The purpose of this study was to examine the various representations of the author's development as a beginning teacher educator offered through his methodology of self-study through narrative inquiry. Analysis of these narratives revealed how certain ongoing, and at times paradoxical, tensions influenced the author's thinking about his initial practices as a teacher educator. At the same time as he was refining his vision for social studies and coming to understand the potential significance of his teaching, he was also, sometimes paradoxically, exhibiting fear of regression in his work, displaying apathy or exhaustion, exhibiting frustration and restlessness, and struggling to navigate interpersonal relationships with his students.

The goal of this study was to examine the impact of core reflection on the authors' professional lives and practices as teacher educators. Analysis exposed four themes that defined the core identity issues in these data: (a) Understanding the contradictory nature of core qualities, (b) Confronting their own hypocrisies, (c) Holding ambiguity, and (d) Sustaining authenticity in everyday practice. The authors outline five categories of change in their teaching identities and practice. The authors conclude that in applying their own process of growth from this study, they seek to foster the trusting relationships and core connections in their teaching where students can realize and understand their emerging identities as teacher and self.

This article presents key findings from the Teaching and Learning International Survey (TALIS) conducted in 2007-2008. The aim was to provide comparative insights into the conditions of teaching and learning at their school, the leadership in their schools, their preparation and professional development, and the feedback and appraisal which they do—or do not—receive. TALIS yields important insights into current teaching practices in secondary school as well as teachers’ beliefs and attitudes. TALIS highlights not only that better and more targeted professional development is an important lever toward improvement but also that systems need to do better in matching the costs and benefit as well as supply and demand for professional development.

In this article, the authors describe the use of self-study as a frame for professional learning that grew out of a professional development program for teachers examining their practice in a dual-language K-4 school in Iowa. The authors argue that the use of self-study as the frame for their professional learning experience was seen as a powerful and positive experience overall, impacting both their own practice and the dual language program at large. The authors also argue that during the process of self-study, many of the teachers became supportive collegial friends, colleagues who appeared genuinely interested in working together to improve practice. By working as collegial friends, by engaging in critical discussions of genuine issues and teacher-chosen interests in improving practice, the dual language program as a whole benefited.

The authors are teacher educators in the Academic College of Education (ACE) program at Kaye Academic College of Education. Over the years, the 10 teacher educators working in the program have developed a community of practice. In this article, the authors explore the crisis they confronted as a professional learning community, the tensions underlying the crisis, the paths to resolving their crisis, and their decision to look more closely at how collaborative communities of practice affect both group and individual identities. The data analysis revealed two general thematic tensions that supported the authors' understanding of their group’s crisis and led them to identify two metaphors that would help them develop a way out of their crisis. These tensions – preservation versus change and collective versus individual identity – related to their shared language and individual and group identity.