Robert V. Bullough, Jr. and Kerrie Baughman . (1997). "First Year Teacher" Eight Years Later: An Inquiry into Teacher Development. Reviewed by Kenneth R. Howey University of Wisconsin--Milwaukee

Robert V. Bullough, Jr. and Kerrie Baughman . (1997). "First Year Teacher" Eight Years Later: An Inquiry into Teacher Development. New York: Teachers College Press 224 pp. $20.95 (Paper)       ISBN: 0-8077-3650-3 $46 (Cloth)           ISBN 0-8077-3651-1 Reviewed by Kenneth R. Howey University of Wisconsin--Milwaukee January 30, 1999           "First-Year Teacher" Eight Years Later is a rather extraordinary book for a variety of reasons. First, it is not only an unusually collaborative scholarly endeavor but one which extended over a 10-year period, allowing for one three-year hiatus. One of the collaborators is Robert Bullough, a teacher educator and researcher who has had his scholarly works published broadly. The second is Kerrie Baughman, a middle school teacher, who David Berliner in the foreword to the book aptly characterized as "the type of teacher we all want for our children." As part of this protracted endeavor Bullough estimates that he observed his partner teach weekly well over 200 times. Hence we have the rare combination of a longitudinal study with a very significant observational component which is interspersed with rich dialogue as evident throughout the book.           The second distinctive feature of their study and this resulting book is the range and variety of scholarly work that guided their continuing discourse and the multiple interpretations of teacher development which they shared. The authors draw from postmodern perspectives, narrative reasoning, life-cycle and development stages, belief/practice congruities and changing teacher beliefs, teacher reasoning, teacher problem solving and the development of expertise, expectation theory, school renewal and culture building, and finally what they particularly view professionalism to be. Thus, this joint analysis of one teacher's journey and her development over time is indeed many splendored with rich linkages to diverse scholarly work.           This mutual inquiry is, of course, a form of teacher--and teacher educator--development itself and Bullough observes: Our inquiry has changed me. This change has not been merely intellectual. I know and understand more about teaching and teacher development, and I also feel more. I have found that when I observe other classes, I am intuitively sharper; as a result of our study, I have a better nose for what is going right or wrong in a classroom and I have greater empathy for the difficulty of teaching and relating to young people. I am a bit less likely to rush to judgment than before, and I am certainly more forgiving of mistakes. This is a result of Kerrie's allowing me to come to see the classroom, to a degree, through her eyes, and to recognize my own biases and blindness. These are no small gifts, and for them I am profoundly grateful. (p. 6)           Because of the diverse perspectives represented in the various chapters, this reviewer decided to briefly address each chapter in addition to sharing more holistic and summative observations about the text.           In the opening chapter the authors provide a backdrop and context for the study of Kerrie's career. Here Kerrie speaks candidly about her working relationship with Professor Bullough over time and how it impacted this impressive work: Our long association has been very valuable. Over the past decade, Bob and I have been able to peel my teaching like an onion: we dealt with each layer as we came to it. This takes time and trust. For example, a teacher's personal life profoundly affects teaching, but it took time for me to talk about my life. (p. 9)           This opening chapter is especially helpful when the authors speak to the distinctive methodological problems inherent in such a collaborative venture, including how both of their points of view could be adequately and accurately represented in the interpretations of Kerrie's development, how the validity of their interpretations could be established, and how to effectively present the wealth of data accumulated over time. These are knotty issues and care is taken to address each of these concerns. Overall they succeed, but from the perspective of this reviewer the voice of professor Bullough, who took responsibility for the overall editing of the book, seems to unnecessarily predominate at times, especially in chapters 2, 5, and 8. Nonetheless there is no doubt that this is the story of Kerrie's teaching and her development over time and her voice also comes through in a cogent and graphic manner.           In chapter two the authors draw on what they view as particularly compelling aspects of a postmodern social order to locate a portrayal of teacher developments. They note the pervasive nature of difference, particularity, and irregularity in postmodern times to underscore that even the most established teachers will increasingly have to change to accommodate the great diversity among students, student progress, and learning outcomes. Such differences will also call for different kinds of schools and school contexts. In this manner they address the normative question of: "Teacher development for what purpose?" They argue that while students rightfully expect instructional competence from their teachers, they expect more. They "also expect to be greeted by a whole person, a caring person, one who knows who and what he is, who has moral standing and who can be counted on to continue standing face to face with students" (p. 24). While I would not argue with the central premise they share about the nature of teaching; that is, "teachers cannot stand before a class without standing for something--teaching is testimony," the chapter does seem unnecessarily unequivocal about what constitutes teacher professionalism--and unduly harsh of others' efforts in these regards. For example, one can, and many teacher do, assert that their involvement in National Board certification was a powerful developmental experience and a sustained exercise in demonstrating professional accountability through documentation of their impact on students. Their negative portrayal of National Board Certification is a bit draconian for this reviewer.           "Knowing oneself" as a cornerstone of professionalism leads to their unique next chapter concerned with biography and narrative reasoning. Herein they contend these are powerful catalysts for teacher development, and the book is indeed testimony to this. They share three edited versions of Kerrie's story of becoming a teacher: the first was told before her first year of teaching, the second prompted by a construal of stages of teacher development and told in phases five years later, and the third occurring in the eighth and final year of her teaching. The three stories are compared and contrasted from both of their perspectives in a particularly compelling and insightful chapter about the nature of development. The power of narrative reasoning comes through especially in Kerrie's retelling of her story. This chapter underscores the profoundly personal, artistic and, moral dimensions of teaching and the powerful intersection of teaching with a teacher's life and beliefs generally. Baughman and Bullough argue persuasively for narrative reasoning as an integral aspect of programs of veteran teacher development, and this reviewer would add, preservice teacher education.           This narrative reasoning is further explored in the following chapter as Kerrie's development is examined in the light of the descriptive life cycles and phases of teacher development postulated by Huberman (1989). Given the context for much of Huberman's research on teacher development, questions can be raised as to why this particular construct of teacher development was employed to examine Kerrie's profile. Certainly Kerrie's decision, at the "top of her game," to seek a position in a very different school context, contrasts sharply with Huberman's more linear scheme of common patterns of teacher development. However, the authors do acknowledge the problems of linearity in stage theory and its failure generally to account for what explains movement from one stage to the next. This question drives their inquiry. However, using development constructs as a heuristic tool and a conceptual lens for examining one teacher in-depth is helpful. Examining it through several development constructs would be even more so but that is beyond the scope of this book..           In the subsequent chapter concerned with changing beliefs, these authors approach the matter of teacher change more directly. They suggest that a strong argument can be made that the central aim of teacher education is to influence the grounds on which teachers make decisions with a focus on the arguments and warrants that support such reasoning. A criticism of The First-Year Teacher was its lack of attention to the burgeoning literature on teacher reasoning and chapters 5 and 6 especially seek to address this criticism. I do think that more attention to the nature of the warrants Kerrie provides for her decisions would help with the distinctions they make between beliefs, attitudes, and knowledge, and especially between beliefs held evidentially and nonevidentially. The chapter nonetheless does dramatically reveal changes in Kerrie's beliefs over time. The authors also draw on the work of Good and Brophy (1998) on teacher expectations to remind us that teachers generally are open to evidence contrary to their expectations and that they frequently make adjustments in their expectations. Kerrie's sustained commitment to understand her students and to draw on many sources of information and data in order to do this provides a vivid example of this openness. Despite such openness and dedication to task, beliefs, as has been amply demonstrated, don't change quickly or easily. This book uniquely illustrates how change takes place over a number of years and "represents an outcome of a purposeful and sometimes painful attempt to become a better teacher and make sense of life in changing circumstances" (p. 100).           Chapter Six provides an analysis of how Kerrie attempted to resolve three major problems that she encountered at various times in her career in an effort to shed light on how teacher expertise is acquired and enabled over time. While there have been a number of studies of the differences and similarities between novice and expert teachers, little research has been conducted into how this expertise is acquired by the veteran teacher especially. Thus, this rare longitudinal study affords an opportunity to examine one teacher's evolution in these regards. This reviewer greatly appreciated the unique perspective provided but would argue that the developmental journey speaks more to forms of problem solving and teacher reasoning than to the acquisition of expertise per se, even if the former are central aspects of expertise. It would have also been helpful to have more elaboration in this section of the book in the methodology employed in examining this problem solving over time.           Despite these concerns, this chapter, just as the book as a whole, is illuminating and the complexity and constancy of problems which teachers face are portrayed vividly and persuasively. For example, in reflecting upon Kerrie's assignment to teach geography despite having neither a major nor a minor in this area, the authors observe: Problems come to teachers in clusters and no one can address them all at once; compromises and trade-offs are inevitable. Like hungry men milling about in front of a soup kitchen, some teaching problems are more pushy and more demanding than others that patiently await their turn; still, all must be fed. Necessarily teachers engage in ongoing triage, deciding, perhaps mostly intuitively, on a shifting field what problems will get attention, what kind they will get, and for how long they will hold it. (p. 128)           Understandably then, Bullough and Baughman underscore the necessity of schools designed and intended for teachers as well as for students to learn, referring to these as second-order environments and note that it is not enough, however, to identify in general terms the attributes of such environments. Rather, in-depth studies are needed, such as theirs, which inquire over time into the interactions between teachers and their workplace. Such inquiry can identify more particularly just what interactions do lead to teacher development.           Given the host of problems which Kerrie faced and the considerable differences in the two school environments in which she worked, it is no surprise that Kerrie's development, and teacher development generally, is uneven. The influence of environment is strikingly portrayed in chapter seven when Kerrie is assigned a youngster with Down's syndrome, a condition for which she had no previous training and for which she received no special supplemental service or assistance, as ostensibly required by law. Her situation was further compounded by the additional assignment to her classroom: a large and menacing "man-child" with serious personal problems. The authors use this situation to illustrate the major workload and role definition problems attendant to so many public school teachers. This is a long-standing problem that from this perspective continues to be exasperated in part because initial teacher education continues to prepare teachers for what in many regards is an unrealistic role. For example, self-contained elementary teachers are not only expected to teach a half a dozen or more subjects in a quality manner but perform a host of other functions, some of which could be construed as parental. Beyond this, teachers tend to be socialized in their teacher preparation to work largely alone. They don't acquire the understanding that their demanding responsibilities should and can be shared with others. In this regard Kerrie exemplifies the "good" teacher. She rarely, if ever, refuses requests, going "the extra mile," and at times assuming responsibility for matters largely beyond her control.           Given this all-too-common situation it is no surprise that the authors in chapter eight portray professionalism as a form of ethical responsibility within a specific educational community. However, they could speak more to how collective and shared responsibilities are best achieved since from their perspective professionalism would be manifest by the value and quality of teacher investment in the school environment and their commitment to one another. Respect, the authors contend, "comes only from living and working with others who recognize the complexity of teaching and value and honor those who do it well and work to help others do it better--or do something else if they cannot" (p. 177).           The authors acknowledge the two-edged sword of increased teacher involvement in matters at the all-school level and of intensified collaboration with one another. They underscore the high price of participation as portrayed so poignantly in Kerrie's story. Too little attention, they argue, has been paid to the emotional life of teachers and to the delicate balance between individual autonomy and collective accountability.           Thus, in the final chapter these two scholars return to the matter of working conditions, coping, and stress attached to teaching. After eight years in the classroom this devoted teacher gets an unexpected but attractive offer outside of public education and decides to take it. They title this chapter "Journey's End...A Small Tragedy," and unfortunately this not-so-small tragedy is widespread. Baughman and Bullough conclude that she needed boundaries as a teacher and likely needed help in setting them. She realized only a few months before resigning that she had indeed overextended herself. Quietly she was wearing down and she observes: "One thing I had been searching for is peace. You don't find [peace] in a classroom full of thirteen-year-olds...." This reviewer was surprised that dialogue between the two about this problem over time did not receive more attention in the text.           The common themes identified in this unique work, several of which are noted in this review, are important and have major policy and practical implications, as the authors suggest. As a teacher educator, this reviewer would have liked more attention in the text to how the problems and issues that fueled Kerrie's decision to take another position outside of education and constrained her development might be addressed. For example, how might teacher preparation become an endeavor that prepares teachers to assume a more reasonable span of responsibility, be members of a team with a complementary division of labor, and more fully share accountability? What specifically are strategies for learning from and with others on the job? How, for example, might study groups, peer assistance, variations on shared-action research and problem solving, actual team teaching, and forms of classroom experimentation that fully engage youngsters in addressing problems along with their teachers, become more manifest than at present? What form of preservice teacher preparation and enculturation, continuing development and organizational structures might promote and sustain the type of professionalism argued for and portrayed so vividly in this text?           It would not be fair to say that the book begs such questions, only that this reviewer would have liked more attention to them. I raise the question because as a reader I was very provoked and most informed by the book. This is an insightful and provocative portrayal of teaching and a teacher over time. It resonates with realism and reveals complexities that have no single, simple solution. The book was written primarily for teachers--it is the story of a teacher--but also for those who work with teachers in their continuing development. As a teacher educator myself who works with beginning, as well as veteran teachers, I believe the book speaks to the novice as well as to the veteran. The provocative questions at the conclusion of each chapter are capable of stimulating needed dialogue for teachers at all stages of their development. I have found myself returning to salient passages in this book, for example, the scene when Kerrie decides that teaching, like writing, is indeed a recursive activity. I recommend this book highly and hope it is on and off the bookshelves of teachers and teacher educators alike as they reflect on the lessons contained therein. About the Reviewer Kenneth R. Howey Director, Holmes Partnership/UNITE 290 Engelmann Hall University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee PO Box 413 Milwaukee, WI 53201-0413 Voice: 414-229-5455       Fax: 414-229-2658 e-mail: howey@uwm.edu Kenneth Howey is a Professor of Education and Director of the Holmes Partnership Urban Network. This confederation of partnerships between schools and colleges of education and urban school districts across the country is concerned with the better preparation of teachers for those uarban settings and the renewal of urban K-12 schools. For over 3 decades, Professor Howey has been involved in research and reform activities in teacher education and K-12 schools resulting in numerous publications and several books about the education of teachers. He, along with Nancy Zimpher, was honored in 1999 by AACTE for distinguished service over time to teacher education.