teacher educators and researchers, this book appeals to an audience beyond ELA teachers and teacher educators.

This book about teachers as characters in popular media examines what can be learned from fictional teachers for the purposes of educating real teachers. Its aim is twofold: to examine the constructed figure of the teacher in film, television and text and to apply that examination in the context of teacher education. By exploring the teacher construct, readers are able to consider how popular fiction and film have influenced society’s understandings and views of classroom teachers. Organized around four main themes—Identifying with the Teacher Image; Constructing the Teacher with Content; Imaging the Teacher as Savior; The Teacher Construct as Commentary—the chapters examine the complicated mixture of fact, stereotype and misrepresentation that create the image of the teacher in the public eye today. This examination, in turn, allows teacher educators to use popular culture as curriculum. Using the fictional teacher as a text, preservice—and practicing—teachers can examine positive and negative (and often misleading) representations of teachers in order to develop as teachers themselves.

This book about teachers as characters in popular media examines what can be learned from fictional teachers for the purposes of educating real teachers. Its aim is twofold: to examine the constructed figure of the teacher in film, television and text and to apply that examination in the context of teacher education. By exploring the teacher construct, readers are able to consider how popular fiction and film have influenced society’s understandings and views of classroom teachers. Organized around four main themes—Identifying with the Teacher Image; Constructing the Teacher with Content; Imaging the Teacher as Savior; The Teacher Construct as Commentary—the chapters examine the complicated mixture of fact, stereotype and misrepresentation that create the image of the teacher in the public eye today. This examination, in turn, allows teacher educators to use popular culture as curriculum. Using the fictional teacher as a text, preservice—and practicing—teachers can examine positive and negative (and often misleading) representations of teachers in order to develop as teachers themselves.