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This article was downloaded by: [University Of Maryland] On: 10 October 2014, At: 09:59 Publisher: Routledge Informa Ltd Registered in England and Wales Registered Number: 1072954 Registered office: Mortimer House, 37-41 Mortimer Street, London W1T 3JH, UK The New Educator Publication details, including instructions for authors and subscription information: http://www.tandfonline.com/loi/utne20 Teachers as Learners: A Review of Teachers as Learners, by Sharon Feiman- Nemser Carla A. Warren a a Beginning Teacher Programs, WV Center for Professional Development , Charleston , West Virginia , USA Published online: 29 Apr 2013. To cite this article: Carla A. Warren (2013) Teachers as Learners: A Review of Teachers as Learners, by Sharon Feiman-Nemser, The New Educator, 9:2, 164-166, DOI: 10.1080/1547688X.2013.778765 To link to this article: http://dx.doi.org/10.1080/1547688X.2013.778765 PLEASE SCROLL DOWN FOR ARTICLE Taylor & Francis makes every effort to ensure the accuracy of all the information (the “Content”) contained in the publications on our platform. However, Taylor & Francis, our agents, and our licensors make no representations or warranties whatsoever as to the accuracy, completeness, or suitability for any purpose of the Content. Any opinions and views expressed in this publication are the opinions and views of the authors, and are not the views of or endorsed by Taylor & Francis. The accuracy of the Content should not be relied upon and should be independently verified with primary sources of information. Taylor and Francis shall not be liable for any losses, actions, claims, proceedings, demands, costs, expenses, damages, and other liabilities whatsoever or howsoever caused arising directly or indirectly in connection with, in relation to or arising out of the use of the Content. This article may be used for research, teaching, and private study purposes. Any substantial or systematic reproduction, redistribution, reselling, loan, sub-licensing, systematic supply, or distribution in any form to anyone is expressly forbidden. Terms & Conditions of access and use can be found at http://www.tandfonline.com/page/terms- and-conditions

Teachers as Learners: A Review of Teachers as Learners , by Sharon Feiman-Nemser

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This article was downloaded by: [University Of Maryland]On: 10 October 2014, At: 09:59Publisher: RoutledgeInforma Ltd Registered in England and Wales Registered Number: 1072954 Registeredoffice: Mortimer House, 37-41 Mortimer Street, London W1T 3JH, UK

The New EducatorPublication details, including instructions for authors andsubscription information:http://www.tandfonline.com/loi/utne20

Teachers as Learners: A Review ofTeachers as Learners, by Sharon Feiman-NemserCarla A. Warren aa Beginning Teacher Programs, WV Center for ProfessionalDevelopment , Charleston , West Virginia , USAPublished online: 29 Apr 2013.

To cite this article: Carla A. Warren (2013) Teachers as Learners: A Review of Teachers as Learners,by Sharon Feiman-Nemser, The New Educator, 9:2, 164-166, DOI: 10.1080/1547688X.2013.778765

To link to this article: http://dx.doi.org/10.1080/1547688X.2013.778765

PLEASE SCROLL DOWN FOR ARTICLE

Taylor & Francis makes every effort to ensure the accuracy of all the information (the“Content”) contained in the publications on our platform. However, Taylor & Francis,our agents, and our licensors make no representations or warranties whatsoever as tothe accuracy, completeness, or suitability for any purpose of the Content. Any opinionsand views expressed in this publication are the opinions and views of the authors,and are not the views of or endorsed by Taylor & Francis. The accuracy of the Contentshould not be relied upon and should be independently verified with primary sourcesof information. Taylor and Francis shall not be liable for any losses, actions, claims,proceedings, demands, costs, expenses, damages, and other liabilities whatsoever orhowsoever caused arising directly or indirectly in connection with, in relation to or arisingout of the use of the Content.

This article may be used for research, teaching, and private study purposes. Anysubstantial or systematic reproduction, redistribution, reselling, loan, sub-licensing,systematic supply, or distribution in any form to anyone is expressly forbidden. Terms &Conditions of access and use can be found at http://www.tandfonline.com/page/terms-and-conditions

The New Educator, 9:164–166, 2013Copyright © CCNY and ATEISSN: 1547-688X print/1549-9243 onlineDOI: 10.1080/1547688X.2013.778765

Resource Review

Teachers as Learners

A Review of Teachers as Learners, by Sharon Feiman-Nemser. HarvardEducation Press, 2012.

CARLA A. WARRENBeginning Teacher Programs, WV Center for Professional Development,

Charleston, West Virginia, USA

Teachers as Learners is a collection of essays based on the vast experiencesand research of the author, Sharon Feiman-Nemser. A noted scholar in thefield of teacher education, she has served in multiple positions over the pastfour decades playing a pivotal role in the evolution of teacher learning. Herextensive knowledge comes from work experiences as a classroom teacher,an educator of preservice teachers, and a scholar of teacher education andteacher learning. The author has written at length about these educationaltopics. With the assistance of two contributing authors in this work, shehas produced a chronology of progress made in the field of education andteacher learning over the past four decades. Our previous conceptions andmisconceptions of teaching and what it really takes to learn to teach arechallenged by this work.

The book is divided into three distinct sections. The first part, “Mappingthe Field,” includes four chapters and presents organizational maps related tothe educational concepts of teacher preparation, learning to teach, teacherinduction, and the ongoing learning that occurs throughout the teacher’scareer. In an effort to structure the process, Feiman-Nemser streamlinesthe craft of learning to teach into four distinct phases. In addition tothis, detailed discussion about the four stages of teaching—pretraining,

Address correspondence to Carla A. Warren, Director of Mentoring and Beginning Tea-cher Programs, 208 Hale Street, Charleston, WV 25301, USA. E-mail: [email protected]

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formal preparation, induction, and ongoing professional development—runthroughout the book.

The second part of the book consists of three chapters and concentrateson the teacher’s learning during preservice preparation. Feiman-Nemserexplores the pitfalls that students experience in the course of their collegetraining illustrating how much of the preservice teacher’s learning is formedby personal experiences as students themselves. Clinical experiences in thefield throughout undergraduate work can also act as a drawback becauseteachers in training observe ineffective practices in action. These encounterscan actually hinder the growth of the new teacher. The reader is drawn intothe text by the anecdotal teaching vignettes and case studies illustrating howpreservice experiences link to the content of the university coursework andthe reality of the classroom.

The last part of this book spotlights the critical role teacher induc-tion serves in facilitating the new teacher’s growth. Induction is not onedimensional. Its components include mentoring, management, and organi-zational guidance through the initial phase of teaching and, most importantly,learning to teach. Mentoring is the element of new teacher induction high-lighted by Feiman-Nemser. Novice teachers who have positive, supportiveencounters early in their careers experience a higher level of success in theclassroom. Mentors serve a key role in improving the beginning teacher’spractice. Effective management and instructional skills are imperative forsuccess in the classroom, but more importantly, the mentor has the oppor-tunity to assist the new teacher’s professional growth by modeling reflectionon the practice of teaching. Mentors can help teachers develop “the intel-lectual methods required for personal and independent mastery of practicalskills” (Dewey, 1904).

This text has three distinct themes that revolve around teacher learn-ing: mentoring, teacher induction, and preservice teacher education. Thesethemes are fused together leading the reader to understand that teacherlearning is a continuum the teacher follows throughout one’s career. Feiman-Nemser believes, “If researchers discovered how good teachers think andplan, teacher educators could teach those ways of thinking and planning toprospective teachers” (p. 19).

Changing the paradigm that teacher learning comes to an abrupt con-clusion at the finish of the student-teaching experience is a daunting taskthat Feiman-Nemser tackles in her book, Teachers as Learners. She advo-cates that teacher learning should continue throughout the teacher’s careerand clearly classifies four stages of professional development teachers travelthrough on their career path.

Based on past experiences as classroom students, teachers go througha pretraining phase followed by preservice training that includes clinicalobservations and student teaching. The third phase of induction is wherethe new teacher begins practicing the mechanics of teaching while striving

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to acquire a depth of knowledge about students and content. The authordefines the final phase as “the rest of the teacher’s career.” This period isoften neglected by school systems. This is the phase in which educatorsremain on a continuum of professional growth, reflecting on and refiningtheir practice in pursuit of the highest level of teacher effectiveness forthemselves and achievement for their students.

Because Teachers as Learners is a compilation of various essays basedon research the author has conducted over her 40 years in the educationalarena, many of the research facts about teacher learning, mentoring, andnew teacher induction are reiterated multiple times. Some may see this as alimitation of the book but I found it to be helpful in digesting the informationmore readily, especially as it relates to applying lessons learned and to vari-ous teaching and learning situations. I also found the assortment of teachingvignettes and case study analysis interjected throughout the text helpful insituating research findings into practice.

This book’s significance lies in its longitudinal approach. Forty years ofresearch work in the field of education lend credibility to the author andher contributors, as well as validity to the content of the book. Teachers asLearners is a timely publication, especially given the state of education inAmerica. Currently, the national attrition rate for teachers with under fiveyears of experience hovers near 50%. Learning to teach is not a one-timeenterprise. New teachers require more than a mandatory dose of survivalskills training before entering the classroom in the fall. The novice teacherneeds support, encouragement, and nurturing layered over content knowl-edge skills to prepare them for the realities of the classroom. Feiman-Nemserwisely points out that investing in ongoing, sustained professional growthexperiences for teachers throughout their careers will assist them in reachinga high level of personal accomplishment and job satisfaction. The dividendswill also return in the form of increased student achievement in the studentsthey serve.

As one who plans and implements professional development opportu-nities for new teachers and their mentors, I found this book to be helpful incharting the course for sustained, relevant support for teachers in my state.Feiman-Nemser urges that we must clearly define mentoring and clarify thedesired outcomes for beginning teachers who are mentored (p. 303). Sheproposes, “For mentoring to improve the quality of classroom teaching, weneed mentors who are teachers of teaching and organizations that enablementors to do their work” (p. 303).

REFERENCE

Dewey, J. (1904/1965). The relation of theory to practice in education. In R.D.Archampbault (Ed.), John Dewey on education. Chicago, IL: University ofChicago Press.

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