Skip to Main Content

Teaching Expertise in Three Countries: Japan, China, and the United States

Online ISBN:
9780226818665
Print ISBN:
9780226818658
Publisher:
University of Chicago Press
Book

Teaching Expertise in Three Countries: Japan, China, and the United States

Akiko Hayashi
Akiko Hayashi
Keio University
Find on
Published online:
19 January 2023
Published in print:
6 May 2022
Online ISBN:
9780226818665
Print ISBN:
9780226818658
Publisher:
University of Chicago Press

Abstract

Teaching Expertise in Three Countries focuses on continuity and change in preschool teachers over a period of a dozen years. It introduces an innovative method for studying the development of expertise over time and framework for conceptualizing the connections between national practices of professional development and the larger social, political, and cultural contexts in which teachers’ professional development takes place. Employing ‘video-cued multivocal ethnography’ to explore how teaching expertise is defined in each of these countries and to identify what processes help teachers acquire advanced teaching skills, this study of the development of expertise in preschool teaching in Japan, China, and the United States contributes new information on teaching expertise. In total, 112 experienced early childhood educators were interviewed. Each chapter starts with narratives of the featured teachers about the previous 13 years, then goes deeper into descriptions of what practices the participants used in each country. Importantly, this book has shown similarities in what the participants have to say about characteristics of less and more experienced teachers. Younger teachers often describe themselves as “being in a rush,” “following scripts,” and “talking too much,” while experienced teachers describe themselves as “being quieter,” “knowing children better,” and “being more present.” It also reveals how structural differences among the three countries impact notions of teaching expertise. Although these research findings are based on one study of preschool teachers in three countries, the findings may be applicable to other levels of education and even to other fields and domains in other countries.

Contents
Close
This Feature Is Available To Subscribers Only

Sign In or Create an Account

Close

This PDF is available to Subscribers Only

View Article Abstract & Purchase Options

For full access to this pdf, sign in to an existing account, or purchase an annual subscription.

Close