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Researching a Social Justice Course in a Charter School: A Duoethnographic Conversation
No full textThis paper uses a dialogic approach following duoethnography to report on a research study conducted in a charter school offering a locally designed social justice course. This narrative approach involves a critical dialogue between two people, each of whom pushes the other to further insights and understandings. The urban prairie school under study focused on gifted learners and was funded as a public school. Multiple methods of data collection included document and policy analysis, field observations, and open-ended interviews with administrators, teachers and students who were directly involved with the social justice program. The results and discussion focus on student engagement in schools on issues of human rights and social justice, inquiry-based approaches to the curriculum, and include implications for educational policy and practice.Keywords: alternative school programs; social justice; duoethnography; inquiry learnin
"Be Strong; Know What You Need": A Narrative on Inclusive Leadership
No full textBased on an in-depth interview with a retired school principal, this paper explores questions around what it means to practice inclusive leadership in an Ontario school board from the mid 1970s into the 21st century. Using semi-structured interview questions, the investigation specifically sought to understand the practice of creating inclusive schools for students with disabilities. A narrative style using found poetry was used to give voice to the interviewee. Central to the practice was the need for a strong moral purpose and a vision of inclusion, as well as the ability to build relationships across parents, teachers, students, and other school staff. Additional insights included the need for the sharing of knowledge among all levels of school personnel. Instructional leadership, formal decision making approaches, and legislative procedures did not appear to be as important in ensuring inclusion.Keywords: inclusion; inclusive leadership; disabilities; special educatio
Taking it to the Tweet Seats: Using New Technology to Create "Theatre Knowledge-Building Communities" in the English Language Arts and Drama Classrooms
No full textThe development of digital technology and the participatory culture it engenders presents challenges to secondary school English and drama teachers keen to expose their students to the pleasures and rewards of live theatre. Within Scardamalia’s notion of the “knowledge building community” (Scardamalia & Bereiter, 1994, 2006; Scardamalia, Bransford, Kozma, & Quellmalz, 2012; Scardamalia, 2002), however, is a framework by which teachers can use educational technology to create authentic, theatre knowledge-building communities that allow students to view themselves as engaged participants in the culture of live theatre while learning valuable 21st century skills.Keywords: theatre; English; drama; educational technology; Scardamalia; knowledge-building community; 21st century skills; youth audienc
"Being With" Bipolar Disorder
No full textIn this paper, I explore the impact of bipolar disorder on the experiences of two groups of postsecondary students. I theorize that Bourdieu’s (1986) theory of forms of capital provides a lens for understanding how these students negotiate social, cultural, institutional, and symbolic forms of capital in their daily academic lives. I analyze the studies using a constant comparative method often used in research employing ethnographic techniques. The findings examine students’ concerns around learning and achievement within university settings and the debilitating effects of stigma on individuals identified with bipolar disorder. In doing so, the findings reinforce Bourdieu’s theory of capital, because students require relevant support to increase their access to capital in terms of educational certification, employment, finances, and membership in valued groups. However, Bourdieu’s theory has significant limitations. For the bipolar students in these studies, a form of intrapersonal capital, or personal power, was needed to take responsibility for their education and lives, and to positively influence those around them. The implications suggest that instructors in higher education need to accept students with bipolar disorders, while students with bipolar disorders need to reach out to instructors and share their needs.Keywords: bi-polar disorders; post secondary students; higher educatio
Not Making the Grade: A Narrative Inquiry Into Timmy’s Experiences With the Mandated Curriculum
No full textThis research draws on the experiences of a Grade 1 delayed reader, his parents, and his teachers, to show his lived curriculum across his home and school contexts. This narrative inquiry is situated in the literature of curriculum studies, in the notions of the lived curriculum and curriculum-making. Field texts include field notes from the classrooms, transcripts of conversations with the child, his parents, and his teachers. For this paper, I illustrate the child’s experiences at the end of Grade 1, among the tensions created between the lived curriculum of a struggling reader, and the expectations of the mandated curriculum, which are shaped by institutional and sociocultural narratives. My goal is to provide insight into making curriculum in schools that accounts for the lived curricula of all children.Keywords: lived curriculum; narrative inquiry; curriculum-makin
Challenging Our Stories as Teacher Educators for Social Justice: Narrative as Professional Development
No full textIn this paper we report on a collaborative self-study in which we reflect upon our practice as teacher educators through a critical multicultural and white studies framework. We developed a pedagogical tool for our own professional development as teacher educators, modeled on the type of narrative assignments we ask of our students. We wrote stories about difficult moments in our practice, shared these with colleagues and reflected upon their responses. In this activity, we aimed to practice what we preach, as we model our commitment to being life-long learners; our respect for the power of listening to others and considering multiple perspectives; and our constant desire to critique and transform our practice in ways that are more effective and contribute to the educational success of all students. Our analysis of our experience demands that we reconsider our assumptions about student learning, how we hold our students accountable, and how we are socialized as white women within the academy of higher education.Keywords: narrative; teacher education; multicultural educatio
Making Education Law Meaningful to Beginning Teachers: A Narrative Inquiry
No full textTeacher education classes are contested spaces. Professors interested in reforming content, pedagogy and assessment must wrestle with their own internal tensions and the culture of their institutions in order to make a difference. In this paper, a teacher educator uses narrative inquiry to frame his efforts to become a constructivist professor of education law. Critical tensions are examined using a three-dimensional narrative inquiry space: looking inward, outward, backward, and forward. Critical reflections, written over several years, are used to situate the tensions experienced in this case into the broader context of the author’s career journey.Keywords: teacher education; reform; narrative inquiry; constructivist; education la
Editorial: The Narrative Turn
No full textAn introduction to our Autumn 2010 theme issue, [narrative] in education
Instructional Mash-Up: Promoting Reflective Skill Development in a Virtual Environment
No full textClassroom management (CM) research suggests prospective teachers customarily view CM skill acquisition as a fundamental component of pedagogical knowledge development (Emmer & Stough, 2001; Merrett & Wheldall, 1993). Dissemination of critical concepts has traditionally occurred in face-to-face classrooms supported by school-based field experiences. However, circumstances have fueled student demand for flexible scheduling and convenient online courses (Ellis, 2009; Fink, 2003). Professors are challenged to deliver CM instruction virtually; utilizing multiple tools for online delivery to emulate traditional and educational training experiences. This qualitative study explored emergence of reflective skills in blogs, wikis, and scaffolded assignments in an online CM course.Keywords: classroom management; pedagogy; flexibility; online courses; blogs; wikis; scaffolded assignment
Remembering Why: The Role of Story in Educational Research
No full textThis paper examines the role of story in educational research as an empowering method of inquiry. By stepping back and remembering why, the author retells a professional story of practice between her and a colleague, exploring Vivian Gussin Paley’s story play in a Grade 1/2 inner city classroom. Moving in and through past and present experiences illustrates the need for story in researching professional practice, the significance of story as a powerful research tool, and the profound understanding of teaching and learning that unfolds as a result of such collaborations. Story creates an ethos in the teaching and research community, uniting theory and practice into a visible partnership.Keywords: story; educational research; theory and practic