In Search of Wholeness - by J Irvine (Paperback)

Book Synopsis

In Search of Wholeness: African American Teachers and their Culturally Specific Classroom Practices is a theoretical and practice-oriented treatment of how culture and race influence African American teachers. This collection of essays, edited by Jacqueline Jordan Irvine, assumes that teachers cannot become fully functional persons and competent professionals if their cultural selves remain denied, hidden, and unexplored. Part one reviews the literature related to teachers' race and culture. Part two includes research studies about teachers confronting issues of culture and race in their personal and professional lives. The final chapter focuses on the responses of three of the teachers whose stories are portrayed in the book. In addition to the compelling case studies, other topics explored include: multicultural professional development for African American teachers, African American teachers' perceptions of their professional roles and practices, a comparison of effective black and white teachers of African American students, the development of teacher efficacy of an African American middle school teacher, the professional development journey of an effective African American elementary school teacher, seizing hope through culturally responsive praxis, collective stories on culturally specific pedagogy. In Search of Wholeness is an indispensable and groundbreaking collection that administrators, students, and educators of all ages will not want to be without.

Review Quotes

"Grounded in research, case studies, and personal narratives, this remarkable book informs us how African American teachers' cultural experiences and ethnic identity influence their classroom practices. This book is essential reading for all educators interested in the recruitment, retention, and professional development of teachers of color." - Lisa D. Delpit, Benjamin E. Mays Professor of Educational Leadership, Georgia State University

About the Author

Jacqueline Jordan Irvine is the Charles Howard Candler Professor of Urban Education in the Division of Educational Studies at Emory University. She is the recipient of countless awards, including the 2000 Dewitt-Wallace/American Educational Research Association Lecture Award.