Clive Beck

Innovations in Teacher Education: a Social Constructivist Approach (Suny Series, Teacher Preparation and Development) (Suny Series in Teacher Preparation and Development) Clive Beck

Presents key principles of teacher education and concrete examples from successful programs.

This book offers a comprehensive, ?social constructivist? approach to preservice education. Written in a clear, accessible style, it presents key principles of teacher education and concrete examples from eight successful programs in Australia, Canada, and the United States. It extends constructivism beyond Piaget and Vygotsky to more recent theorists such as Barthes and Derrida, indicating how such an approach can lead to engaging, effective education. Clive Beck and Clare Kosnik advocate an approach to teacher education that is highly original, linking integration, community components, and inquiry to a degree not commonly found in preservice programs, and they show in detail how to implement these elements.

?I wish a book like this had been around a decade ago when I was immersed in the difficult work of preparing preservice teachers! It is filled with wonderful examples of many faculty action research projects that collectively and slowly helped to build top-notch teacher education programs, and it also does an excellent job of giving away the top secrets of gaining the institutional support one needs to take innovations to action.? ? Anastasia P. Samaras, author of Self-Study for Teacher Educators: Crafting a Pedagogy for Educational Change

?The strong theoretical grounding of the book combined with the varied examples that connect theory to practice make this book a useful tool for those of us struggling with doing teacher education from a social constructivist perspective, as well as those interested in moving in this direction.? ? Marilyn Johnston-Parsons, coeditor of Collaborative Reform and Other Improbable Dreams: The Challenges of Professional Development Schools

?The many ideas, principles, sample structures, and practices discussed in this book make it a very welcome and important addition to the field.? ? Catherine Fosnot, City College of the City University of New York

?As committed and thoughtful teacher educators, Beck and Kosnik have translated their knowledge, expertise, and research of teacher education practices into a most engaging book. Their notion of a shared, explicit philosophy of teaching and learning is central to their framework for an integrated preservice program and is a reminder of the need for teacher education to be purposeful, meaningful, and relevant. This book offers insights that will no doubt be instructive to many concerned with developing quality in teacher education.? ? John Loughran, Monash University