Search results for: Ritter Jason K.

In this collaborative self-study, the authors were interested to examine their own transition from doctoral students to assistant professors. Data revealed three turning points highlight the impact of the authors' new roles on all aspects of their practice as teacher educators and their thinking about teaching and teachers. The first turning point speaks to how the authors were challenged to reframe what counts as quality teaching in the academy. The second turning point revealed the authors' feeling that it is important to be strategic about the research they conduct to ensure sufficient opportunities for publication. Finally, the third turning point was an expression of the pressure the authors felt to do an outstanding job at each of the three components of their roles: teaching, research, and service.

In this article, two beginning teacher educators discuss their experiences of professional learning and identity construction during the first years of their work as academics. The authors entered teacher education after working as classroom teachers but, as has been found by others in the literature, were provided with little formal preparation for this career transition. The tensions and dilemmas inherent in being ‘expert’ teachers and ‘novice’ teacher educators are discussed. The authors emphasize particularly the complexity of developing professional connections with colleagues in the academic context.