Professional Learning and Identities in Teaching International Narratives of Successful Teachers :International Narratives of Successful Teachers

This book explores the reflective potentialities offered by analyses of teachers’ professional learning narratives. The book has a specific focus on narratives on professional learning and professional identities emerging from different contexts and gives a deeper understanding of successful teachers’ narratives globally. Diverging from universally standardized constructions of idealized teacher identity and professional learning, the book provides analyses of a diversified set of cases with detailed descriptions of each teacher’s idiographic and professional context to gain a deeper understanding of situated professional identities. With contributions from a range of international backgrounds, it shows teachers of various age groups, subject areas and curricula contribute their narratives to help readers reflect on different trajectories toward becoming a teacher. These narratives provide insight into and a deeper understanding of the conditions and complex processes that being a "successful" teacher involves within these case studies, providing a useful contribution to the field of teacher education. __Professional Learning and Identities in Teaching: International Narratives of Successful Teachers__ will be of great interest to researchers, academics, and post-graduate students of teacher education and international and comparative education. This book explores the reflective potentialities offered by analyses of teachers’ professional learning narratives. The book has a specific focus on narratives on professional learning and professional identities emerging from different contexts and gives a deeper understanding of successful teachers’ narratives globally. Cover 1 Endorsement Page 2 Half Title 4 Title Page 6 Copyright Page 7 Table of Contents 8 Acknowledgments 10 Author biographies 11 Introduction 14 Introduction 14 Inquiring into constructions of successful teaching within the field of education 15 Situating the teaching profession in relation purposes of education 16 Professional development trajectories and identities 18 Studying narratives of teachers 21 Conclusion 22 References 28 Chapter 1: Remaining a student of teaching forever: Critical reflexive insights from a lifetime of multiple teacher identities in the Republic of Ireland 33 Introduction 33 Methodology 35 Education as a field of radical possibility 36 Performativity in teacher education in Ireland 37 Why teacher identities need the political 39 My critical insights from the field of practice 40 Teacher in a secondary school 40 Regional support officer to schools 42 Educational researcher at the university 43 Conclusion 44 References 45 Chapter 2: From success/failure binaries to teaching for justice: Conceptualizing education as access, responsibility, dignity, and transparency 49 Introduction 49 Success, failure, and measurement 50 Modes of inquiry: Autoethnography 52 On the (im)possibility of teacher success: Modernism, binaries, and universal understandings 54 Eugenics, efficiency, and segregation 55 Systems and being acquired by success/failure binaries 56 Educational modernisms: Universal, linear, and sequential 56 Sameness as justice 58 Conclusion: Teaching for justice—access, responsibility, dignity, transparency 60 References 64 Chapter 3: Teacher narratives as counter-narratives of successful teaching 67 Introduction 67 Deconstructing “grand” narratives of successful teaching 68 Successful teaching, pedagogy, and teacher education 70 The place of/for teacher narratives 71 Midwifery in action: Giving birth to the concept of successful teaching 72 Counter-narratives of successful teaching 75 Learning with students and responding to each of them with the purpose of inclusion of all 75 Contextualized curriculum and assessment at the service of advancing learning 76 Continuous personal and professional investment 77 A collaborative culture among peers and with families 77 Structured reflection over time fueled by writing 78 Conclusion: Deterritorializing teacher education and successful teaching 79 Acknowledgements 80 References 81 Chapter 4: “If I can do it at this school, you can put me anywhere” : Case studies from Australian graduate teachers in diverse and challenging schools 85 Introduction 85 The National Exceptional Teachers for Disadvantaged Schools (NETDS) program 87 Methodology 88 The role of the researcher 89 Case study selection 89 Melissa—“tune into the signs” 90 Max—“Short sharp and shiny” 92 Anna—“Everyone in it together” 95 Conclusion 97 References 99 Chapter 5: Professional development of EFL teachers through reflective practice in a supportive community of practice 102 Introduction 102 Collegiality in professional development 103 Research design 104 Methodology 104 Participants and contextual background 105 The trajectories of professional development over a year 107 Masato’s context 107 Masato’s initial struggle and teacher beliefs 107 Kenta’s context 109 Kenta’s initial concern and teacher beliefs 109 Co-constructing meaning in a collaborative community of practice 110 Kenta’s case 111 Masato’s case 113 Conclusion 115 References 117 Chapter 6: Looking back with pride—looking forward in hope: The narratives of a transformative teacher 119 Introduction 119 Who is a transformative teacher? 120 What is professional identity? 122 Why do we need a study on the narratives of a transformative teacher? 122 How did I conduct this study? 123 Who is this transformative teacher? & My role as a researcher 124 How did this transformative EFL teacher’s professional identity emerge? 124 Having a similar background with students 125 Becoming a leader 125 Having a self-transformational experience which enabled her to become a teacher 126 How did this transformative teacher enact her professional identity in her school life? 127 Having a strong sense of work ethics 127 Having working relationships through effective communication 128 Seeing teaching as a both transformative and affective practice 129 Conclusion: What can be concluded from this transformative teacher’s stories? 131 References 133 Chapter 7: Understanding a teacher’s professional identity through pedagogical rhythm 136 Introduction 136 Context, method, key concepts, and the rationale of the study 137 Hannah’s overall ambitions 139 Hannah’s view on more short-term objectives in educational situations 141 The contours of a pedagogical rhythm—describing Hannah’s teachership 144 Hannah’s thoughts on shifts of objectives including a self-critique 146 Understanding Hannah’s teachership—her pedagogical rhythm 148 Conclusion 150 References 150 Chapter 8: Revisiting selves through a “success” perspective: An autoethnographic quest of a language teacher across intercultural spaces 151 Introduction: A personal conceptualization of “successful teaching/teacher” 151 The method giving voice to my narrative 152 The design for tracing the narratives 153 An introduction to an ongoing narrative 154 Discovering otherness 155 Navigating in the third space 158 Pre-sojourn aspirations 159 While sojourn 160 Post sojourn implications 161 Peripheral to central participation 161 Conclusion 163 References 164 Chapter 9: Path toward the construction of a professional identity: A narrative inquiry into a language teacher’s experiences 168 Introduction: Identity 168 Formation of identity-in-practice 169 Narrative inquiry for studying teacher identity 171 Method 171 A narrative analysis of Elif’s identity construction 172 Elif’s path toward becoming a professional teacher 173 Elif’s construction of teacher identity 177 Discussion 179 Participation, reification, competence, and multimembership 179 Learning as identity, interconnectedness of local and global relations 180 Transformative teacher professionalism 180 Conclusion 182 References 182 Chapter 10: “Successful teaching”: Neoliberal influences and emerging counter-narratives 185 Introduction 185 Mode of inspiration: Critical discourse studies 187 A brief introduction to neoliberalism and theories of neoliberalism 1 189 Neoliberal influences on educational domains and the construction of “successful teaching” 191 Emerging counter-narratives confronting the neoliberal influence on teaching 195 Conclusion 198 References 200 Conclusion: Context, interconnectedness, balance, and risk in teachers’ narratives 203 So what does it mean to be an excellent teacher? 203 An awareness of change, relations, and complexity in everyday practice 206 The importance of paying regard to various purposes and contexts 206 The interconnectedness of entities 207 The importance of balancing various often dilemmatic aspects in education 209 The presence of risk in education 210 The existence of multiple and holistic teacher identities 211 Brief summing up 212 References 213 Index 216 Australian,graduate,teachers;,autoethnographic,inquiry;,educational,settings;,EFL,teachers;,intercultural,spaces;,multiple,teacher,identities;,neoliberal,influences;,pedagogical,rhythm;,professional,development;,professional,identity;,professional,learning;,social,justice;,teacher,narratives;,teacher’s,professional,identity;,transformative,teacher Australian graduate teachers,autoethnographic inquiry,educational settings,EFL teachers,intercultural spaces,multiple teacher identities,neoliberal influences,pedagogical rhythm,professional development,professional identity,professional learning,social justice,teacher narratives,teacher’s professional identity,transformative teacher "This book explores the reflective potentialities offered by analyses of teachers' professional learning narratives. The book has a specific focus on narratives on professional learning and professional identities emerging from different contexts and gives a deeper understanding of successful teachers' narratives globally. Diverging from universally standardized constructions of idealized teacher identity and professional learning, the book provides analyses of a diversified set of cases with detailed descriptions of each teacher's idiographic and professional context to gain a deeper understanding of situated professional identities. With contributions from a range of international backgrounds, it shows teachers of various age groups, subject areas and curricula contribute their narratives to help readers reflect on different trajectories towards becoming a teacher. These narratives provide insight into and a deeper understanding of the conditions and complex processes that being a 'successful' teacher involves within these case studies, providing a useful contribution to the field of teacher education. Professional Learning and Identities in Teaching: International Narratives of Successful Teachers will be of great interest to researchers, academics and post-graduate students of teacher education and international and comparative education"-- Provided by publisher