How Teachers’ Personal Histories Shape Their Professional Development

Teaching What They Learn, Learning What They Live: How Teachers’ Personal Histories Shape Their

Professional Development

A preparation program is not the only force behind a teacher’s professional growth. Many social, economical, and political factors play parts in a teacher’s understanding of subject material, and effectively change the way in which he approaches his career. The author shows how a teacher’s own education includes his personal experiences and therefore the growth of his identity. All these individual experiences work together to make each teacher’s knowledge and interpretations different.

About the Author

Brad Olsen is an Assistant Professor of Education at the University of California at Santa Cruz. During his career, he has also taught high school English and educated other teachers.