Book excerpt: This edited volume provides novice teachers with a practical guide to help them transition from teacher education students to independent, reflective and autonomous classroom teachers. It also serves as a scaffolding tool for mentor teachers assigned to support novice teachers during their first years in the field. Novice teachers can use this comprehensive resource as a way to connect the overarching conceptual themes and big ideas from their Teacher Education courses to their classroom practices. This book is designed to encourage novice teachers to make more intentional and pedagogically sound decisions during their beginning teaching experiences, whether it is fieldwork observations, student teaching, or the first years in the classroom. The book covers a variety of issues, including: getting to know your students, families and communities; curriculum development; and pedagogical decisions. Each of these sections contain specific chapters devoted to a particular concept such as assessment, instruction for diversity, integrating technology across the curriculum, action research and more. This book serves as a bridge between pedagogical theory and the realities of the 21st century classroom.