Teachers touch the lives of thousands of young people during their careers, inspiring and motivating learners to reach their maximum potential. In order to be able to do their jobs effectively, they need to understand the context within which they work and be able to reflect critically on what they do and why. If you are embarking on a career in teaching and the prospect of influencing the future through your work with young people is both exciting and daunting, then this is the book for you.

The new edition is revised and updated throughout. It remains a unique and powerful combination of ideas, analysis, questions, answers and wisdom, with the combined professional experience of the editors and contributors providing a wealth of knowledge and opinion. Whilst the book's philosophy remains the same, the addition of three new chapters on `education for sustainability', `school effectiveness and improvement', and `education policy' - combined with eleven new contributors - provides fresh perspectives, ideas and issues for discussion.

The book is divided into four main sections:

• First thoughts
• Policy, society and schooling
• Teaching and learning
• Across the curriculum

It provides a broader context in which education sits by addressing fundamental areas such as classroom management, adolescence and assessment for learning, alongside practical advice and key issues to consider. Finally, the authors provide information about roles and responsibilities in areas including personal, social and health education, information technology, literacy and citizenship.

Becoming a Teacher is inspiring reading for prospective, trainee and new teachers, tutors and mentors.