Becoming a Teacher: Self and the Social Location of Teacher Education

Abstract

Cutting across several literatures, 'Becoming a Teacher' is anything but a simple topic. I have had to set some parameters. Because preservice teacher education confronts what Lortie (1975) called an 'apprenticeship of observation,' I necessarily touch on issues related to teacher development grounded in biography and prior experience. Recognized as developmentally important, the first or second years of inservice teaching form an additional parameter (see Olson & Osborne, 1991). With only an occasional exception, most of the studies I draw on were published or presented within the last five years and build on earlier research. This was necessary in order to make the task manageable. I recognize the inherent dangers that come when drawing on studies produced in different countries and contexts, and so I have tried to exercise caution when linking studies and making comparisons.