The art of learning to teach creating professional narratives

The Art of Learning to Teach Creating Professional Narratives The Art of Learning to Teach Creating Professional Narratives Second Edition Mary Beattie Ontario Institute for Studies in Education University of Toronto PEARSON U pper Sad d le River, N ew Jersey C olu m bu s, O hio L ib rary of C on gress C ata lo g in g -in -P u b lica tio n D ata B eattie, M ary T h e art of learn in g to teach: creatin g p ro fession al narrativ es/ M arv B eattie.— 2nd ed p cm In clu d es b ib lio g rap h ical references ISBN -1 -1 74769-X Stu d en t teach ers— Biography S tu d en t teaching I Title L B 2157.A 3B 39 2006 370.71' 1— dc22 20 0 V ice P resid en t and E x e cu tiv e P u b lish er: Jeffery W Jo h n sto n E xecu tiv e E ditor: D ebra A S to llen w erk S en io r E d ito rial A ssista n t: M arv M orrill P ro d u ctio n E d itor: Kris R oach P ro d u ctio n C o o rd in atio n : S h aro n M o n to o th , M ichael B ass & A sso cia tes D esign C o o rd in ato r: D ian e C L oren zo Art and C o v er D esig n : Jason M oore P ro d u ctio n M an ag er: Su san H ann ah s D irecto r o f M ark etin g : D avid G esell S en io r M ark etin g M an ag er: D arcy B etts P rybella M ark etin g C o o rd in ato r: Brian M ou nts T his b o o k w as set in P a la tin o by Integra S o ftw a re S erv ices It w as printed and bou nd by R.R D o n n elley & S o n s C om pany T h e c o v er w as prin ted bv R.R D on n elley & S on s C om pany C o p y rig h t © 2007, 2001 by P earso n E d u ca tio n , Inc., U p p e r S ad d le R iver, N ew Jersey 07458 P earson P ren tice Hall All rig h ts reserved P rin ted in the U nited S tates o f A m erica T h is p u b lica tio n is p ro tected by C o p y rig h t and p erm ission shou ld be ob tain ed from the p u b lish e r p rior to any p ro h ib ited rep ro d u ctio n , storag e in a retriev al sy stem , o r tra n sm issio n in anv form o r by anv m ean s, electro n ic, m e ch an ica l, p h o to co p y in g , record in g , or lik ew ise For in fo rm a tio n regard in g p e rm issio n (s), w rite to: R igh ts and P erm issio n s D ep artm en t P earson P ren tice H all '1 is a tra d e m a rk o f P earson E d u ca tio n , Inc Pearson® is a reg istered tra d e m a rk o f P earson pic P ren tice H a l l5 is a registered tra d em a rk o f P earso n E d u catio n , Inc M errill® is a registered tra d e m a rk o f P earson E d u ca tio n , Inc P earson P earson P earson P earson E d u catio n Ltd P earso n E d u ca tio n A u stralia Ptv L im ited E d u catio n S in g a p o re Pte Ltd P earson E d u catio n N orth A sia Ltd E d u cation C an ad a, Ltd Pearson E d u cación de M exico, S A de C V E d u ca tio n — Ja p a n P earson E d u ca tio n M alaysia Pte Ltd PEARSON 10 ISBN : -1 -1 769-X Life m ust be lived forw ards, but it can only be understood backw ards K ierkegaard T h is b o o k is ab o u t p ro fessio n al learn in g in the co n tex t of b eco m in g a teacher and of learning to teach The journey you are about to begin will en g ag e you in reflectio n and in qu iry w h ere you w ill exp lore w h at you have learned from your life experiences You w ill learn to articu late w hat you know and u se it to learn w hat you need to know T h ro u g h o u t this learning journey, you will be encouraged to explore the values, beliefs, and assu m p tions w hich inform your actions and practices, and exam ine them in the light of new insights and u nd erstandings You w ill d ocu m en t the d eta ils o f y o u r reflectio n s and on g oin g inquiry, and ev en tu ally w rite a n arrative of professional learning that is unique to the person you are and to the p rofession al teacher you w ant to becom e Your narrative w ill p ro­ vide insigh ts into your learning and u nlearning, your m ethods of reflec­ tion and inquiry, and your w ays of creating an ethically based professional k n ow led g e in teaching It w ill also show the person and the p erson ality b eh in d the id e a s and issu es, and p ro v id e in sig h ts in to y o u r learn in g p ro ce sses, y o u r b e lie fs and th eo ries of teach in g and le a rn in g , you r passion s and preoccupations, and your hopes and dream s T h e n a rra tiv e s you read th ro u g h o u t the b o o k w ill p resen t you w ith the d eta ils o f the lea rn in g jo u rn ey s taken by o th er b e g in n in g teach ers T h ese n a rra tiv e s w ill stim u la te y o u r reflectio n s and in q u iry as you read ab o u t the w a y s in w h ich each of th ese in d iv id u als learn ed to q u estio n , to m ak e c o n n e c tio n s, and to create a p ro fessio n al k n o w led g e th at w as u n iq u e ly th e irs T h e y sh o w h ow the p e rso n a l and p ro fe s s io n a l are co n n ected in th eir lives, and h ow le a rn in g in v o lv es the w h o le p erso n — the in te lle c tu a l, e m o tio n a l, so cia l, m oral, a esth etic, and sp iritu al asp e cts o f th e p e r so n w h o is b e c o m in g a teach er T h e ir n a rra tiv e s a lso sh o w h ow m a k in g c o n n e c tio n s an d r e la tio n s h ip s is a c e n tra l a s p e c t o f c r e a tin g a p r o fe s s io n a l k n o w le d g e in te a c h in g — th e re la tio n s h ip b etw een all a sp e c ts of the p erso n w h o is b eco m in g a teach er, b etw een iii iv Preface the se lf and o th ers, b etw een p ctice and theory, b etw een p ast e x p e ri­ e n c e and fu tu re g o a ls, and b e tw e e n th e w ay th in g s are an d th e w ay th ey m ig h t be You will read about the w ays in w hich these b eg in n in g teach ers used the in q u iry p ro cess to ex p lo re the w a y s in w h ich th ey h a v e learn ed th ro u g h o u t th eir liv es, to learn ab o u t d iffe re n ce an d d iv e rs ity a m o n g stu d ents, and to learn to teach in w ays that w ould en h an ce all stu d en ts' learnin g T h eir n arrativ es p ro v id e in sig h ts in to the w ay s in w h ich th ey learn ed a b o u t stu d e n ts' in terests, a b o u t th e ir d iv e rse le a rn in g sty le s, b a ck g ro u n d s, and p u rp o ses T h ey a lso sh o w h ow th ey sea rch ed for teach in g strategies and classroom proced ures that w ou ld en g ag e stu d en ts m ore fully in the learnin g process and w ould in sp ire them to p articip ate in the cu rricu lu m o f the c la ssro o m in a u th e n tic and p e rso n a lly m e a n ­ in g fu l w ays A s you read th ro u g h th e se n a rra tiv e s o f p ro fe ssio n a l le a rn in g , you w ill read a b o u t sig n ific a n t e x p e rie n c e s o f le a rn in g and u n learn in g , and o f how the p ro cesses o f reflectio n and in q u iry en ab led these b eg in n in g teach ers to u nd erstand their roles in the co n tex t o f a quest for th e goo d , and o f m a k in g a d iffe re n ce n ot o n ly in th e ir cla s sro o m s , but in their sch ools and in society In so d oing, they created a stron g co rre­ sp o n d e n ce b etw een th eir m eth o d s o f in qu iry, th eir re flectiv e p ro ce sse s and teach in g p ractices, and those espou sed in cu rren t p ed ag o g ical theory, in research and p rofession al jou rn als, in m eth o d s classes, and in p ro fes­ sional discussions T h e n a rra tiv e s and a c tiv itie s th ro u g h o u t the b o o k are d e sig n e d to h elp you to explore the com p lexities of b ecom in g a teach er and of le a rn ­ ing to teach T h ey w ill h elp you to reco g n ize you r stren g th s and to u se them to learn w hat you need to know, to d ev elo p you r u n iq u e voice, and to learn how to hear the v oices of others T h ey are also d esign ed to help you to deal w ith the com p lexities and d ifficu lties o f creatin g an au th en tic profession al identity, d ev elo p in g m ean in g fu l relation sh ip s w ith stu d en ts and colleagu es, and fosterin g d em o cra tic learn in g co m m u n ities in v ou r classroom and school The narratives are w ritten in b eg in n in g teach ers' ow n voices, in their ow n lan gu age, and in form s that allow ed them to focu s on their p articu lar p rio rities and p ersp ectiv es T h ese in d iv id u a ls co m e from a n g e o f acad em ic and cu ltu ral b ack g ro u n d s and rep resen t d ifferen t age grou p s Th ey all cam e to the teach er ed u cation program w ith an u n d erg rad u ate degree in the arts, h u m an ities, or scien ces So m e had ju st recen tly c o m ­ p leted th eir u n d erg d u a te d eg rees; o th ers had left jo b s and ca re e rs to em b ark on a career in teaching T h eir n arrativ es w ere w ritten in the c o n ­ text of the tea ch er ed u ca tio n p ro g m w h ere th ey w ere e n ro lled as a co h o rt in tw o c o n se cu tiv e co u rses in the fo u n d a tio n s o f e d u c a tio n : (a) D eveloping a P ersonal P hilosop h y and (b) Teaching: Stu d en ts, Sch o o ls, and System s Preface v In the context of these tw o courses, individuals w orked on a variety of activities, assignm ents, and projects that engaged them in the follow ing: • Ind ivid ual and collaborativ e inquiry • O ngoin g reflective w riting • Exploration and sharing of m etaphors and im ages of teaching and learning • R ole-p lay and sim ulation activities • A nalysis of critical incid ents in practice • Story tellin g • C oop erative and group presentations T h ese activ ities and their ongoing reflections and inqu iry provided in d i­ v id u a ls w ith m u ltip le o p p o rtu n ities to ex p lo re th eir ow n b eliefs and u n d ersta n d in g s, to share ideas w ith oth ers, to h ear v iew s and p er­ sp ectiv es d ifferen t to their ow n, and to create a p rofession al kn ow led ge in teaching As you read their narratives, you will hear the voices of practitioners w ho w rite, and not those o f trained w riters Ind ividually and collectively, these n arrativ es ackn ow led g e the in tercon n ected n ess of the m ind and the b o d y the em otio n s and the intellect, and the spirit and the senses, in the p ro ce ss o f b e co m in g a tea ch er and of learn in g to teach H ere, sp irit or spiritual is u n d erstood in a secu lar way, referring to a n on m aterial source of m ean in g in an in d iv id u a l's life Each n arrative provides in sigh ts into the u n iq u e jo u rn e y tak en by each in d iv id u a l w h o is d raw in g from a u n iq u e set o f past exp erien ces and has his or her ow n unique dream s and g o a ls for th e fu tu re T h e in d iv id u a l n a rra tiv e s p resen t the p a rtic u la r c o m p le x itie s and p ro ce sses of in q u iry th at are d istin ctiv e to that in d i­ v id u a l and in to the w ay in w h ich new ex p e rie n c e s, c o n v e rsa tio n s, in tera ctio n , and co lla b o tio n en ab led that in d iv id u al to exp an d h is or h er k n o w le d g e , n g e of p c tic e s, p ersp e c tiv e s, and w o rld v iew s C ollectively, they provid e insights into the w ays in w hich these b egin n in g teach ers cam e to recog nize the necessity to create classroom co m m u n ities that are b ased in the exp erien ces and realities of the learn er rath er than those of the teacher T h ey also show how in d ivid u als learned to teach for stu d e n t e n g a g e m e n t and stu d e n t su ccess, and ad d ress co m m o n issu es th at fa ce e v e ry p ro sp e c tiv e tea ch er: the d ifferen ce s b etw een h ow they w ere tau g h t and the w ays in w hich they m ust teach, betw een w hat they th em selv es h ave exp erien ced and w hat their stu d en ts h ave exp erien ced and are ex p erien cin g , betw een the kinds of sch ools they attended th em ­ selves and tho se in w hich they teach, and betw een the b egin n in g teachers they are and the p rofession al teach ers they w ant to becom e In d iv id u a lly and c o lle ctiv e ly , the n a rra tiv e s are te stim o n y to the co m p lex ities of b eco m in g a teacher, to the joy s and d ifficu lties associated w ith th e r e c o g n itio n th a t o n e 's in d iv id u a l v iew s an d le a rn in g sty le s vi Preface are v alid b u t are n ot u n iv e rsa lly sh ared , and to the im p o rta n c e o f o n ­ g o in g re flectio n , q u e stio n in g , and self-d irected in q u iry in p ro fessio n a l le a rn in g T h e y are a te sta m e n t to the p ro fo u n d ly h u m a n e n d e a v o r of b eco m in g a teacher, an en d eav or that en gages each p erson in tellectu ally, e m o tio n a lly , so cia lly , p h y sica lly , m orally, and sp iritu a lly T h e y b e a r w itn ess to the w ays in w h ich p rofession al learn in g is a jo u rn ey that lin ks th e in d iv id u a l's p a st, p re sen t, and fu tu re in p ro fo u n d ly in tim a te and h u m an w ays THE PHILOSOPHY OF THE TEXT T h e ph iloso p h y of this text is based on a h olistic and n arrativ e ap p ro ach to teach in g and learning It is u nd erstood that teach er ed u cation is based in inquiry, w hich is focu sed on the d ev elop m en t o f the w h ole p erson w h o is b e c o m in g a teach er T h is in v o lv es the d e v e lo p m e n t o f s e lf-k n o w le d g e , k n o w le d g e o f o th e rs, an d k n o w led g e o f w o rk in g c o lla b o tiv e ly w ith oth ers in classroom s, sch ools, and com m u n ities It is ack n o w led g ed that b ecom in g a teach er and learnin g to teach are in extricab ly in tertw in ed and that p ro fession al learnin g is grou nd ed in the in d iv id u al's past exp erien ces, cu rren t p u rp o ses, and fu tu re asp iration s It is also u n d ersto o d that in d i­ v id u als stru ct m ean in g from their in terp retation s o f their exp erien ces and recon stru ct their k n o w led g e in the light of new exp erien ces, insights, and u nd erstan d in g s P ro s p e c tiv e te a c h e rs b rin g a w e a lth o f p rio r e x p e rie n c e , p e rso n a l k n o w le d g e , and u n d e r s ta n d in g to th e p ro fe ssio n a l le a rn in g situ a tio n , w h ich p ro v id es th em w ith a rich reso u rce for reflection and inquiry T his k n o w led g e, m ost o f w h ich has b een g ain ed as a stu d en t, m u st b e e x a m ­ ined and reco n stru cte d in the co n tex t o f b eco m in g a teach er and in the creatio n of a p ro fessio n a l k n o w led g e o f teach in g By reflectin g on o n e 's ow n ex p e rien ce, and throu gh d iscu ssio n s and co n v ersatio n w ith oth ers, the in d iv id u a l d ev elo p s his or h er v oice and ex p an d s it throu gh h earin g the in sig h ts and u n d ersta n d in g s o f o th ers T h is p h ilo so p h ica l p e r s p e c ­ tive is g rou n d ed in D e w ey 's (1966) n otion that w e learn from e x p e rien ce and reflectio n on ex p erien ce and that the "ed u ca tio n a l p ro cess is o n e of co n tin u a l reo rg an izin g , reco n stru ctin g , tran sfo rm in g e x p e rie n ce " (p 50) T h e goal o f this kind of teach er ed u catio n is to en ab le b eg in n in g teach ers to re o rg a n iz e an d re co n stru ct th e ir p erso n a l k n o w le d g e in to a p r o fe s ­ sio n a l k n o w le d g e o f te a c h in g b y p ro v id in g m a n y o p p o rtu n itie s for reflectin g on p rior and cu rren t ex p erien ces, for co n sid erin g and a d ap tin g w h a t is k n o w n th ro u g h liste n in g to th e p e r s p e c tiv e s o f a v a r ie ty o f o th e rs, fo r stim u la tin g n ew w a y s o f th in k in g , and for d e v e lo p in g the p c tic e s , h a b its , an d c a p a c itie s for o n g o in g re fle c tio n , in q u iry , and m ea n in g m ak in g Preface vii T h is co n c e p tu a l fra m ew o rk can be o u tlin ed in th ese th ree m ajo r them es: • Teacher ed u cation is a holistic enterprise grounded in relationships, involving the w hole person, and based in the text of the in d iv id u al's w hole life • L earning is a process of creation and re-creation, of learning from and w ith oth ers, by tin ually adapting w hat is know n in the light of w hat is learned • Stories and n arrativ es are prim ary w ays of thinking and know ing and of rep resen tin g w hat is know n We u nderstand our experience, our realities, and our jou rneys through life in the form of n arratives that h ave b eg in n in g s, m id d les, and endings The expansion of our u n d erstand ing , persp ectiv es, and w orldview s involves us in the rescrip tin g of these narratives and those of our com m u nity and of the w orld around us In the text o f professional learning, these them es translate into the follow ing p rin cip les of teaching and learning: • T h e processes of learning to teach and of becom in g a teacher are in extricab ly in tertw in ed , and all aspects of the person— cognitive, social, m oral, aesth etic, em otional, spiritu al, and ph ysical— are interrelated in the learning and in the teaching processes • Inqu iry p ro v id es a central organ izin g fram ew ork for professional learning and for the tin u ou s stru ction of a professional k n o w led g e in teach in g throughout an in d iv id u al's career • The ab ility to reflect on exp erien ce and to learn from it is an essential asp ect of b ecom in g an ethically based professional The tin u ou s use and d ev elo p m en t of reflective abilities, habits, and practices are essen tial for a career of eth ically based practice • Teaching and learning are relational endeavors, and professional learnin g is grou nd ed in learning from on eself and from and with others W ithin collab orativ e relation sh ip s w ith stu dents and co lleag u es, profession al teachers can achieve both personal and co llectiv ely stru cted goals and w ork together to create au th en tic learnin g co m m u n ities in their classroom s and schools • P rofession al learnin g begins in the exam in ation of practice, of ex p erien ce, and of the stories we enact in our lives, our schools, and ou r so cie ty It in volves u nd erstand ing o n e's ow n story, learning to h ear and u nd erstand the stories o f others, and tin u ou sly rescrip tin g the stories of self as teacher and of school, com m unity, and society R escrip tin g the story is about inventing the future, ab ou t im ag in in g how things can be oth erw ise, and abou t w orking w ith co llea g u es to bring abou t a better w orld for all people viii Preface THE GOAL OF THE TEXT The goal of the text is to help teachers to create and re-create their p ro fes­ sional k n ow led ge through reflection and inquiry R ead ers w ill h ave the o p p o rtu n ity to exam in e and co n sid er a v ariety o f p o ssib le resp o n ses to teaching and learning situations, and to relate their thin kin g to their ow n ex p e rien ce and d ev elo p in g p ro fessio n al k n o w led g e R ead ers w ill be in v ited to reflect and respond in d iv id u ally and co lla b o tiv e lv to w h at th ey read , and to d o cu m en t th eir reflectio n s, resp o n ses, and o n g o in g inquiry In this w ay teach ers can use w hat they learn to build their ow n u n iq u e p ro fessio n al k n o w led g e in tea ch in g , and to p lan th e ir fu tu re action s and profession al practices T h e n arrativ es serv e as sp rin g b o ard s for d iscussion, v ersations, and self-con scio u s reflection on the n atu re and d ev elo p m en t of e th ica lly b ased p ro fessio n a ls T h ey p ro v id e rich resources for read ers as they explore the stories of their ow n lives, open them selves up to the stories of others, and prepare to d ocu m en t the details o f their professional learning SPECIAL FEATURES OF THE TEXT T h e text en co u g es and g u id e s the read er th ro u g h th e p ro ce sse s of reflection, inquiry, and the creation o f a n arrative of profession al learning It c o n ta in s a v a riety o f n a rra tiv es w ritten by b e g in n in g te a ch e rs w h o d escribe the unique jou rn eys they took in the process of b ecom in g p ro fes­ sional teachers T h ese n arrativ es are w ritten in b eg in n in g teach ers' ow n language, and they reflect their ind ivid ual voices, pu rp oses, p ersp ectiv es, and realities Ind ivid ually and collectively, they show the u n iq u e pro cesses by w h ich th ese au th o rs created a u th en tic p ro fessio n a l id e n tities, d e v e l­ oped professional relation sh ips w ith stu d ents and colleagu es, and w orked to e sta b lish in q u iry -b a se d , d e m o c tic cla ssro o m s and sch o o ls T h e n arratives are follow ed by a w ide ran ge of su ggested reflective activ ities and w ritin g that p ro m p t the read er to gain in sig h ts from the n a rra tiv es th em selv es, and to relate them to th eir ow n ex p e rien ces and situ atio n s By b u ild in g up a b od y o f reflectiv e w ritin g ov er tim e in resp on se to the ch apters, the read er has a rich data b an k from w h ich to draw in ord er to create a n arrative of his or her ow n professional learning T h e text has three m a jo r se ctio n s w ith in w h ich the n a rra tiv es h ave been arran ged accord in g to the a u th o r's m ajor focus: C reatin g a P rofession al Identity: C o n n ectin g the P ersonal and the Profession al C reatin g R elation sh ip s and M akin g N ew R elations: L earn in g from and w ith O th ers Preface ix C reating N ew N arratives: C on necting Self, School, and Society • Each of these parts begins w ith an introdu ction to the them e and an overview of the n arratives contained in the section • Each n arrativ e is introduced and the significant d im ensions of the them e are highlighted • Q u estion s follow ing each narrative invite the reader to reflect on and to respond to the ideas, the experiences, the m eanings m ade, and the lessons learned T h ese questions are designed to stim u late thought, d iscussion, versations, reflective w riting , and professional action • Su ggested w riting activities are included in the follow -u p to each n arrative T h ese ideas are designed to help beginning teach ers d ocu m en t the d etails of their ow n professional learning T h ey are intended to provide support for the begin n in g teach er's d ev elo p in g voice and to stim u late and deep en the ongoing inquiry • The in trod u ction , "L etter from O ne Teacher to A nother," presen ts the process of inquiry and the invitation to begin a p ortfolio of w riting that d ocu m ents the professional journey • C h a p ter 13 is designed to support the w riting of a professional narrative SUGGESTIONS FOR USING THE TEXT N arratives of professional learning can be used by beginning teachers in teacher ed u cation program s It is also designed to be used in grad u ate pro­ gram s by exp erien ced teachers as a resource for self-directed inquiry The b ook will also be useful to associate teachers, curriculum and staff d ev el­ o p m e n t c o n su lta n ts, tea ch er ed u ca to rs, and all tho se in terested in the d ev elop m en t o f professional know ledge in teaching The text can also be useful to those w ho are interested in h olistic and narrative approaches to ed u ca tio n a l resea rch , p ctitio n e r inquiry, and research that rep resen ts p ractitioners' voices It is hoped that the reader will use the text in the w ay that best fits his or her p articu lar p u rp oses and in terests by p ro ceed in g th ro u g h the c h a p te rs as they are p resen ted or by creatin g an a ltern ate sequ en ce better suited to the purpose at hand ACKNOWLEDGMENTS I w ould like to exp ress m y gratitu d e to the m any people w ho have m ade this b o o k p o s sib le and w h o h av e help ed m e to realize the d ream of a second edition First and forem ost, I w ant to thank m y form er students at C hap ter 13 Writing a Narrative 169 • D oes it show how variou s theories and perspectives h ave been in corp orated into you r professional practice? • D oes the w riting have the qualities of coherence, authenticity, integrity, v erisim ilitu d e (the ring of truth), and the sense of rightn ess that true stories display? • D oes the accou nt need the addition of details, clarification of im portant points, an d / or support or additional ev id en ce for id eas or statem en ts m ade? • D oes the narrative provid e insights into these points: a T he w ay you live each day know ing that you r ow n in n er life needs nou rish m en t? b The w ay you use you r special gifts to m ake a p ositiv e difference in oth er p eo p le's lives? c The w ay you use y ou r teaching practices to leave the w orld a little better than you found it? • Is the narrative accou nt coh eren t and w ell w ritten? • Is it w ell structured, w ith a clear begin n in g, m id d le, and end? • Is the w riting free of jargon or im p en etrable langu age? • C an your unique voice be heard in the w riting? GETTING A RESPONSE FROM A READER W hen you have w ritten the n ecessary drafts of you r n arrativ e to feel that you h av e g iv en it y o u r b est effo rt, h av e a tru sted p a rtn er read and respond to it U sing the read er-resp o n se qu estion s giv en here, ask you r partner to respond in w ritin g w ith as m uch detail as possible Before you w rite an oth er d raft, you w ill sid er all these suggestion s H aving done this, you w ill m ak e y o u r ow n ju d g m en ts regard in g how you w ill w rite the next draft Coherence o f the Account • D oes the accou n t h ave a coh eren t stru ctu re/ tou rs/ a shape? W hat is it? D escrib e the stru ctu re or sh ape as you see it • H ow could the stru ctu re be im proved? Provide su ggestions for im p ro v em en t (such as altern ate stru ctu res, section in g, head ings, and u se of su bh ead s and quotations) Evidence o f Reflection and Inquiry • D o es the a cco u n t p ro v id e in sig h ts in to the w ays in w h ich the a u th o r has e x p e rie n c e d his or her p ro fessio n al learn in g and jo u rn e y of in q u iry ? 170 Section III Creating New Narratives: Connecting Self, School, and Society • D oes the accou nt show how the a u th o r's p rofession al learn in g has been influ enced by oth ers (teachers, stu dents, parents, p olicym akers, and theorists)? • Does the w riting show how the au th or's reflections and thinking have been enacted in practice? D oes it provide exam ples of this application? Evidence o f Professional Insights and Understanding • D oes the accou n t show in sigh ts into the a u th o r's lived exp erien ces o f learnin g to teach and of b ecom in g a teacher? • W hat new ideas, u n d erstan d in g , or q u estion s arose for you as you read the accou nt? D escribe • W hat in sig h ts into professional learning you gain from reading the accou nt? D escrib e w hat you learned ab ou t b ecom in g a teacher Reader Response to the Text • H ow did you respond to the text? W h at w as its effect on you? W hat did it cau se you to think or feel? Did it en able you to u nd erstand and to be a w itn ess to the a u th o r's exp erien ces of b ecom in g a teacher? • D oes the accou nt have the q u alities of a true story (that is, coherence, integrity, v erisim ilitu d e, a u th en ticity and sense o f rightn ess)? • D oes it resonate for you, the reader, and rem ind you o f things you have exp erien ced , felt, or thought? • D oes it n am e thin gs you have felt b u t have n ot been able to express? D escribe them • A re any parts of the accou nt in com p lete? A re there parts w here vou w ished you had m ore in form atio n , m ore d escrip tiv e detail, m ore ev id en ce provid ed for a statem en t m ade? Id en tify these, and provide as m uch detail as p ossib le regard in g w h at n eed s to be added • A re there parts of the accou nt w h ere you felt you w ere given too m uch detail, irrelev an t d etails, or d istractin g details? Identifv the parts that you thin k should be om itted • H ow you thin k this n arrativ e could be im proved for a potential reader? M ake som e su g g estion s for im provem en t WRITING A FINAL DRAFT: DOCUMENTING THE JOURNEY OF PROFESSIONAL LEARNING C hoose a form for you r n arrativ e that en ables you to present the jou rn ey of your p ro fession al learn in g throu gh reflection and inquiry You m ight choose a form sim ilar to one used in the chapters here, or you m ay w ant C h ap ter 13 Writing a Narrative 171 to create som eth ing new A s M axine G reene (1995) has said, "L earn in g to w rite is a m atter of learnin g to shatter the silences, of m akin g m ean in g, of learning to learn " (p 108) N ow, as you w rite, consid er the follow ing: • W hat is m y purpose? • W ho is m y au dien ce? • W hat stories and d etails are at the foreground, and w h at stories and d etails need to be in the backgrou nd? • W hat insigh ts and u nd erstand ing s about the learnin g jo u rn ey I especially w ant to present? • W hat feelings, in sigh ts, and und erstandings I w an t m y reader to have? Begin your final d raft w hen you are satisfied that you h ave m ad e final decisions ab ou t the co n ten t, stru ctu re, lan gu age u se, sty le, and form o f your narrative Taking all the feed b ack you h ave receiv ed in to accou n t, rem em ber that you are the author, and you have the au th ority to w rite it in the w ay you ch o o se Y our fin al n a rrativ e w ill b e p re sen ted th ro u g h your unique sen sib ilities, y o u r w ay s o f seein g and m ak in g sen se o f the w orld, and your p ersp ectiv es on learnin g and on life It w ill be as u niqu e as your signature or the sound of you r voice It w ill reflect you r h u m an ity and the professional teach er you are at this poin t in tim e Enjoy the o p p o r­ tunity to create a w ork that sh ow s the realities of y o u r lived exp erien ce and your jou rney of pro fession al learning Contributing to the Existing Literature Centuries after we are dead, cities shall be overthrown, it may be because o f an air that we have hummed or because o f a curtain full of meaning that we have upon a wall W B Y e a t s ractition er research is a v ib ran t and ex p an d in g asp ect o f ed u catio n al resea rch th a t e m p h a s iz e s reflectio n an d in q u iry in th e p ro ce ss o f b eco m in g a te a c h e r, im p ro v in g p ro fe ssio n a l p c tic e an d s tu d e n ts ' learning, and m a k in g a p o sitiv e d ifferen ce in sch o o l and so cial settin gs The v ariou s tra d itio n s o f p ractitio n er research — action research , teach er resea rch , s e lf-s tu d y re s e a rc h , and n a rra tiv e an d a u to b io g p h ic a l research — are o u tlin ed b y Z eich n er and N offke (2001) in the H an d book o f R esearch on T each in g an d by C o c h n -S m ith an d L y tle (2 0 ) in the In te r n a tio n a l H a n d b o o k o f S elf-S tu d y in T eachin g a n d T eacher E d u catio n P ctices A lth o u g h th e se lin es of in q u iry h a v e th e ir ow n d is tin c tiv e featu res, the reaso n s p eo p le en gage them selv es or are en g ag ed by o th ers in this kind of research are und erstood as "ra n g in g from an in terest in u n d ersta n d in g o n e 's ow n stu d en ts and im p rov in g o n e's ow n teach in g to g e n e tin g k n o w le d g e a b o u t tea ch in g and sc h o o lin g th a t can be sh a re d w ith o th e rs , to im p ro v in g the v a rio u s so cia l and in s titu tio n a l c o n te x ts in w h ic h th e ir ed u c a tio n a l p c tic e is e m b e d d e d " (Z e ic h n e r and N offk e, 2001, p 323) P 173 174 Section III Creating New Narratives: Connecting Self, School, and Society R ew ritin g th e sto ries o f self, sch o o l, and so ciety In n a rra tiv e in qu iry, as in o th er fo rm s o f p ctitio n e r research , the v o ices an d p ersp ectiv es of teach ers can be heard in the arena of ed u ca­ tional research T h is kind of research allow s p ractitioners to describe the w ays in w hich they experien ce their learnin g— the difficulties of it, the joys o f it and the co m p lex ities of it T h e co n n ectio n s am on g the in d iv id u al's p a st ex p e rien ces, cu rren t situ a tio n s, and fu tu re p u rp o ses and g oals are ack n ow led g ed , as also is the in tercon n ected n ess of the personal and the p ro fessio n a l in the in d iv id u a l's life It is u n d ersto o d that p ctitio n e rs gain special insigh ts and create new kn ow led ge and u nd erstand ing s w hen they en gag e in system atic inquiry into their practices By en gaging in the se lf-d irected in q u iry in to y o u r e x p e rie n ce s in p ro fessio n al le a rn in g , as you have throu gh ou t these ch ap ters, you have prepared you rself for the on goin g inqu iry that w ill tin ue through out your career T his ongoing in qu iry w ill en ab le you to direct the focus o f you r professional learning, w ill en h a n ce y o u r stu d e n ts' le a rn in g , and en ab le you to co -crea te new scripts for you rself, you r stu dents, you r school, and society It w ill provide you w ith a text in w hich to think through issues on an ongoing basis, to en gage in tin u o u s self-assessm en t, and to plan your future actions as an eth ically based practitioner N arrativ es w ritten by p ro sp ectiv e teach ers m ake a v alu able co n trib u ­ tion to the e x istin g lite tu re , and c o n n ect y o u r v o ices to the te a c h e rs' stories and stories of teach ers such as those by C oles (1989), Pa lev [...]... to do They would be required to walk to the front of the class, pick up the professor's jacket, which was draped on the back of a chair, and put it on They'd cross the room and pick up a pen from a student's desk They would then go back to the front of the class and put the pen inside the professor's briefcase, which was closed Finally, they would carry the briefcase across the room and put it on the. .. And there are a lot of other smaller things Like tests I used to lecture parttime at a university in the journalism program I spent a lot of time trying to teach the importance of teamwork No one can be a lone wolf The assign­ ment desk has to help the reporter who has to keep the desk informed about her story so the lineup editor knows where to place the story and so on Yet, every week, I'd give them... want to be I came into the teacher education program to stretch myself To challenge myself To try something new To learn To change I've done a lot of that And I'll do more The best measure of how I've changed will come from my students' learning D ou g's story highlights the im portance of learning from experience— on e's ow n and that of others— and of continually adapting w hat is know n in the light... previous teaching situation) in the light of these realities Rather than turning these surprises into difficul­ ties, he recognizes the value of hearing stu dents' perspectives, of exploring the logic in their points of view, and of adapting his practices and w ays of responding in the service of students' learning DOCUMENTING THE JOURNEY: BECOMING SELF-AWARE AND MINDFUL OF PRACTICES U ntil toe can... lifetime Teacher Prep Access Code Section I Introduction L e tte r fro m O n e T e a c h e r to A n o th e r Chapter Beginning the Inquiry: D ocu m enting the Jou rn ey of P rofessional Learning 1 1 7 Creating a Professional Identity: Connecting the Personal and the Professional Chapter 19 2 M aking Room for the A esthete: A ccom m od atin g the Self in Teaching Chapter 3 Believing in the Self: Teaching... g theirs In all of these situations, I have learned som ething about hum an relation s, about the person and professional I am , and about the art of teach in g O n e of the m ost im p ortant lesson s I have learned is that the relation sh ip betw een teacher and stu dent is at the heart of good teaching I have learned that good teachers are cen trally concerned w ith the creatio n of a u th en tic... ectio n s b etw een the cu rricu lu m o f the classroom and the cen tral con cern s of their ow n lives G ood teach ers help stu d ents to id en tify their pu rp oses, to respect them selves and others, to show com p assion and tolerance, and to develop the qualities and habits necessary for full p articip ation in life inside the classroom and out in the com m unity T his kind of teaching requires not... ay to do this, and to track your g ro w in g c a p a c itie s to c o n n ect th eo ry and p ractice as th ey in tera ct in you r life You m ust d ev elop w ays to really listen to stu dents' voices and to hear them in their ow n term s, to observe them , to enter their realities, and to see the w orld from their perspectives Your stu dents w ill teach you if you listen to their stories, if you ask them... each item to you in the context of b ecom in g a teacher A sk you r colleag u es in ad v an ce to m ake notes on their ob serv atio n s as you speak, to id en tify the p arts of the presentation that reson ate for them , and to m ake n ote of any them es or p attern s they hear in the ideas and issu es presen ted • W rite about the exp erien ce of m akin g this p resen tation E xp lo re the d etails... out -of- date by the time it reaches the computer monitor When I was in high school, it seemed the teacher knew it all These days, no one can even pretend to know it all Centuries ago, the monks and others had knowledge and information They parceled it out carefully It was a way of holding onto power These days, anyone with a mouse and a computer has access to unlimited informa­ tion The role of the teacher— ... the text o f professional learning, these them es translate into the follow ing p rin cip les of teaching and learning: • T h e processes of learning to teach and of becom in g a teacher are in... them selves up to the stories of others, and prepare to d ocu m en t the details o f their professional learning SPECIAL FEATURES OF THE TEXT T h e text en co u g es and g u id e s the read er th... enting the Jou rn ey of P rofessional Learning 1 Creating a Professional Identity: Connecting the Personal and the Professional Chapter 19 M aking Room for the A esthete: A ccom m od atin g the