Tensions in Teaching about Teaching: Understanding Practice as a Teacher Educator (Self Study of Teaching and Teacher Education Practices)

197 Pages·2007·1.06 MB·English

by  Amanda Berry

TENSIONS IN TEACHING ABOUT TEACHING
Self Study of Teaching and Teacher Education Practices
Volume 5
Series Editor
John Loughran,Monash University,Clayton,Australia
Advisory Board
Mary Lynn Hamilton,University of Kansas,USA
Ruth Kane,Massey University,New Zealand
Geert Kelchtermans,University of Leuven,Belgium
Fred Korthagen,IVLOS Institute of Education,The Netherlands
Tom Russell,Queen’s University,Canada
For other titles published in this series, go to
www.springer.com/series/7072
TENSIONS IN TEACHING
ABOUT TEACHING
Understanding Practice as a Teacher Educator
by
Amanda Berry
Monash University,Clayton,Australia
LibraryofCongressControlNumber:2008930207
ISBN-978-1-4020-5992-6 (HB)
ISBN-978-1-4020-8789-9 (PB)
ISBN-978-1-4020-5993-3 (e-book)
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To Warren and Maxx
CONTENTS
Acknowledgements . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . xi
Series Editor’s Foreword . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . xiii
Preface . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . xvii
List of Figures and Tables . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . xix
PART ONE:CONTEXTS OF THE STUDY
CHAPTER ONE:Beginning to Research My Practice
1. Developing a research approach through tracing influences on practice . . . . .2
2. Elaborating a conceptual frame . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .4
CHAPTER TWO:Teacher Educators Studying Their Work
1. How do teacher educators develop their knowledge of
teaching teachers? . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .8
2. Why are teacher educators interested in studying their practice? What
informs the approaches they take? . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .15
3. What happens when teacher educators research their own teaching? . . . . . . .19
4. Summary:Conceptualising learning from self-study . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .20
CHAPTER THREE:Developing a Research Approach
1. Self-study as a methodological frame . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .21
2. Summary . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .29
CHAPTER FOUR:Tensions as a Framework for Learning About Practice in
Teacher Education
1. Explicating tensions . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .32
2. Understanding practice as ‘tensions to be managed’and the position
of teacher educators . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .42
3. Summary . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .43
vii
viii CONTENTS
PART TWO:EXPLORING THE TENSIONS OF PRACTICE
CHAPTER FIVE:Telling and Growth
1. Introduction . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .45
2. Informing and creating opportunities to reflect and self-direct . . . . . . . . . . .46
3. Further aspects of my approach intended to stimulate individual growth . . .51
4. Negotiating new roles . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .52
5. Experiencing the tension of telling and growth as a student
in my classes . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .54
6. Where views collide . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .58
7. Summary:What did I learn from examining this tension
within my practice? . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .60
CHAPTER SIX:Confidence and Uncertainty
1. Introduction . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .63
2. Confidence matters . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .64
3. Building (and losing) confidence . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .66
4. Making explicit the complexities of teaching . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .70
5. Summary:What did I learn from examining this tension
within my practice? . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .79
CHAPTER SEVEN:Action and Intent
1. Introduction . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .81
2. Recognizing discrepancies . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .81
3. Summary:What did I learn from examining this tension
within my practice? . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .95
CHAPTER EIGHT:Safety and challenge
1. Introduction . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .97
2. Seeing this tension through ‘another’s eyes’ . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .108
3. Summary:What did I learn from examining this tension
within my practice? . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .110
CHAPTER NINE:Planning and Being Responsive
1. Introduction . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .111
2. Building a responsive environment . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .112
3. Making myself a “model of difficulty” . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .115
4. Setting up contexts for learning and recognizing
possibilities within them . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .118
5. Teacher educator expertise:A combination of factors . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .122
6. Summary:What did I learn from examining this tension
within my practice? . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .122
CONTENTS ix
CHAPTER TEN:Valuing and Reconstructing Experience
1. Introduction . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .125
2. Building on experience through deliberate pedagogical structures . . . . . . .126
3. Personal Learning Review:Looking back on experience . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .127
4. Peer teaching:Raising and challenging interpretations of experience . . . . .130
5. A pedagogical sounding board . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .132
6. Identifying,exploring and revisiting issues . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .134
7. Insights into my teaching through Lisa’s experiences . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .136
8. Summary:What did I learn from examining this tension
within my practice? . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .138
CHAPTER ELEVEN:Revisiting and Summarising the Tensions
1. Introduction . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .139
2. Revisiting the notion of tensions . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .139
3. Bringing the tensions together . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .140
4. Episteme,phronesis and the ‘tensions of practice’ . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .147
5. Summary . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .151
PART THREE:LEARNING FROM TEACHING ABOUT TEACHING
CHAPTER TWELVE:Becoming a Teacher Educator
1. Introduction . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .153
2. Learning from teaching about teaching . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .153
References . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .169
Subject Index . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .177
Author Index . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .183
ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS
Thank you to the Biology methods class (2001),at Monash University. Your willing-
ness to participate in this study enabled me to expand the boundaries of my under-
standing of teacher education. Hopefully,as a consequence of your involvement,you
will also have been able to see into, and pursue, new understandings of your own
developing practice.
xi