A Book Review on Teacher Educator Experiences and Professional Development: Perspectives From the Caribbean

Abstract

Research corroborates that "two qualities which may show teachers the right way in this career journey are their inclination toward education-based research practice and attending to their Continuing Professional Development (CPD) needs" (Derakhshan et al., 2020, p. 1). However, the pendulum has swung much toward teacher professional development (PD) needs, with little attention dedicated to identifying teacher educator professional development needs. Consequently, Jennifer Yamin-Ali's monograph, entitled Teacher Educator Experiences and Professional Development: Perspectives from the Caribbean, is a thoughtful voice on teacher educators' professional growth. Reliable and valid research findings constitute an authentic and underappreciated image of a teacher educator from different viewpoints. The specific locus of the research described in this volume is a School of Education, with 34 teacher educators, located in the Caribbean. The book unpacks how such factors as teacher-student interpersonal factors, teacher support, teacher feedback, teacher knowledge and competencies, positive collegial atmosphere, valid course evaluation designs, action research, public advocacy, peer evaluation, self-reflection, among many other factors can contribute to the teacher educators' PD repertoire.This monograph, a collection of novel and exploratory research articles concentrating on five different aspects of teacher educator PD needs, encompasses five chapters. Triangulating data through questionnaires, interviews, and institutional student assessment of courses from 460 student-teachers from two programs, Chapter 1 explores how student-teachers' voices and feedback can determine the PD needs for teacher educators. The findings document that time management and planning, course evaluation, action research, teaching competencies, specific teaching skills and strategies, self-studies, and personal factors constitute the professional development needs of teachers that should be seriously taken into account. The chapter highlights the role of interpersonal communication factors and emotions to boost personal interaction, communication, and engagement. Yamin-Ali recapitulates that "teacher educators should be instrumental in the development of the instruments used for their formal evaluation, which can consequently provide more reliable and valid results on which to base decision-making as far as their developmental needs are concerned" (p. 33).In another evidence-based study, Chapter 2 scrutinizes to what extent teacher educators' development is fostered through non-teaching and non-research activities. Collecting data from