Teachers Matter

by Day, Christopher; Sammons, Pam; Stobart, Gordon; Kington, Alison; Gu, Qing

• ISBN13: 9780335220045
• ISBN10: 0335220045
• Edition: 1st
• Format: Paperback
• Copyright: 2007-03-01
• Publisher: Open University Press

Summary

Teachers Matteroffers the most definitive portrait of teachers' lives and work to date. At a time when teaching standards are high on the political and social agenda, the quality and commitment of teaching staff is seen as paramount and they are viewed as pivotal to the economic and social well being of society. But: What are the influences that help or hinder teachers' commitment? Is there an association between commitment and pupil attainment? Why are teachers' identities important? What are teachers' needs and concerns in different professional life phases? Does school context count? Based on a DfES funded study of 300 teachers in 100 primary and secondary schools in England, the authors identify different patterns of influence and effect between groups of teachers, which provide powerful evidence of the complexities of teachers' work, lives, identity and commitment, in relation to their sense of agency, well-being, resilience and pupil attitudes and attainment. This, in turn, provides a clear message for teachers, teachers' associations, school leaders and policy makers, in understanding and supporting the need to build and sustain school and classroom effectiveness.The book addresses issues such as the importance of career development, the relationships between school leadership, culture and teachers' lives, maintaining a work-life balance, identity and well-being and the connection between commitment, resilience and effectiveness in the classroom.Original and highly relevant,Teachers Matteris invaluable reading for teachers, head teachers, researchers and teacher educators.

Author Biography

Gordon Stobart is Reader in Education at the Institute of Education, London, UK.

Table of Contents

List of figures and tables	p. vii
Series editor's preface	p. xi
List of contributors	p. xvi
Acknowledgements	p. xviii
Why teachers matter: policy agendas and social trends	p. 1
Studying teachers' work and lives: research contexts	p. 19
The VITAE research: a synergistic approach	p. 38
The schools, their teachers and their pupils: expectations, experiences, perceptions	p. 53
Teachers' professional life phases: a research informed view of career long effectiveness	p. 66
Emotional contexts of teaching: agency, vulnerability and professional identities	p. 102
What helps and hinders teachers' capacities to be effective	p. 124
Teacher effectiveness, pupil attainment	p. 156
Teachers who break the mould	p. 179
Real and resilient: how teachers sustain their effectiveness	p. 195
Commitment and effectiveness: contexts which make a difference to standards	p. 215
Future proofing school reform and renewal: why teachers matter most	p. 236
Notes	p. 258
References	p. 260
Index	p. 284
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