Table of Contents

Promotional Information

I thoroughly enjoyed this text and have added it to the pre-course reading list. I thought it was highly contemporary, filled a gap in the market and would be very useful for those who are considering teaching and applying for teaching routes. -- Rebecca Matthews, St Marys University College What is particularly helpful is the teacher voice which gives both positive and negative comments to engender a balanced view about the nature of primary teaching and the challenges that are likely to be encountered. The structure of the chapters are interesting and will help give guidance in certain aspects which allows you to dip in and out. -- Sandra Nichols, University of Aberdeen I like the fact that it is very clear and directional, accessible and comprehensive and overall a really good guide to many of the issues encountered when thinking about going into teaching and then before starting the course. -- Tessa Willy, Institute of Education UCL

About the Author

Cathy Burnett worked as an actor-teacher, primary teacher and literacy consultant before taking on her current role as a reader in the department of teacher education at Sheffield Hallam University. She has been involved in supporting the initial and continuing development of teachers for many years and has published a wide range of book chapters and journal articles with a particular focus on literacy education, new technologies and becoming a teacher. She is particularly interested in investigating classroom practices and in understanding the connections between learning in and out of school.

David Owen taught in primary, secondary and residential environmental education settings before working at Sheffield Hallam University as a teacher educator.  He led the primary and early years programme at SHU for seven years before taking up his current role as Deputy Head of the Teacher Education Department.  His research has focused on geographical education, e-learning and teacher education course development. 

Andrew Hobson is a research professor at Sheffield Hallam University. His research is concerned with the experiences of and support for the professional learning and development of teachers, especially trainee, newly and recently qualified teachers. He has particular interests in teacher mentoring and well-being, and he is editor of the International Journal of Mentoring and Coaching in Education. Andy supervises research students in this field, in which he has published widely and led several research and evaluation projects.