This open access book follows the development of the Building Resilience in Teacher Education (BRiTE) project across Australia and internationally. Drawing on the success of this project and the related research collaborations that have since emerged, it highlights the importance of cultivating resilience at various stages of teachers’ careers.
Divided into three sections, the book includes conceptual, empirical and applied chapters, designed to introduce readers to the field of research, provide empirical evidence and showcase innovative applications. The respective chapters illustrate the ways in which teacher resilience can be enhanced in a variety of contexts, and address specific learning activities, case studies, resources and strategies, student feedback and applied outcomes. They also consider future directions including cross-cultural applications and the use of technologies such as augmented reality. The book will appeal to researchers, teacher educators and teachers, as well as those interested in supporting the cultivation and ongoing development of professional resilience for pre-service and practicing teachers.
About the editors
Dr Caroline Mansfield is a Professor and Dean of the School of Education at The University of Notre Dame Australia, Fremantle. As a passionate teacher and teacher educator, Caroline has taught undergraduate and postgraduate courses on effective teaching, strategies to enhance student learning, and resilience in educational contexts. She has received awards of excellence for research, teaching and service to the community. Caroline’s research has centred on teacher resilience and wellbeing, particularly at the pre-service and early career stages. With the critical role teacher education plays in setting the stage for a successful career, Caroline has led three projects on supporting resilience at the pre-service level, most notably the internationally unique and successful BRiTE (Building Resilience in Teacher Education) project. Completed in 2015, the five BRiTE online learning modules continue to be widely used nationally by pre-service and practicing teachers, and have also attracted international users in the UK, Europe, USA and Canada. In 2016 Caroline was awarded a National Learning and Teaching Fellowship (Staying BRiTE) to collaborate with colleagues across Australia and develop contextually responsive approaches to promoting pre-service teacher resilience in higher education programs. Caroline’s future research will focus on the conditions that enable teachers to maintain engagement, commitment and motivation, and to thrive throughout their careers.
