Self-studies in Rural Teacher Education (Self-Study of Teaching and Teacher Education Practices, 14)

"The purpose of this book is to highlight the work of teacher educators in the field of rural education. In this book, education faculty who work in teacher education study the ways in which one?s identity impacts one?s teaching and the partnerships with rural schools. Although the field of research on teacher preparation has an abundance of studies on preparing students for the challenges of urban settings, there is much less emphasis on rural education, despite the prevalence of rural schools. This book problematises notions of rural or rurality which is often considered via a deficit or a generalised model where a stereotype of one kind of rural is outlined. Developing more multi-faceted understandings of rurality is a key to attracting and retaining teachers who understand the complexities and opportunities of living and working in rural spaces" -- OhioLink Contents 6 Biographies 8 Introduction 12 Genesis of the Book 12 Overview of Self-Study 14 Overview of Rural Studies 15 Significance of Combining Self-Study and Rural Studies 16 Diversity of Authors 17 Author Contributions to the Fields of Rural Studies and Self-Study 18 Conclusion 22 References 22 Part I: Rediscovering Rural Identities 25 Looking for My Rural Identity, Finding Community and Place 26 Heading Down Under 27 Theoretical Frameworks 27 Methods 28 My Autobiography 29 My Purpose of Teaching 30 Sabbatical as an Exercise in Mindfulness 32 Experiencing Community 35 Connecting to Place 37 Implications for My Practice and Rural Teacher Education 41 Future Directions 43 References 43 A Road Less Travelled: Becoming a Rural Teacher Educator 46 Introduction 46 Using an Expanded Self-Study to Improve Teacher Education 47 Adding the Rural 48 A Rural Standpoint 49 Why Adding the Rural Matters? 49 Teacher Educators’ Work 51 Using a Narrative Self-Study Approach 52 Narrative Inquiry 53 My Story – Being Unprepared to Teach in a Rural Community: A Personal Experience 54 Writing Separates Us from What We Know 55 A Model of Interpretation 56 Writing Unites Us More Closely with What We Know 56 Reflexive Rural Teacher Educator Work 58 Becoming a Rural Teacher Educator 58 Conclusion 60 References 61 Notions of Place, Space and Identity in Rural Teacher Education 64 Introduction 64 Place and Space: Setting the [Rural] Scene 65 Self-Study Narrative Lens 66 Rural Identity, Place and Space 67 Growing Up Rural 69 Claiming My Title as a ‘Rural Girl’ 71 Rural Teacher Education and Rural Communities 73 Significance of Rural Context in Teacher Education 74 Conclusion 77 References 79 Getting Better Teachers in the Bush 81 Circumstances of Being ‘Rural’ 81 From Rural to Regional 83 Teaching in Regional and Rural Areas 85 Working as a Teacher Educator in a Regional University 86 Preservice Teachers’ Discursive Constructions of Diversity 88 Finding a Way Forward: Acting on the Goals of the Study 90 Leading Change in the Bush 91 What I Learnt from My Experiences in the Bush 92 Returning to Teacher Education in a Regional University 94 Enacting the Propositions at Sandy Bay University 95 Constructing Profiles and Examining Identities 96 Talking About Diversity 98 Reading and Writing About Teacher-Learner Relationships 100 Learning from Teaching at Sandy Bay 102 References 104 Part II: Notions of Rural as Heaven or Hell 107 Unpacking Multiple Realities of Rural School Politics 108 Unpacking Multiple Realities of Rural School Politics: A Self-Study 108 Methodology 110 Context 113 Overview of Conflict 115 Closed Communication Practices 116 Maintaining Existing Traditions 118 Constructing a Sense of Place 120 Navigating Political Complexity as a Teacher Educator 123 Rural Teacher Education Today 125 References 126 “Knowing the Rules of the Game”: Rural Sporting Biographies and Their Influence on Physical Education Pedagogy 129 Introduction 129 A Biographical Collage 130 Self-Study, Physical Education Teacher Education and Rurality: Metaphors for Thinking About Practice 132 ‘Before the Game’: A Self-Study Lens in This Research 134 Rule 1 – Identify the Boundaries: Links Between ‘Place’, Professional Identities and Pedagogical Practices 135 Rule 2 – Know Your Tactics and Strategies: Contextual Pedagogies and Theories of Practice 137 From the Coaches’ Box... Analysis and Conceptualizing an Approach to ‘Game Play’ 139 ‘When the Whistle Blows...’: Conclusions and Implications 141 References 142 Part III: Impact of International Identities on Understandings of Rural Places 145 Reading Lefebvre from the Periphery: Thinking Globally About the Rural 146 Brief Introduction 146 Social Space 147 What is Rural Social Space? 149 Some Baggage 154 Living Inside Real and Imagined Rurality 156 References 159 “Becoming” Teacher Education Researchers in Diverse Rural Communities 162 Introduction 162 Context of the Self-Study 164 Theoretical Framework 165 Methodology 166 The Significance of the Self-Study Process 166 Methods 168 Review of Relevant Literature 169 Social Justice 169 Intercultural Sensitivity 170 Findings and Discussions 171 Professional Identities 171 World Views/Assumptions 173 Religious Values 173 Cultural Heritage 175 Location 176 Our Reframed Worldviews 177 Conclusion 179 References 180 Dry Stone Walls, Black Stumps and the Mobilisation of Professional Learning: Rural Places and Spaces and Teachers’ Self-­Study Strategies in Ireland and Australia 184 Introduction 184 Literature Review 186 Conceptual Framework 189 Research Design 190 Autoethnographic Accounts 192 MÁIRÍN 192 Why Teach in the Country? 192 Myths and Their Interruption(s) 193 Rurality in Teachers’ Self-Study and Professional Learning 194 BOBBY 196 PATRICK 198 Data Analysis 200 Conclusion 202 References 203 Front Matter....Pages i-x Introduction....Pages 1-13 Front Matter....Pages 15-15 Looking for My Rural Identity, Finding Community and Place....Pages 17-36 A Road Less Travelled: Becoming a Rural Teacher Educator....Pages 37-54 Notions of Place, Space and Identity in Rural Teacher Education....Pages 55-71 Getting Better Teachers in the Bush....Pages 73-98 Front Matter....Pages 99-99 Unpacking Multiple Realities of Rural School Politics....Pages 101-121 “Knowing the Rules of the Game”: Rural Sporting Biographies and Their Influence on Physical Education Pedagogy....Pages 123-138 Front Matter....Pages 139-139 Reading Lefebvre from the Periphery: Thinking Globally About the Rural....Pages 141-156 “Becoming” Teacher Education Researchers in Diverse Rural Communities....Pages 157-178 Dry Stone Walls, Black Stumps and the Mobilisation of Professional Learning: Rural Places and Spaces and Teachers’ Self-Study Strategies in Ireland and Australia....Pages 179-202 The purpose of this book is to highlight the work of teacher educators in the field of rural education. In this book, education faculty who work in teacher education study the ways in which one's identity impacts one's teaching and the partnerships with rural schools. Although the field of research on teacher preparation has an abundance of studies on preparing students for the challenges of urban settings, there is much less emphasis on rural education, despite the prevalence or rural schools. This book problematises notions of rural or rurality which is often considered via a deficit or a generalised model where a stereotype of one kind of rural is outlined. Developing more multi-faceted understandings of rurality is a key to attracting and retaining teachers who understand the complexities and opportunities of living and working in rural spaces. -- Back cover