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This paper reports on the processes and outcomes of a collaborative self-study conducted by three beginning teacher educators who sought to examine the efficacy of their teaching practices while working with student teachers in the field. By systematically embracing opportunities to explore mutually pressing issues and concerns manifest across the student teaching semester, the authors found that collaborative self-study provided a useful framework for considering their pedagogical reasoning and decision making as they encouraged student teachers to engage in rationale-based practice. The understandings gleaned from this study provided the authors with a basis upon which to reexamine their developing teacher educator pedagogies, as well as to critique the nature and structure of their teacher education program.

The purpose of this paper is to explore the theory and practice of Generative Research mentoring. The author has been involved in research mentoring teachers in schools since 2002 and in the course of her work her concepts about integrating mentoring and action research have changed. She explains how and why she has moved to adopt an Appreciative Inquiry approach integrated with a model of mentoring that she developed in the course of her own practice in schools.

This is a self study of teacher education practice where the author analyses her own theories and practices of research mentoring for teachers in schools in England and in Japan, over a ten year period. She investigates how the nature of self‐study is impacted upon by culture in diverse intercultural contexts.

This article reflects work in process. The findings to date suggest that teacher research and thus (potentially) research mentoring for teachers: is not informed by consensus on what teachers should learn as research skills; might usefully be focused upon action research enabled by teachers’ self study; works differently as self study according to Eastern/Western concepts of self; is likely to become more universally acceptable as self study through use of web‐based templates where self studies are shared e.g. at www.merlot.org; and should challenge mentoring/coaching techniques from other contexts such as business, nor assuming techniques successful in one context are so in another. Practitioner researchers in educational settings are likely to benefit from outsiders’ support, be that from colleagues based in universities or from teacher researchers working in other schools. That situation, in my experience, could come about where generative research mentoring has been successful and research mentees emerge to become research mentors for others within the profession of teaching. Importantly, individuals’ self study research should not rely upon unsupported opinions or upon validation by a peer group with self‐interest in seeing one of the community's study, accepted for university accreditation such as a Masters Level Award or a doctorate.

While the practice of research mentoring for teacher researchers has been in process in schools in England for ten years, the concept of Generative Research Mentoring, whereby the mentee prepares to become a mentor for other teacher researchers, is unique to the author's work. The value of generative research mentoring, not just for schoolteachers but also for academic contexts such as universities internationally, is that it can build capacity for research to be undertaken among those whose research skills are previously under‐developed.

High school student achievement in economics has been predominantly characterized by low test scores, while secondary social studies preservice teachers have less formal training in economics than most other social studies disciplines. In this self-study, the instructional affordances and constraints of an experimental economics methods course are analyzed in terms of developing secondary social studies preservice and inservice teachers’ pedagogical content knowledge (PCK) in economics from both the instructor and pre and inservice teachers’ perspectives. Two course assignments appeared to most notably develop PCK in economics, the Analysis of Economic Events and the Active-Learning, Interdisciplinary Economic Lesson. Findings suggest interrelationships exist among common content knowledge, specialized content knowledge, and horizon content knowledge for teaching economics. Implications and instructional suggestions for social studies teacher education and professional development are discussed.

There have been increasing calls for social studies educators to engage issues of sustainability. Proponents argue that the very survival of the planet depends on the degree to which teachers can move learners away from unsustainable beliefs and behaviors to those grounded in interdisciplinary approaches to solving community and global challenges. How to implement this vision of sustainability education? The purpose of the paper is to report the results of teacher-educators' curriculum and pedagogical approaches to implement the National Council for Social Studies (NCSS) C3 framework to engage and empower prospective and practicing teachers to teach for a sustainable future.

The study is guided by the growing field of self-study in teacher education, a type of research undertaken by teacher-educators with the dual purpose of personal professional development and a deep understanding of teacher-education practices. Most data were derived from multiple, recursive conversations (both formal and informal) around curriculum decisions and pedagogical choices to integrate sustainability issues into teacher-education courses. Additional data sources include classroom lecture notes and PowerPoint presentations, course readings and resources.

The authors' three years of collaborative work has shown that an issues-centered, interdisciplinary approach to select and integrate global issues, the current event article analysis, young adult literature and discussion and deliberation of local sustainable development issues that are some of the most effective pedagogical tools to engage and empower teacher candidates in learning about issues that affect the sustainable development of global community. The NCSS C3 provides a powerful framework to scaffold the process of analyzing sustainable issues while also teaching social studies curriculum and standards and skills.

Scholars of global education have called for shifting from an anthropocentric philosophy to a bio-centric worldview emphasizing the embeddedness of humans within the environment. How can social studies teacher-educators implement this vision of global education What instructional resources strategies and learning activities can be effectively integrated into existing courses to help candidates develop competences and commitment to teaching for global sustainability The study examines the innovative approaches to addressing these critical topics in teacher education.

The purpose of this collaborative self-study inquiry was to enhance the professional practice of faculty members through the adoption of lesson study. A seven-member faculty of education self-study group engaged in lesson study in a computer and learning resources for primary/elementary teachers’ course with teacher candidates.

This study focused on providing teacher candidates with increased opportunities for action and expression during in-class instruction. This collaborative lesson study inquiry (Fernandez et al., 2003; Fernandez and Yoshida, 2004; Murata, 2011) involved the four-step process of planning, doing, checking and acting (PDCA) (Cheng, 2019). Several data collection methods were adopted and data sources analyzed.

Challenges the group encountered during the study included ascertaining the goals of lesson study and offering critical feedback to each other. While this made decision-making more intricate and intentional, there was exceptional value in participating in the lesson study process. The results revealed three overarching themes: 1) challenges in classroom observations; 2) hesitation in providing supportive feedback to colleagues and 3) deliberations regarding what constitutes expertise within subject-specific preservice teacher education.

While lesson study has been adopted fairly extensively in K-12 settings, its adoption in postsecondary education is limited (Chenault, 2017). Considering the merits of lesson study for K-12 practitioners, this research investigated the similar advantages that lesson study might have for postsecondary education faculty, students and programs.

This paper explains a collaborative self-study research project that included an evolving arts-based inquiry (ABI) approach. The combined experiences of a visual artist/art educator and a drama educator, informed the design and use of ABI strategies to investigate practices of Australian teacher educator-researchers. These strategies are shared along with results from interviews that reveal the dynamics and value of this particular model of ABI within a larger research project.

ABI was included in the methodology of collaborative self-study. It involved listening to participants’ arts-based and written responses then basing the next provocations on these outcomes. This gave ownership to the group members and reinforced the community of practice foci.

ABI challenged academic identities and practices. It allowed for more enjoyment in the workplace, for reflection and reflective practice to develop. It provided opportunities for shifting perspectives and perceiving teaching practice differently, inspiring more creativity in teaching. It also improved relationships with co-workers and held the group together.

The authors share this research to recommend others a way to collaborate within group research projects.

The authors found it vital to have a co-ABI facilitator from within the group to collaborate with, in order to develop the most appropriate ABI provocations within an emerging research project.

This model of research can generate honest and in-depth insights for participants (members of a community of practice) as to how and why they do the work (practices) they do.

The study’s use of ABI offers an original perspective in the use of this methodology.

The purpose of this paper is to describe an innovative model of mentoring that evolved over the past ten years as a result of experience, research and self-study. This research, conducted in Orthodox Jewish day schools will raise awareness of potential benefits of mentoring as an effective means for supporting Q1 teachers’ classroom effectiveness and sense of well-being. Background research is presented on mentoring as a powerful tool in supporting teachers throughout their careers. An original aspect of this paper is the analysis of exemplary cross-cultural mentoring intentional training, ongoing support and solicitation of feedback. Findings are based on samples from data collected over several years and are analyzed using qualitative tools. The authors discuss implications from two published self-studies of an exemplary mentoring model in which mentors worked with teachers and explore considerations for teacher well-being.

A qualitative–narrative approach was chosen for these studies. The findings were drawn from three sources of data: open-ended questionnaires, end-of-year letters teachers wrote to their principals reporting on changes in their classroom practices and in-depth, semi-structured interviews conducted with teachers, mentors and administrators in each of the schools participating in the program.

The two self-studies, in tandem with the teachers’ surveys and reflections, illustrate how the teachers viewed the connection between the mentoring they received and their own professional growth. Overall, teachers reported a general satisfaction as a result of participating in the mentoring program. Many noted that the program provided a useful framework offering a personalized approach to their professional development. The teachers were directed to frame their own learning agendas by setting their own instructional improvement goals and asking meaningful questions relevant to their particular classroom situations.

Limited sample size and private religious school environment might put limits on implications.

The presented model has universal implications. A personalized mentoring model, with supplementary professional development sessions geared toward topics supporting well-being, can be applied in any educational setting. Schools leaders must find ways to foster teacher satisfaction and keep teachers engaged in their own learning. Offering teachers a personalized approach that supports continued growth while encouraging them to set their own learning agendas can serve as a vital bridge to teacher satisfaction and well-being.

The findings of this paper have implications for school improvement, cross-cultural mentoring, mentor training and teacher well-being.

Original aspects of this paper include: the self-study of exemplary mentoring program, application of mentoring in cross-cultural environments, teacher well-being in private schools and mentoring of teachers in Orthodox Jewish schools.

The purpose of this manuscript is to reveal how a White social studies teacher educator attempted to go from being a non-racist educator to an anti-racist educator (King and Chandler, 2016) and build her racial pedagogical content knowledge (RPCK).

This manuscript is on part of a collaborative self-study. The authors used critical friendship (Schuck and Russell, 2005) and RPCK as the conceptual framework. The authors used self-study research methodology to analyze and interrogate analytical reflections, course syllabi, and course assignments. All data were analyzed through intentional and analytical dialogue over the course of weekly debriefs and three formal debriefing sessions.

Findings from this study indicate that while stressful and challenging at times, the critical friendship with Taylor was vital in developing her RPCK. The friendship liberated and brought voice to her traditional, racialized self through intentional and analytic dialogue. This dialogue benefited the curricular review she was conducting on her content methods course to develop and integrate RPCK to her pedagogical mind.

The authors show that critical friendships can transform definitions of self and pedagogical practice. If social studies teacher educators are going to do the work of anti-racism, then it is our suggestion that they form a critical friendship to support their self-growth and pedagogical intentions before suggesting pedagogical innovations.

This paper includes visual representation of RPCK that will allow other social studies teacher educators to teach the concept to their students. It also provides a framework to support others who want to work on their RPCK and racialized self.

This manuscript fulfills a need in the field by highlighting how a teacher educator can leverage a critical friendship to describe and reveal the enactment and analysis of balancing the self and practice regarding RPCK development. Visual representations of the conceptualization of RPCK are included.

With increased curricular and classroom demands, teaching social studies content and skills can be challenging, especially in elementary schools. Although educators are encouraged to promote critical thinking, collaboration and problem solving, classroom time is increasingly spent preparing students to pass state-mandated tests that emphasize factual recall. This article highlights the importance of self-study through the praxis of one teacher educator. To address the shifting instructional and professional demands, she modified and updated an elementary social studies methods course over a five-year period. Through analysis of documents, observations, and students’ feedback, the methods course and student learning outcomes changed significantly over time. This article addresses the need for social studies teacher educators to re-evaluate their own praxis, as some existing teacher education program models and course programs do not address today’s changing teaching and learning climates. Deliberate self-study, coupled with professional collaborations across school and university boundaries, can be key steps to improve learning outcomes for all.

The purpose of this paper is to document and analyse the author's first two years of developing a pedagogy that meaningfully incorporates the content creation and social collaboration functions of digital technologies.

This paper uses self‐study methodology to describe, interpret, and challenge excerpts from the author's teaching journal to develop warranted assertions for how and why digital technologies are used in particular ways during undergraduate and graduate level courses.

One finding of the paper is the relative ease with which the author slipped into a comfort zone of using digital technologies in rather superficial ways, since the major hurdle of ubiquitous access that he had previously encountered was removed due to the fact he was now teaching at a mobile‐enabled institution. The paper also reports on the relative success the author experienced using blogging tools to further develop relationships with undergraduate and graduate students and engage them in meaningful discussions outside of class time.

Although this study focuses on the author's experiences as a new academic in a mobile‐enabled institution, and thus might initially seem limited in applicability, the practical implications of this research are inherent in the methodology and methods used to critique is pedagogical approach and to challenge himself to find ways to integrate digital technologies into his teaching.

The paper will be of interest to anyone who has ever struggled with questions of relevancy in the use of digital technologies in both off‐ and online post‐secondary classroom environments.