Introduction to Secondary Teaching: Blending Wisdom, Research, and Social Justice

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By weaving various strands of teacher education scholarship, this book offers theories, practices, rationale, and actionable steps needed to be an effective secondary school teacher. Drawing from social justice pedagogies, evidence-based instruction, the wisdom of experienced teachers, and adolescent brain research, this book explores multiple aspects of teacher work. Chapters cover building relationships with students, classroom management, creating authentic learning experiences, planning and providing instruction, fostering motivation and engagement in learning, and designing meaningful and just assessments are all explored using the four strands of scholarship in conversation with one another.
Written to help new teachers enjoy success early on in their career so that they will sustain in the work long term, this book argues that we cannot wait for teachers to learn from experience alone. At the same time, this book looks to lay a foundation to help teachers sustain in this challenging profession and become the educational leaders we need. Rooted in this foundation is a new concept introduced, TIPPS, referring to teacher identity, presence, passion, and stance a conceptual framework that informs all aspects of a teachers work. Teacher educators will appreciate this course-friendly text, with its guiding questions, real-world examples, summarizing key points, and features by real teachers across a range of content areas, all bringing ideas and practices to life.
At a moment when education and teaching are undervalued and, in some cases, under attack, there can be a tendency to search for quick and cheap solutions in teacher education that only continue to devalue this essential profession. This book aims to be responsive to the current climate of teacher education without diminishing the integrity and art and science of this highly complex profession. Applicable across diverse political contexts in various states and districts, this book demonstrates that high-quality, student-centered instructionone that cultivates creativity, critical thinking, and civic-mindednessis itself a form of social justice.

Author Bio

Anthony Johnston was born and raised in the San Francisco Bay Area. Johnston initially enjoyed an acting career before electing to become a secondary school teacher. In a Coalition of Essential Schools-affiliated school in San Francisco, Leadership High School, he taught high school English for a decade and served as a department chair and as a school coach/consultant for Bay Area schools. In 2009, Johnston pursued a doctorate to become a professor of teacher education and began working as the secondary program director and an education professor at the University of Saint Joseph in West Hartford, CT, in 2014. In Connecticut, Johnston continues to support schools, teachers, and districts to develop and sustain socially just and equitable outcomes for students. Johnston is an active member of AERA, LRA, and NCTE. Johnston is committed to preparing teachers to be effective practitioners committed to equity, social justice, and liberation through meaningful and authentic learning experiences.