The Professional Life Cycle of Teachers

ABSTRACT

This classic article is a fascinating analysis of teachers' life-cycles, drawing on a large study of Swiss teachers who experienced major school reform in the 1960s and 1970s. The late and much-missed Michael Huberman built on 6 ways to characterize the mood a teacher might be at a particular point of their: discovery, survival, stabilization, experimentation/activism, taking-stock/self-doubt, and serenity. He then explored how these played out in the lives of about 200 actual teachers, and how teachers' professional experiences shape the interaction of fatigue, stress, creativity, insight, commitment, disengagement, learning, and reflection. His model provides much food for thought about how teacher professional development might affect teachers, depending on their needs and perceptions. A good paper to discuss!

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