Learning, Leading, and the Best-Loved Self in Teaching and Teacher Education

This book explores the concept of the "best-loved self" in teaching and teacher education, asserting that the best-loved self is foundational to the development of teacher identity, growth in context, and learning in community. Drawing on the work of Joseph Schwab, who was the first to name the "best-loved self," the editors and their contributors extend this knowledge further through the collaboration of their group of teacher educators, known as the Faculty Academy. The Faculty Academy has been involved in teacher education research for over two decades.

Cheryl J. Craig is Professor and the Houston Endowment Endowed Chair of Urban Education at Texas A&M University, USA. She also serves as the Program Lead of Technology and Teacher Education and is the founding director of the Collaborative for Innovation in Teacher Education. Craig is an American Educational Research Association (AERA) Fellow and has received career awards from AERA's Division B (Curriculum) and Division K (Teacher Education).

Denise M. McDonald is Professor, Program Coordinator of Teacher Education, and Sandra Johnson/Barrios Technology Endowed Professor at the University of Houston – Clear Lake, USA. McDonald teaches curriculum and instruction courses in undergraduate, master’s, and doctoral programs. Her research interests include teacher education, scholarly identity formation, learner motivation, and reflective, relational, and exemplary pedagogy. She employs qualitative research methods, such as self-study, narrative inquiry, and critical ethnography to explore topics of interest. 

Gayle A. Curtis is a Program Manager for the Asian American Studies Center at the University of Houston, USA, and Research Associate for the College of Education and Human Development, Texas A&M University, USA. Her research delves into the lives of teachers, teacher preparation, reflective practice, teacher collaboration, and identity. She employs narrative inquiry, critical ethnography and self-study depending on the inquiry at hand.